Movies like Sex Detective Hatenashi (2018)
The best movies like Sex Detective Hatenashi (2018) are Sherlock Jr. (1924), The Overnight (2015) and Confess, Fletch (2022). If Sex Detective Hatenashi hooked you with its comedy and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSherlock Jr. (1924)8.0/10 from 1,240 votes
- NewestSpa Weekend (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseMaruhi sennyû: Gyaku soap tengoku (1992)Also in Japanese
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Overnight (2015)
Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisConfess, Fletch (2022)
The roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for a stolen art collection. The only way to prove his innocence? Find out which of the long list of suspects is the culprit - from the eccentric art dealer and a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor and Fletch’s Italian girlfriend. Crime, in fact, has never been this disorganized.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Mortality (2025)
Ricky Gervais tackles life, death and the state of the world in a brutally honest special that spares no topic, even his own mortality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPizza Movie (2026)
A group of college students go downstairs to their dorm lobby to get a delivery pizza. There's only one issue: They're insanely high on a homemade drug, turning their simple journey down two sets of stairs into a mind-bendingly transformative quest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEddie Murphy Raw (1987)
Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Nice Guys (2016)
A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisDriver's Ed (2026)
A group of teens hit the road in a stolen driver's ed car, racing against time to help a lovesick high school senior track down his college-freshman girlfriend and win her back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard to Die (1990)
While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorized by a series of bizarre killings. They suspect that the strange janitor, who witnessed another series of killings six months previously, is at the bottom of the whole thing. Little do they know the real horror that they face in the end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaylor Tomlinson: Look at You (2022)
Breakups. Therapy. Bangs. Taylor's gone through some stuff since her quarter-life crisis, and she spins her mental health journey into insightful comedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRicky Gervais Live 2: Politics (2004)
A year after Animals, Ricky Gervais comes back with his second stand up comedy tour: Politics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Night at McCool's (2001)
On an ordinary night, in an ordinary part of town, a beautiful young woman walks into a bar. Her name is Jewel, and before long she is chatting to bartender Randy. The pair leave together, but he ends up getting into a tussle with her criminal boyfriend, who she then shoots dead, later persuading Randy to take the rap for her. But this isn't the end of it, as both Randy's cousin Carl and the detective assigned to the murder case also fall for Jewel's charms and find themselves caught up in the ensuing events. It seems that any man who meets Jewel falls instantly in love with her, and she's going to use this fully to her own advantage, leaving a trail of havoc in her wake. It also seems that she is going to get away with it - that is, until Randy decides to hire a hitman...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980)
Perennially stoned Cheech and Chong tear through the city of Los Angeles, causing trouble wherever they go. After Cheech loses his job, the two pot enthusiasts head to the welfare offices where Cheech's girlfriend, Donna, works. Instead of collecting unemployment, they find themselves thrown back on the streets, searching for a way to earn new income. But when Cheech's cousin, "Red" Mendoza, arrives, things get even crazier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSpa Weekend (2026)
Four lifelong friends realize that somewhere between careers, relationships, families, and everyday responsibilities, they’ve forgotten how to take care of themselves and each other. Burned out and overdue for a break, the women escape to a luxury spa retreat for an unforgettable weekend dedicated to fun, laughter, and a lot of really bad decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Armageddon (2023)
Ricky Gervais dishes out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity in a taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoy Ride (2023)
When Audrey's business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo, her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat, her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye, Lolo's eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSheroes (2023)
When four thick-as-thieves friends arrive in Thailand, they quickly find themselves in over their heads. Fighting to stay alive, they employ their unique set of skills and unleash their fierce loyalty in a heart-pumping battle for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHasan Minhaj: The King's Jester (2022)
Filmed at the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music, Hasan Minhaj returns to Netflix with his second stand-up comedy special Hasan Minhaj: The King's Jester. In this hilarious performance, Hasan shares his thoughts on fertility, fatherhood, and freedom of speech.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Black Book (2023)
After his son is wrongly accused of kidnapping, a deacon who has just lost his wife takes matters into his own hands and fights a crooked police gang to clear him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaruhi sennyû: Gyaku soap tengoku (1992)
