Movies like The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town (1980)
The best movies like The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town (1980) are Switching Channels (1988), Divorce Italian Style (1961) and Kristin's Christmas Past (2013). If The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDivorce Italian Style (1961)7.9/10 from 562 votes
- NewestBuen Camino (2025)Released 2025
- In ItalianDivorce Italian Style (1961)Also in Italian
Switching Channels (1988)
A television news chief courts his anchorwoman ex-wife with an eleventh-hour story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDivorce Italian Style (1961)
Ferdinando Cefalù is desperate to marry his cousin, Angela, but he is married to Rosalia and divorce is illegal in Italy. To get around the law, he tries to trick his wife into having an affair so he can catch her and murder her, as he knows he would be given a light sentence for killing an adulterous woman. He persuades a painter to lure his wife into an affair, but Rosalia proves to be more faithful than he expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKristin's Christmas Past (2013)
Kristin, a cynical 34-year-old, drinks a mysterious champagne on Christmas Eve and wakes up seventeen years in the past, sharing a room with her 17-year-old self. Given the chance to change the worst Christmas of her life, she attempts to fix past mistakes, only to discover surprising truths about her family that may help her mend her present-day relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisGrand Hotel Excelsior (1982)
Taddeus is the manager of the Grand Hotel Excelsior. The Summer season begins in May and since then many odd persons frequent the hotel. There is Ilde Vivaldi, in love with Taddeus and the boxer Pericle Coccia who has an important match and falls in love with Maria. There is the Mago di Segrate trying to win world fame by levitating thirty meters high. And there is the waiter Egisto whose daughter is in a Swiss College believing her father is a man of importance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJingle All the Way (1996)
Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly kept busy at his job, disappointing his son. After he misses his son's karate exposition, Howard vows to make it up to him by buying an action figure of his son's favorite television hero for Christmas. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man. Now, Howard must travel all over town and compete with everybody else to find a Turbo Man action figure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisL'amore è eterno finché dura (2004)
Gilberto, 50enne, si fa coinvolgere in una cosiddetta speed-date, una gara in cui i protagonisti devono trovare un partner in 3 minuti. Arrestato, deve confessare tutto in presenza della moglie che lo sbatte fuori di casa. Rifugiatosi da amici scopre che il suo migliore amico è amante della moglie e comincia a tentare di avviare nuove relazioni che falliscono tutte.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHave You Met Claudia? (2004)
Claudia is married with Giovanni, a rather dull type. Meek Giacomo is happily divorced, until he meets her. Aldo is a colorful cabbie with whom she had an affair. Who'll win her heart?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDuck in Orange Sauce (1975)
When his wife wants a divorce -- in preference of a romantic Frenchman -- husband Livio seemingly accepts. But when he sets up a last weekend together with his secretary and his wife's lover, the trip turns out to be part of an elaborate plan to win his wife back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFantozzi Still Suffers (1983)
After a hard day at work and a condominium-board meeting, accountant Ugo Fantozzi goes on a trip with his family. Unfortunately, he will face a nasty surprise upon his return.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSt. Vincent (2014)
A young boy whose parents just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic, war veteran who lives next door.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGenie (2023)
Flora, a genie trapped for more than 2,000 years inside an antique jewelry box, is accidentally called to service by Bernard, whose life is unraveling around him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClick & Collect (2018)
To save his daughter's Christmas, Andrew goes on a road trip with Dev, his neighbour from hell, to buy an elusive Sparklehoof the Unicorn Princess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI'll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
Estranged from his father, college student Jake is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie, does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuen Camino (2025)
Checco's life is a comfortable and luxurious one, and it couldn't be otherwise, considering he's the only son of Eugenio Zalone, a wealthy sofa manufacturer. Stranded by the pool in his luxurious villas, with an unspecified number of Filipinos serving him, a very young Mexican model as a girlfriend, and vacationing on his yacht with friends who share his passion for not wanting to work; it seems like a truly enviable life, considering he lacks nothing, absolutely nothing. Actually, no. Something is missing. It's his underage daughter, Cristal, named after the famous French sparkling wine, who has suddenly disappeared without a trace. Urgently summoned to Rome by his ex-wife, Linda, he finds himself facing the responsibilities of fatherhood for the first time, trying to find the girl—a very complicated task, considering he knows absolutely nothing about Cristal and her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHe's Worse than Me (1985)
