Movies like Playing in the Road (1947)
The best movies like Playing in the Road (1947) are Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019), Taking Care of Business (1990) and Where the Red Fern Grows (1974). If Playing in the Road hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Playing in the Road
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMuch Ado About Nothing (2013)6.8/10 from 299 votes
- NewestEleanor the Great (2025)Released 2025
Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019)
A skeptical writer shows up in Evergreen to get the scoop on the town's famed passion for Christmas during a search for a long-lost time capsule.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaking Care of Business (1990)
An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMuch Ado About Nothing (2013)
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)
Christmas brings the ultimate gift to Aldovia: a royal baby. But first, Queen Amber must help her family and kingdom by finding a missing peace treaty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cat in the Hat (1971)
In a marvelously animated version of one of the most beloved of all Dr. Seuss tales, two youngsters find themselves at home with nothing to do on a rainy afternoon. But when the magical, mischievous Cat in the Hat arrives on the scene, they're all cat-apulted into a day of rousing, romping, outlandish antics they - and you - will never forget!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Glenbrooke Christmas (2020)
As Christmas nears, heiress Jessica Morgan seizes what seems like her last chance to experience a relaxed Christmas and heads off to the small town of Glenbrooke, where she meets a handsome fireman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLeague of Legends Origins (2019)
Fans, experts and creators of “League of Legends” detail the game’s rise from free demo to global esports titan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHome for Christmas Day (2017)
Jane is a single mother dead set on protecting her teenage daughter Betsy from the harsh realities of life. When Betsy falls in love with an enlisted man, Jane tries her best to steer Betsy away from heartache. Little does Jane realize she and her daughter are about to learn important lessons of the heart and that taking chances can sometimes lead to the most extraordinary happy endings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisKid Galahad (1962)
After completing military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter—and takes him under his wing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Name on the Bullet (1959)
When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSense, Sensibility & Snowmen (2019)
Christmas enthusiast party planners Ella and her sister, Marianne, clash with their client, Edward, who is a not-so-jolly toy company CEO.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChateau Christmas (2020)
Margot, a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChang Can Dunk (2023)
Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American, bets the high school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads 5' 8" Chang on a quest to learn to dunk—not only to impress his crush, Kristy, but to gain the respect of his high school peers too. But before he can rise up and truly throw one down, he'll have to reexamine everything he knows about himself, his friendships and his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWrite Before Christmas (2019)
A recently single Jessica sends Christmas cards to people who have impacted her life—the aunt who raised her, her younger brother in the military, a popstar who was part of the soundtrack of her life, the music teacher who inspired her, and the best friend who always tells the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisSound of Christmas (2016)
Lizzie is a young piano teacher working at a music school while trying to save enough money for a Steinway piano. The school is gearing up for their major Christmas fundraiser and she has committed much of her time to plan the event. One afternoon, she meets Brad who takes an interest in her playing and asks if she will teach his uninterested teenage daughter. She begins to break through to the young girl, and sparks begin to fly with Brad, but she is shocked to find out that his interest is not solely in her playing, but in the property that houses the music school. She sets out to save the school and the event, but can she work things out with Brad?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (2020)
A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Trash Truck Christmas (2020)
When Santa crash-lands in the junkyard on Christmas Eve, Hank, Trash Truck and their animal friends all have a hand in rescuing the holiday for everyone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Queen of the Waves (1936)
An animated short film that explains in a pedagogical way how the radio transmission works. Created by Czech filmmakers it was commissioned by Argentina Schools. The film tells the story of Curious, an extraterrestrial child that reaches the planet earth attracted by the sound waves. There he meets the Queen of Waves, an ethereal figure who teaches her step by step the process by which sound is captured, amplified, modulated and transformed into electromagnetic vibrations to be transmitted by a radial antenna.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Another Side of the Forest (1974)
Developments in the Canadian forestry industry during the 1970s are shown being carried out both as lab experiments and in the field to protect and conserve the country's vast forests. These include turning a Newfoundland bog into woodland, fostering British Columbia seedlings that withstand mechanical planting, inoculating Ontario elms against the bark beetle, devising ways of controlling fire, and more.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
LSD (1967)
1967 Navy training film MN-10507-A. Navy physician talks about the dangers of LSD or "Russian roulette in a sugar cube." National Archives Identifier: 6379 "How LSD was discovered, the extreme dangers of using it and how it affects the brain and body."
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart (2001)
Part of The Book of Pooh series, which offers preschool kids simple life lessons and scholastic pointers, The Book of Pooh: Stories From the Heart uses puppetry and computer animation to tell Christopher Robin's imaginative tales. Kids join Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger for an afternoon of storytelling and lesson learning.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Creating Gender Inclusive Schools (2016)
What happens when you bring gender training to an elementary school? In Creating Gender Inclusive Schools the Peralta Elementary School in Oakland, CA demonstrates the power of an open and honest conversation about gender.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Like Playing in the Road and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Playing in the Road?
The closest matches to Playing in the Road are Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019), Taking Care of Business (1990) and Where the Red Fern Grows (1974). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Playing in the Road?
Start with Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019), the closest match to Playing in the Road.
What is the highest-rated movie like Playing in the Road?
Much Ado About Nothing (2013), rated 6.8/10 by 299 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Playing in the Road?
Eleanor the Great (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Playing in the Road?
Yes: Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019), Taking Care of Business (1990) and Where the Red Fern Grows (1974).
How are movies similar to Playing in the Road chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Playing in the Road, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.