Movies like The Return of Independence (2018)
The best movies like The Return of Independence (2018) are Thunderstruck (2012), Recess: All Growed Down (2003) and The Sandlot 2 (2005). If The Return of Independence hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)7.4/10 from 3,050 votes
- NewestDriver's Ed (2026)Released 2026
Thunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecess: All Growed Down (2003)
T.J. and The Recess Gang are kidnapped by the Third Street School's kindergartners, who are in turn being bullied by a new kid in their class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sandlot 2 (2005)
A decade has passed in the small town where the original Sandlot gang banded together during the summer of ’62 to play baseball and battle the Beast. Now, back at the dugout, nine new kids descend on the diamond only to discover that a descendant of the Beast lives in Mr. Mertle’s backyard – a monster of mythical proportions known as 'The Great Fear'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSlumberland (2022)
A young girl discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares, with the hope that she will be able to see her late father again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGotcha! (1985)
A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Eat Fried Worms (2006)
During the first day of his new school year, a fifth grade boy squares off against a bully and winds up accepting a dare that could change the balance of power within the class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlaying with Fire (2019)
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinding ʻOhana (2021)
Two Brooklyn siblings' summer in a rural Oahu town takes an exciting turn when a journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an adventure, leading them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Big League (1994)
When the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, he bequeaths the team to his preteen grandson. The newly minted head honcho quickly appoints himself manager, causing unrest in an organization that struggles to take orders from a 12-year-old.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCadet Kelly (2002)
Hyperactive teenager Kelly is enrolled into a military school when her new stepfather becomes the Commandant. At first she has problems fitting in and taking orders until she tries out for the drill team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDriver's Ed (2026)
A group of teens hit the road in a stolen driver's ed car, racing against time to help a lovesick high school senior track down his college-freshman girlfriend and win her back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996)
When Littlefoot's grandfather falls ill, the only way to cure him is with a flower from the forbidding land of the mists, which holds unexpected perils and danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRugrats Go Wild (2003)
When the Rugrats find themselves stranded on a deserted island, they meet the Thornberrys, a family who agrees to help them escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Mighty Wind (2003)
Three eclectic, never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager to put on an reunion concert in his honor, at the request of his son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
Nutbourne College, an old established, all-boys, boarding school is told that another school is to be billeted with due to wartime restrictions. The shock is that it's an all-girls school that has been sent. The two head teachers are soon battling for the upper hand with each other and the Ministry. But a crisis (or two) forces them to work together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)
Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman – a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate – on a seafaring adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, where no Sponge has gone before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Love My Dad (2022)
A hopelessly estranged father catfishes his son in an attempt to reconnect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisImpractical Jokers: The Movie (2020)
The story of a humiliating high school mishap from 1992 that sends the Impractical Jokers on the road competing in hidden-camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and redeem three of the four Jokers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)
When his best friend Gary is suddenly snatched away, SpongeBob takes Patrick on a madcap mission far beyond Bikini Bottom to save their pink-shelled pal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady, to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: the notorious Krang.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this9 (2009)
A group of people talk about very different subjects, including a strange course that one of them has just completed. There is tension in the air, although it is not quite clear why. They give the impression that they are killing time while waiting for a job that everyone needs for different reasons. Are they actors looking for a role?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Night Express (2003)
An extremely patient man shares a sleeping car on a overnight express train with a complete hypochondriac. Anxious for his berth mate to reveal any habits which might disturb his delicate sleep, the neurotic man subjects the other to an absurd interrogation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Village Guys (2015)
Village Guys is a 2015 Malayalam language Indian Comedy film
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Bachelor with Dogs and Scott Eastwood (2015)
In this spoof of The Bachelor, a guy picks from a group of dogs to be his companion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SpongeBob SquarePants: Spongicus (2009)
Prepare to be blown back on your tail fins! Visit the Bikini Bottom Symphony, check out the Chum Bucket's Rome-antic new look, see SpongeBob's take on normal, hear Plankton's new band, the Patty Stealers, take a trip to the Nautical Museum and more!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Naughty Baby (1928)
A cloak room girl (Alice White) falls for a rich boy who may not actually be rich.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
En una playa junto al mar (1971)
In the midst of many songs, the young musician misunderstood by his father, the studious and hardworking girl and the family reunion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
I Do Believe (2002)
Gaither Vocal Band - Live In Concert in New Orleans. The Gaither Vocal Band Performs Live in New Orleans, LA. Bill Gaither, Mark Lowry, Guy Penrod, David Phelps, and friend of the GVB sing southern gospel songs and reminisce
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Octopus (2015)
Squid have 10 legs. Octopuses have 8 legs. Added together, that’s 18 legs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like The Return of Independence and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Return of Independence?
The closest matches to The Return of Independence are Thunderstruck (2012), Recess: All Growed Down (2003) and The Sandlot 2 (2005). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Return of Independence?
Start with Thunderstruck (2012), the closest match to The Return of Independence.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Return of Independence?
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020), rated 7.4/10 by 3,050 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Return of Independence?
Driver's Ed (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Return of Independence chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Return of Independence, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.