Two reckless friends Leonardo (Adriano Celentano) and Luciano (Renato Potstsetto) are just doing whatever they want and getting into endless alterations. When one of them decides to marry, their friendship is in a crisis ...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011)
A Christmas elf accidentally takes off in Santa's sleigh, crash lands in a small town, and loses the magic toy bag. Beethoven must rescue the elf, recover the bag from greedy crooks, and return the sleigh to Santa in time to save Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWho's Minding the Store? (1963)
Norman Phiffer, a proud man in a humble life, doesn't know that his girlfriend, Barbara, is heir to the Tuttle Department Store dynasty. Mrs. Tuttle, Barbara's mother, is determined to split the two lovers, and hires Norman in an attempt to humiliate him enough that Barbara leaves him. Will she ruin their love, or will he ruin her store?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Family Plan 2 (2025)
Now that Dan's assassin days are behind him, all he wants for Christmas is quality time with his kids. But when he learns his daughter has her own plans, he books a family trip to London—putting them all in the crosshairs of an unexpected enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhen Mom Is Away (2019)
A stressed-out mom takes off on a 10-day solo vacation, sending her family into chaos as the dad tries to take over the household duties.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Know That You Know That I Know (1982)
The investigations of a private eye shake up the almost broken marriage of a middle aged couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBikini Beach (1964)
A millionaire sets out to prove his theory that his pet chimpanzee is as intelligent as the teenagers who hang out on the local beach, where he is intending to build a retirement home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Dinner at Eight (1933)
An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver, contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard and his sultry spouse, Kitty, contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas (1977)
Bing Crosby and his family spend Christmas at the estate of a distant relative in England.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Beavis and Butt-Head Do Christmas (1996)
'Tis the season to be cool, as Beavis and Butt-Head star in their own twisted version of two holiday classics. The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future struggle to teach a Scrooge-like Beavis the true meaning of Christmas, while Charlie the angel comes down from heaven to show Butt-Head how much better life would be without him. Will Beavis and Butt-Head learn their lesson? Does a snowflake have a chance in hell?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Withnail & I (1987)
Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty, they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEight Crazy Nights (2002)
Davey Stone, a 33-year old party animal, finds himself in trouble with the law after his wild ways go too far.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHow the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Bitter and hateful, the Grinch is irritated at the thought of a nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas. Disguised as Santa Claus, with his dog made to look like a reindeer, he decides to raid the village to steal all the Christmas things.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004)
Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse and all his Disney pals star in an original movie about the importance of opening your heart to the true spirit of Christmas. Stubborn old Donald tries in vain to resist the joys of the season, and Mickey and Pluto learn a great lesson about the power of friendship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOlive, the Other Reindeer (1999)
After mis-hearing a radio broadcast about Santa canceling his Christmas trip due to an injured reindeer, Olive the dog decides to travel to the North Pole and volunteer to be a replacement. Unfortunately, Olive must deal with an evil postman who's tired of handling all the extra Christmas mail. Will Martini the penguin be able to help Olive realize her dream?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShrek the Halls (2007)
The Christmas tree isn't the only thing green in this new holiday classic. Shrek is back and trying to get into the spirit of the season. After promising Fiona and the kids a Christmas they'll remember, he is forced to take a crash course in the holiday. But just when he thinks he has everything for their quiet family Christmas just right, there is a knock at the door.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town?
The closest matches to The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town are Switching Channels (1988), Divorce Italian Style (1961) and Kristin's Christmas Past (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town?
Start with Switching Channels (1988), the closest match to The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town?
Divorce Italian Style (1961), rated 7.9/10 by 562 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town?
Buen Camino (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town?
Yes: Divorce Italian Style (1961), Grand Hotel Excelsior (1982) and L'amore è eterno finché dura (2004).
How are movies similar to The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Wife on Vacation... The Lover in Town, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.