Movies like Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1
The best movies like Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1 are How High (2001), The Big Picture (1989) and Happy Together (1989). If Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1 hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest rated10 Things I Hate About You (1999)7.6/10 from 9,308 votes
- NewestKissing Is the Easy Part (2026)Released 2026
How High (2001)
Jamal and Silas, two ordinary guys who smoke something magical, pass their college entrance exams with flying colors and end up at Harvard. Ivy League ways are strange but Silas and Jamal take it in a stride -- until their supply of supernatural smoke runs dry. That's when they have to start living by their wits and rely on their natural resources to make the grade.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Picture (1989)
Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisHappy Together (1989)
Christopher is an ambitious college freshman, striving to become a writer. Through a computer fault he's assigned the same room as Alex, a real party freak and... a girl! He's annoyed and tries to get a different room as soon as possible, but when he learns to know her, he also starts to like her. She not only improves his sexual life, but also his writing skills
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like this10 Items or Less (2006)
An actor who is considering the role of a supermarket manager arrives at a grocery store on the outskirts of Los Angeles to do some field research. He subsequently becomes stranded, without a car or cell phone, and accepts a ride home with Scarlet, a cashier who is about to interview for a new job. The actor rediscovers the essence of his craft while helping Scarlet gain the confidence she needs to change her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSubmission (2018)
A well-respected professor who is a celebrated novelist and loving husband loses himself when he becomes obsessed with an ambitious and talented student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisKissing Is the Easy Part (2026)
Sean's gunning for MIT. Flora's ditching the SAT. A secret deal with her tenured parents sparks a romance that challenges everything they believe in.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Kissing Booth 3 (2021)
It's the summer before Elle heads to college, and she has a secret decision to make. Elle has been accepted into Harvard, where boyfriend Noah is matriculating, and also Berkeley, where her BFF Lee is headed and has to decide if she should stay or not.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSt. Elmo's Fire (1985)
Reluctant to let go of college life, a close-knit team of seven friends--irresponsible saxophone player Billy, young Republican Alec, his girlfriend Leslie, struggling journalist Kevin, drama queen Jules, lovesick waiter Kirby, and Wendy, a social worker with a heart of gold--realise the party is over. And as the burdens of maturity close in on the young dreamers, the complexities of adulthood and the daily struggle of growing up put their sacred friendship to the test. But everyone knows life is not a bed of roses. It won't be easy, but when all is said and done, what will it take for St. Elmo's clique to find its place in the real world?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEducating Rita (1983)
Rita, a witty 26-year-old hairdresser, wants to 'discover' herself, so she joins the Open University where she meets the disillusioned professor of literature, Dr. Frank Bryant. His marriage has failed, his new girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend and he can't get through the day without downing a bottle or two of whisky. What Frank needs is a challenge... and along comes Rita.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArt School Confidential (2006)
Starting from childhood attempts at illustration, the protagonist pursues his true obsession to art school. But as he learns how the art world really works, he finds that he must adapt his vision to the reality that confronts him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlan B (2021)
After a regrettable first sexual encounter, a straight-laced high school student and her slacker best friend have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America's heartland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrange County (2002)
Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his dysfunctional family household. Except Shaun runs into one complication after another, starting when his application is rejected after his dim-witted guidance counselor sends in the wrong form.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThat Awkward Moment (2014)
Best pals Jason and Daniel indulge in casual flings and revel in their carefree, unattached lives. After learning that the marriage of their friend Mikey is over, they gladly welcome him back into their circle. The three young men make a pact to have fun and avoid commitment. However, when all three find themselves involved in serious relationships, they must keep their romances secret from one another.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMac & Devin Go to High School (2012)
A comedy that follows two high school students -- one overachiever struggling to write his valedictorian speech, the other a senior now going on his 15th year of school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
After discovering his high school crush can't date until her brash older sister does, a lovesick teen enlists a bad-boy classmate to woo her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 4:30 Movie (2024)
In the summer of 1986, three sixteen year old friends spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local multiplex. But when one of the guys also invites the girl of his dreams to see the latest comedy, each of the teens learn more about life and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThicker Than Water (1935)
Oliver's in trouble with his wife after missing a payment on their furniture, having given the money to Stanley, who used it instead to pay Mrs. Hardy for his room and board. At Stan's suggestion Ollie then withdraws the couple's savings from the bank to pay for the furniture and inadvertently pays virtually the whole amount at an auction for a grandfather clock which is soon crushed under a passing truck. Mrs Hardy then unintentionally causes serious injuries to Ollie requiring him to be rushed to hospital for a blood transfusion. The doctor conscripts Stan to be the unwilling blood donor. Problems occur with the transfusion and when Stan and Ollie leave the hospital they appear to have morphed into each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHonor Society (2022)
Honor is an ambitious high school senior whose sole focus is getting into Harvard, assuming she can first score the coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, Mr. Calvin. Willing to do whatever it takes, Honor concocts a Machiavellian-like plan to take down her top three student competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition, Michael.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPlaying It Cool (2014)
A young man meets and instantly falls in love with an engaged woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBrave the Dark (2025)
When Mr. Deen discovers one of his students has been living out of his car and thrown into jail, he decides to bail him out. Determined to curb Nate’s self-destructive behavior, Deen quickly discovers a host of dark secrets slowly tearing Nate apart. What began as a good deed becomes a desperate fight to save Nate from his own demons. As Nate spirals deeper into despair, Deen must decide how far he’s willing to go to save a kid on the brink of losing everything—even himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1 and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1?
The closest matches to Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1 are How High (2001), The Big Picture (1989) and Happy Together (1989). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1?
Start with How High (2001), the closest match to Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1.
What is the highest-rated movie like Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1?
10 Things I Hate About You (1999), rated 7.6/10 by 9,308 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1?
Kissing Is the Easy Part (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1?
Yes: How High (2001), The Big Picture (1989) and Happy Together (1989).
How are movies similar to Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Joko & Bowo: Reading Vol. 1, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.