A university assistant professor spends his days researching. A hidden camera is installed at a reverse soap shop run by a friend of his, and he studies techniques by observing the reactions of female customers...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Lusty Widow (1976)
Tamiko is the queen of a photo-taking salon, a widowed 26-year-old with a vibrant body she doesn't know what to do with. Since her husband passed away, she's agonized over the loneliness of sleeping alone every night. Tamiko has to feed her mother-in-law, Suzuyo, who is old but very sexy, and her brother-in-law, Koji, who attends a cram school. One day, a couple comes to her asking if they can take a commemorative photo of them having sex as a "proof of their love." Although she accepts, she becomes aroused when she witnesses their passionate intercourse, and is reminded of her experiences with her late husband, soaking her trousers as she takes the photo. But two men are after Tamiko. One is Yamada, the owner of the cram school, nicknamed "the widow killer." The other is Bunta, the son of a wealthy real estate magnate. The two men approach Tamiko, who exudes a bewitching allure...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Ritual to Call Summer (1995)
Yuta is attacked by a pair of masked men and tries to escape. He is cornered in a factory by two men and left bleeding. Yuta decides to take revenge on the spot, but one of the masked men, Kurumada, begins to feel in love with Yuta. After that, incidents continued to occur at the same factory. Yuta, who is wandering around looking for a masked man, gives his body to Henmi, a gay man, on the condition that he cooperate with the search. Yuta finds the factory where he was raped, but is confronted by a masked man, Kurumada, who confesses his love for him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Cinema Homo Paradise (1993)
Ryuji Yamamoto, an actor from over 1,000 pink and AV film, directs and plays a fictionalized version of himself that has a gay awakening at Cine Friends Nishijin in Kyoto. Many pink film actors and crew also appear as "themselves."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Semi-dokyumento: kankō basu - nure nure jakku (1977)
A bus full of tour bus guide trainees is hijacked by two men after pulling over for a bathroom break. Loosely inspired by a 1977 bus jacking that occurred in Nagasaki.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Koichiro Uno's Dirty Sisters' Barber Shop (1983)
A younger sister helps out in her older sister’s barber shop where the customers get a little too frisky. As the younger sister fends off advances from her brother-in-law the older sister has a rather strange and kinky encounter with the cooking show host she idolizes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Fantasy on the Shore (1990)
A prep school student who has been dumped by his girlfriend is approached by a middle-aged man and goes on a treasure hunt on a remote island, and wanders into a mansion in the woods where vampire brothers are said to live.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Gays in Wonderland (1997)
Kiyomi Ito, an actress who has appeared in and been involved with many gay movies, Keiko Sorbonne, a manga artist who is charismatic and popular in the subculture world and has published many books about gay stories, and Kyoko Godai, a successful screenwriter who has written many screenplays for gay movies, have taken up the megaphone for this unique omnibus gay movie! The film features a wide variety of characters, including beautiful boys, fat men, and old men, as only an omnibus can!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Apartment Wife: Ass Slave (1985)
An animator with a butt fixation receives a surprise visit from a woman he had an affair with while in Brazil. But a switched suitcase at a traffic backup and a goofy gang of criminals tests their relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Gigolo: A Docu-Drama (1982)
Kabukicho, Shinjuku, the number one entertainment district in Japan. There are professional gigolos who make this sleepless city their base and get what they want, from money and women to desire. They are the "gigolo" gang led by the charismatic Naoki Fushimi. Akira, Yuki, and Ryoma are aiming to become full-fledged gigolos. Akira has a girlfriend named Mariko who is a model for vinyl magazines. But that's not enough for a gigolo. For a gigolo, having sex for free is meaningless. Yuki finds a soapland girl named Misa, and Ryoma finds a woman named Yoko, and they spend a sensual night together. Meanwhile, Akira is taken by Mariko to help with a vinyl magazine shoot. Akira is getting increasingly impatient with his life, which can hardly be called gigolo...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sex Detective Hatenashi?
The closest matches to Sex Detective Hatenashi are Sherlock Jr. (1924), The Overnight (2015) and Confess, Fletch (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sex Detective Hatenashi?
Start with Sherlock Jr. (1924), the closest match to Sex Detective Hatenashi.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sex Detective Hatenashi?
Sherlock Jr. (1924), rated 8.0/10 by 1,240 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sex Detective Hatenashi?
Spa Weekend (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Sex Detective Hatenashi?
Yes: Maruhi sennyû: Gyaku soap tengoku (1992), Lusty Widow (1976) and Ritual to Call Summer (1995).
How are movies similar to Sex Detective Hatenashi chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sex Detective Hatenashi, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.