Movies like Once Upon a Summer (2009)
The best movies like Once Upon a Summer (2009) are Horse Sense (1999), Around the Bend (2004) and Paradise (1991). If Once Upon a Summer hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Way Home (2002)8.0/10 from 242 votes
- NewestSummer Windows (2026)Released 2026
Horse Sense (1999)
After treating his rancher cousin shoddily in L.A. Michael Woods is sentenced by his parents to spending a month on the ranch with his cousin and aunt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAround the Bend (2004)
A tale of four generations of men, all of whom have had their offspring at a young age: a great-grandfather, a grandfather, a father in his twenties and a son who is about 7 years old. When the oldest member passes away, the trio heads out on the road together in the Southwest to search out an old family secret that connects to their past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisParadise (1991)
A 10-year-old boy spends a summer in the country with a childless couple and a precocious girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tender Bar (2021)
JR is a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — JR begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams, with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWildlike (2015)
Fourteen-year-old Mackenzie is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau when her mother can’t care for her anymore. The living situation quickly takes a turn for the worse, and she runs away to rejoin her mother in Seattle. While on her dangerous journey of sleeping in cars and breaking into hotel rooms, she’s drawn to Rene, a lonesome backpacker looking for tranquility in the wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Mimzy (2007)
Two siblings begin to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of toys, and soon their parents and even their teacher are drawn into a strange new world – and find a task ahead of them that is far more important than any of them could imagine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995)
Two teen girls, one from the city, one from the country, try to find the hidden gold of Bear Mountain learning about friendship, loyalty and courage on the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHead Full of Honey (2018)
A young girl tries to help her grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, navigate his increasing forgetfulness, and ends up going on a remarkable adventure with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDad (1989)
A busy executive learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes closer to him than ever before. Estranged from his own son, the executive comes to realize what has been missing in his own life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisC'mon C'mon (2021)
Johnny and his young nephew forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they embark on a cross-country trip to see life away from Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBunraku (2010)
In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter, a bartender and a young samurai plot revenge against a ruthless leader and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisAdoration (2013)
Lil and Roz are two lifelong friends, having grown up together as neighbors in an idyllic beach town. As adults, their sons have developed a friendship as strong as that which binds their mothers. One summer, all four are confronted by simmering emotions that have been mounting between them, and each find unexpected happiness in relationships that cross the bounds of convention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire (2000)
Littlefoot and his pals set off in search of a "stone of cold fire" that fell from the night sky. Since he's the only one who has seen it though, nobody really believes him. Petrie's uncle Pterano offers support only because he thinks the stone has secret powers and wants it for himself but conceals this from the rest. The young dinos must figure out the truth, before Pterano gets the power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTake Me to the River (2015)
A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaddy Longlegs (2010)
After months of living a solitary existence, Lenny, 34, picks up his kids from school. Every year he spends a couple of weeks with his sons Sage, 9, and Frey, 7. Lenny hosts his kids within a midtown studio apartment in New York. During these two weeks, he must figure out if he wants to act as their father or be their friend. Ultimately, their trip upstate results in complete lawlessness taking over their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Greening of Whitney Brown (2011)
Whitney, a spoiled pre-teen from Philadelphia, is forced to move to the country when her parents feel the squeeze of economic hard times. A fish out of water, far from her comfort zone, she befriends an amazing horse, and undertakes a misguided journey back to her old life, only to discover that her family is her home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBrothers (2009)
When his helicopter goes down during his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Marine Sam Cahill is presumed dead. Back home, brother Tommy steps in to look over Sam’s wife, Grace, and two children. Sam’s surprise homecoming triggers domestic mayhem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrue Spirit (2023)
When the tenacious young sailor Jessica Watson sets out to be the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world, many expect her to fail. With the support of her sailing coach and mentor Ben Bryant and her parents, Jessica is determined to accomplish what was thought to be impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean over the course of 210 days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Glass House (2001)
When Ruby and Rhett's parents are killed in a car accident, their carefree teenage lives are suddenly shattered. Moving to an incredible house in Malibu with the Glasses', old friends of the family, seems to be the beginning of a new life for them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack or White (2015)
A grieving widower is drawn into a custody battle over his granddaughter, whom he helped raise her entire life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrokeback Mountain (2005)
In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Girls We Want (2025)
Marseille, the holidays. Omar, 20, oversees the children summer camp with his longtime friends. The adolescents are full of dreams, principles, and prejudices. When Carmen returns after years being away, the group dynamic is put to the test. In a group where reputation is everything, the electric and free spirit Carmen triggers everyone to question his own belief, desire, and sexuality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Way Home (2002)
This is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Girl (2009)
Story of a ten-year-old girl left alone in her house in the summer of 1981.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Work and the Glory III: A House Divided (2006)
Joshua Steed returns to Missouri a wealthy man with a beautiful wife; however, the past has a way of catching up. Soon Joshua is tangled in a web of rumors, deception and betrayal that threatens to tear his family apart. Back in Kirtland, financial trouble riddles the foundations of the fledgling Church causing a division, and questioning of the Prophet Joseph Smith's divine calling. Has he lost his prophetic gift? Hundreds of Saints immigrate to Missouri, where Governor Boggs raises an army - with Joshua at its head - to address the "Mormon Problem." When the militia receives orders to attack the Mormon settlement, only Joshua can save his family from the gathering mob.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Patch of Blue (1965)
A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man, who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSomewhere Only We Know (2015)
Jin Ying is currently experiencing two of life’s most depressing moments: She is jilted by her fiancé, and her loving grandmother passes away. Heartbroken, she decides to visit the European city of Prague, and hopes to use the time to heal her inner pain. While in Prague, she meets a young Chinese man named Punk. There, she slowly unravels a secret romance her grandmother once experienced long ago.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Swimming Trunks (2013)
On holiday on a campsite by the seaside, Rémi, 10, is fascinated by Stéphane, 35, the father of one of his playmates. This is a new, confusing feeling for him. Nobody knows what he is going through especially not handsome Stéphane.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Summer Windows (2026)
When an ambitious teenager has different plans for her future then originally planned with her friend, she sets up a backyard concert in an attempt to get everyone together for one last time. She must decide if she will allow personal and technical issues get in the way of creating a memorable night
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Caught by a Wave (2021)
A summer fling born under the Sicilian sun quickly develops into a heartbreaking love story that forces a boy and girl to grow up too quickly.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Once Upon a Summer and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Once Upon a Summer?
The closest matches to Once Upon a Summer are Horse Sense (1999), Around the Bend (2004) and Paradise (1991). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Once Upon a Summer?
Start with Horse Sense (1999), the closest match to Once Upon a Summer.
What is the highest-rated movie like Once Upon a Summer?
The Way Home (2002), rated 8.0/10 by 242 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Once Upon a Summer?
Summer Windows (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Once Upon a Summer?
Yes: Horse Sense (1999), Around the Bend (2004) and Paradise (1991).
How are movies similar to Once Upon a Summer chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Once Upon a Summer, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.