Movies like Atonement (2005)
The best movies like Atonement (2005) are Rushmore (1998), Fist Fight (2017) and The Three Stooges (2012). If Atonement hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhiplash (2013)7.8/10 from 447 votes
- NewestWicked Little Letters (2024)Released 2024
Rushmore (1998)
When a beautiful first-grade teacher arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max, who quickly falls in love with her. Max turns to the father of two of his schoolmates for advice on how to woo the teacher. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max's new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFist Fight (2017)
When one school teacher gets the other fired, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Three Stooges (2012)
Left on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns, three newborn knuckleheads grow up to be finger-poking, nyuk-nyuking janitors named Larry, Curly and Moe. When they learn that financial problems will soon force the only home they've ever known to close, the trio sets out to raise $830,000 in one month. Out in the world for the very first time, the three innocent bumblers become embroiled in a murder plot and find stardom on a TV reality show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Trouble with Angels (1966)
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarry On Teacher (1959)
When a well-loved headmaster decides to retire, his scheming pupils have other ideas. The cunning boys unleash a campaign of practical jokes, armed with gin, itching power, and bombs!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHamlet 2 (2008)
Failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama-teacher Dana Marschz rallies his Tucson students as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe TV Set (2007)
As a writer named Mike struggles to shepherd his semi-autobiographical sitcom into development, his vision is slowly eroded by a domineering network executive named Lenny who favors trashy reality programming. The irony, of course, is that every crass suggestion Lenny makes improves the show's response from test audiences and brings the show a step closer to getting on the air.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rewrite (2014)
An Oscar-winning writer in a slump leaves Hollywood to teach screenwriting at a college on the East Coast, where he falls for a single mom taking classes there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMiddle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2016)
A quiet teenage artist Rafe Katchadorian has a wild imagination and is sick of middle school and the rules that have been put before him. Rafe and his best friend Leo have come up with a plan: break every rule in the school hand book and as you expect trouble follows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOld Dads (2023)
A cranky middle-aged dad and his two best friends find themselves out of step in a changing world of millennial CEOs and powerful preschool principals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWicked Little Letters (2024)
When the denizens of Littlehampton – including conservative Edith – begin receiving letters full of hilarious profanities, rowdy Irish migrant Rose is charged with the crime. Suspecting something amiss, the town's women band together to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Breakfast Club (1985)
Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Meteor Man (1993)
One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest by a souped-up chunk of meteor. So he can fly, but he's scared of heights. He can master the information in any book ... for about thirty seconds. Now his friends and family want him to protect their community from the dreaded Golden Lords.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisNativity! (2009)
Paul, charged with directing his school's Nativity play, falsely boasts that his ex-girlfriend plans to turn the production into a film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
A group of Southern-California high school students ignore their studies in favor of indulging in their teenage distractions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhiplash (2013)
A ferocious, bullying music teacher teaches a dedicated student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnchors Aweigh (1945)
Two sailors on shore leave head out for four days of partying – only to become involved in the affairs of an aspiring singer and her precocious nephew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDo Revenge (2022)
A dethroned queen bee at a posh private high school strikes a secret deal with an unassuming new student to enact revenge on one another’s enemies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSummer School (1987)
A high-school gym teacher has big plans for the summer, but is forced to cancel them to teach a "bonehead" English class for misfit goof-off students. Fortunately, his unconventional brand of teaching fun field trips begins to connect with them, and even inspires ardor in some.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Atonement?
The closest matches to Atonement are Rushmore (1998), Fist Fight (2017) and The Three Stooges (2012). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Atonement?
Start with Rushmore (1998), the closest match to Atonement.
What is the highest-rated movie like Atonement?
Whiplash (2013), rated 7.8/10 by 447 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Atonement?
Wicked Little Letters (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Atonement?
Yes: Rushmore (1998), Fist Fight (2017) and The Three Stooges (2012).
How are movies similar to Atonement chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Atonement, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.