Movies like Head Above Water (2018)
The best movies like Head Above Water (2018) are Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999), Cunk on Shakespeare (2016) and 7 Days in Hell (2015). If Head Above Water hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedA Hard Day's Night (1964)7.3/10 from 778 votes
- NewestChiquita Movida (2026)Released 2026
Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999)
Mock documentary about Seinfeld writer Larry David featuring contributions from his friends and colleagues. Larry makes a return to stand-up comedy and prepares to film a television special for HBO. This is the original special that gave birth to the long-running award-winning HBO series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCunk on Shakespeare (2016)
Fresh from her triumphs on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe investigating time, Winston Churchill, and Donald Trump, Philomena Cunk has finally been given her own show - about William Shakespeare. Cunk will leave no stone unturned as she gets to the bottom of the Bard, visiting his birthplace, exploring the Globe, studying priceless artefacts and interviewing literally six different experts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this7 Days in Hell (2015)
A fictional documentary-style expose on the rivalry between two tennis stars who battled it out in a 1999 match that lasted seven days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTour de Pharmacy (2017)
A mockumentary that chronicles the prevalence of doping in the world of professional cycling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Grand (2007)
The Grand is in the tradition of improvisational comedies like Best In Show and This Is Spinal Tap. The story is set in the world of professional poker and follows six players who reach the final table of the world’s second most famous high stakes tournament, the Grand Championship of Poker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHow to Irritate People (1969)
A pre-Monty Python mockumentary, written by and presented by John Cleese, that provides tips on learning how to irritate people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeries 7 (2001)
A reality TV program selects six contestants to participate in a free-for-all, no holds barred deathmatch, where they must skillfully outwit and kill each other in order to be the last person alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSurf's Up (2007)
With a documentary crew in tow, Cody Maverick—a young surfer from Antarctica—travels to the pacific for his first professional competition. Determined to earn respect and live up to his idol, Big Z, Cody pushes himself to the limit. But all that changes when an encounter with a laid-back local forces him to rethink his values.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMalibu Rescue: The Next Wave (2020)
It’s summer again, and everyone’s favorite Junior Rescuers, The Flounders, are back at Tower 2. With the International Junior Rescue Championships headed to Southern California, the eyes of the entire planet are on Malibu Beach. But when Team USA falls victim to a bout of food poisoning, it’s up to Tyler, Dylan, Eric, Lizzie and Gina to represent their country in the world's most extreme lifeguard challenge!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (2023)
In a rowdy stand-up set, Shane Gillis riffs on his girlfriend's Navy SEAL ex, touring George Washington's house and being bullied by an Australian Goth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSurf's Up 2: WaveMania (2017)
Cody, Chicken Joe and Lani are back in their most epic adventure yet! The most radical surfing dream team, The Hang Five puts Cody and his friends to the test and teaches them the meaning of teamwork as they journey to the most legendary surfing spot on the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisFear of a Black Hat (1994)
Chronicling the controversial career of bad boys N.W.H. (Niggaz With Hats), this uproarious 'mockumentary' lampoons all of hardcore rap's hot-button issues. This underground laugh riot recounts the rise, fall and resurrection of a clueless bunch of would-be rappers, Ice Cold, Tone-Def & Tasty Taste performing as N.W.H.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDie Hart (2023)
Kevin Hart - playing a version of himself - is on a death-defying quest to become an action star. And with a little help from John Travolta, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Josh Hartnett - he just might pull it off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like this2 Minutes of Fame (2020)
An up-and-coming stand-up comic moves to L.A. to pursue a film career after video clips of his act make him an online sensation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
The story of the rise and fall of the Pre-Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSarah Silverman: We Are Miracles (2013)
In her first-ever HBO solo special, Sarah Silverman takes the stage for an evening of adults-only stand-up comedy. Taped live in front of an intimate audience of 39 fans at Largo, a music and comedy club in Los Angeles, Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles features Silverman taking aim at such subjects as cell-phone porn, crazy religions, specialty deodorants, terrible roommates, eyebrow waxing, her 19-year-old dog, Obama and Republicans, having babies, Pixar movies, the miracle of existence, and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEddie Izzard: Dress to Kill (1999)
Eddie Izzard takes her show to San Francisco to give a brief history of pagan and Christian religions, the building of Stonehenge, the birth of the Church of England and of Western empires, and the need for a European dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPretty Persuasion (2005)
A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHot Shots! (1991)
The gang that created Airplane! and The Naked Gun sets its sights on Top Gun in this spoof. Topper Harley is a talented but unstable fighter pilot with an axe to grind: clearing the family name. His mission is to avenge his father and save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufacturers. He also gets involved in a relationship with Ramada Thompson, a woman with an unusually talented stomach. Hot Shots! makes fun of a variety of other films, from Dances with Wolves to The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnderground Entertainment: The Movie (2011)
On the 20th anniversary of their edgy little 90's cable show Underground Entertainment, the authors, along with many SF, horror and B celebrities in cameos, remember how they pushed the envelope, shocked, entertained, but also introduced the audience to many movies, comics and conventions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Martin Decker Show (2023)
The story of fiftysomething Martin Decker, who starts a new career as an internet video star only to have his life crumble around him, told through interviews with family and friends and archival videos from his time online.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
F*ckin' Fred : Comme un Léopard (2025)
One of the most iconic characters of Jonathan Cohen, F*ckin' Fred, makes his return after being created in the 2020 Orelsan's Epilogue Tour where Jonathan was a surprise guest. This epic documentary will tell how F*ckin' Fred was created but also his journey through the first official Fuckin' Fred concert.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Little Lunch: The Halloween Horror Story (2016)
When Mrs Gonsha's class puts on a Halloween play about a boy who leaves behind his friends for a scary new place, it hits too close to home for one student.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBorat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences. His backwards behavior generates strong reactions around him exposing prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Making of a Superhero Musical (2015)
A mockumentary following the troubled production of Clockmen: The Musical, focusing on a cosplayer-turned-actress who reacts to the stress of the production in a rather unusual way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
In a small Minnesota town, the annual beauty pageant is being covered by a TV crew. Former winner Gladys Leeman wants to make sure her daughter follows in her footsteps; explosions, falling lights, and trailer fires prove that. As the Leemans are the richest family in town, the police are pretty relaxed about it all. Despite everything, main rival (but sweet) Amber Atkins won't give up without a fight.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHunter's Weekend (2019)
Mockumentary about a weekend competition for hunters that is thrown into disarray when one of the hunters ends up dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Head Above Water?
The closest matches to Head Above Water are Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999), Cunk on Shakespeare (2016) and 7 Days in Hell (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Head Above Water?
Start with Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999), the closest match to Head Above Water.
What is the highest-rated movie like Head Above Water?
A Hard Day's Night (1964), rated 7.3/10 by 778 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Head Above Water?
Chiquita Movida (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Head Above Water?
Yes: Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999), Cunk on Shakespeare (2016) and 7 Days in Hell (2015).
How are movies similar to Head Above Water chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Head Above Water, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.