Movies like The Substitute Spy (2016)
The best movies like The Substitute Spy (2016) are Cadet Kelly (2002), Thunderstruck (2012) and My Spy (2020). If The Substitute Spy hooked you with its comedy and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex (2013)7.9/10 from 1,096 votes
- NewestThe Spy Who Tasted Tea (2026)Released 2026
Cadet 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 family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunderstruck (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 & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Spy (2020)
A hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & 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 family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMixtape (2021)
On the eve of Y2K, orphaned 12-year-old Beverly discovers a broken mixtape crafted by her teen parents. Raised by her grandmother – who struggles talking about her late daughter – Beverly sees the mixtape as a chance to finally learn more about her parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDennis the Menace (1993)
Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of gold coins that go missing when a shady drifter named Switchblade Sam comes to town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisBeverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011)
Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents Papi and Chloe upside down when their rambunctious, mischievous puppies present one challenge after another. But when their human owners end up in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them - because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together. So Papi, Chloe and the puppies embark on a heroic adventure, proving once again that big heroes come in small packages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisRookie of the Year (1993)
When the cast comes off his once broken arm, a 12-year-old boy can throw a 100-mile-an-hour fastball, and the Chicago Cubs want him as their new pitcher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & 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 & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex (2013)
While trying to prove to her family she can be mature and responsible, teen wizard Alex Russo conjures up a spell to rid herself of her bad qualities, unintentionally creating a Good and Evil Alex. When Evil Alex gets involved in a plan to take over the world by a dark wizard, Good Alex must find a way to save her family, humankind, and ultimately herself in an epic Good vs. Evil battle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSee Spot Run (2001)
A drug sniffing agent canine is a target for an assassin boss so the FBI calls Witness Protection to send him somewhere else. Meanwhile a single Mom puts her 6 year old boy James in the care of her irresponsible, mailman, neighbor, Gordon, when the babysitter bails on her. Meanwhile, an assassin mob boss hires 2 goons to kill Agent 11. But when 11 escapes from the van when they tried to kill him, he hides in Gordon's Mailtruck that James is in too. And guess what they name him. Spot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Air Up There (1994)
Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home movie. But Saleh is the chief's son and has responsibilities at home, since the tribe's land is threatened by a mining company with its own hotshot basketball team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpymate (2006)
Amelia, a young genius and daughter of a top secret agent, unknowingly invents a contraption that makes her the target of an evil scientist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWoody Woodpecker (2017)
Woody Woodpecker enters a turf war with a big city lawyer wanting to tear down his home in an effort to build a house to flip.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
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 & family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Silencers (1966)
Matt Helm is called out of retirement to stop the evil Big O organization who plan to explode an atomic bomb over Alamagordo, NM, and start WW III.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Man Flint (1966)
When scientists use eco-terrorism to impose their will on the world by affecting extremes in the weather, Intelligence Chief Cramden calls in top agent Derek Flint.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cheap Detective (1978)
A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaphne & Velma (2018)
Before their eventual team-up with Scooby and the gang, bright and optimistic Daphne and whip-smart and analytical Velma are both mystery-solving teens who are best friends but have only met online - until now. Daphne has just transferred to Velma's school, Ridge Valley High, an incredible tech-savvy institute with all the latest gadgets provided by the school's benefactor, tech billionaire Tobias Bloom. And while competition is fierce among the students for a coveted internship at Bloom Innovative, Daphne and Velma dig beyond all the gadgets and tech to investigate what is causing some of the brightest students in school to disappear - only to emerge again in a zombie-fied state.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCars 2 (2011)
Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBukan Film Superhero (2025)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
Acceptance (2009)
A comedic, sometimes poignant look at the absurdity of today's college-applications process for parents and teens. Joan Cusack stars as a stressed-out mom who is trying to get her teen daughter into college.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Darling Lili (1970)
World War I. Lili Smith is a beloved British music hall singer, often providing inspiration for the British and French troops and general populace singing rallying patriotic songs. She is also half German and is an undercover German spy, using her feminine wiles to gather information from the high ranking and generally older military officers and diplomats she seduces.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Henkka & Kivimutka Detective Agency (2022)
Henkka Virtanen finds evidence of a possible crime on his way to school. With his friend J.K. Kivimutka, the boys decide to investigate what has happened, because these criminal cases are the responsibility of the detective agency they have set up. When it turns out that mailboxes in the area have disappeared during the night, the detective bureau has already two crimes to solve. A fun and exciting adventure begins, in which the boys also have to face their own fears.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
The Spy Who Tasted Tea (2026)
Max Bourke (played by Max Bourke) tastes tea in his boost juice, and in an effort to find out why, he has to infiltrate British HQ.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Guardians of Night: The Demon Hunting Academy (2016)
Demons and humans share a planet near Earth. The humans occupy the planet by day and the demons occupy it at night. They live in harmony until some of the demons scheme against the humans. The Guardians rid the planet of the troublesome demonic creatures to preserve the peace.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Wacky Class Welcome (2004)
The year is 2003, and the Private Çamlıca High School, once home to the legendary “Hababam Class”, is still in operation. The school’s founder has passed away, and his son, nicknamed “Mad Bedri,” now runs the place. The time-honored Hababam traditions continue in full force, and every teacher is so exasperated by the endless pranks of that class that they’re constantly looking for a way out. Seeing his chance, Mad Bedri plans to sell the school to a developer in exchange for floor space rights, so that it can be torn down and replaced with a high-rise office complex. When the principal, Fatoş, learns of his scheme, she enlists the help of the original “Hababam” alumni to save the school by taking on its current troublemakers. Tensions rise once Bedri announces the sale, and a huge surprise awaits everyone.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
Father O'Malley is sent to St. Mary's, a run-down parochial school on the verge of condemnation. He and Sister Benedict work together in an attempt to save the school, though their differing methods often lead to good-natured disagreements.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrike First Freddy (1965)
Frede Hansen, a game salesman, is mistaken for a secret service agent on a ferry and kidnapped by enemy agents. He escapes and now the secret service want to use him as bait to track the enemy. They assign their best agent, Smith to be his partner and supervisor. Their main task is to eliminate the head of the enemy conspiracy, the mysterious 'Dr. Pax' who's real identity is unknown. Freddy accompanies Smith to Stockholm where they are to meet Sonja, an agent for Dr. Pax, who is also on Smith's liquidation list. Thanks to his bag of game tricks, Freddy manages to avoid being done in by Kolick, a killer for Dr. Pax. Freddy falls for Sonja, and he, she and Smith are taken as prisoners to Dr. Pax's hideout, a remote island fortress from which a major power is to be attacked by missiles guided by trained pigeons. Freddy manages to teach Dr. Pax a lasting lesson in the difference between trained pigeons and homing pigeons.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like The Substitute Spy and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Substitute Spy?
The closest matches to The Substitute Spy are Cadet Kelly (2002), Thunderstruck (2012) and My Spy (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Substitute Spy?
Start with Cadet Kelly (2002), the closest match to The Substitute Spy.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Substitute Spy?
The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex (2013), rated 7.9/10 by 1,096 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Substitute Spy?
The Spy Who Tasted Tea (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Substitute Spy?
Yes: Cadet Kelly (2002), Thunderstruck (2012) and My Spy (2020).
How are movies similar to The Substitute Spy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Substitute Spy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.