Movies like Substance Without Science (2020)
The best movies like Substance Without Science (2020) are The 4:30 Movie (2024), The Christmas Calendar (2017) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014). If Substance Without Science hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDescendants 2 (2017)7.4/10 from 1,842 votes
- NewestLadies First (2026)Released 2026
The 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 thisThe Christmas Calendar (2017)
When Emily, a struggling baker in a small town, receives a handmade Christmas Calendar from a secret admirer, the local residents become obsessed with finding out the identity of the sender.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHorrible Bosses 2 (2014)
Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor, prompting the trio to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTeen Beach 2 (2015)
When characters from the movie musical “Wet Side Story” get stuck in the real world, teens Brady and Mack must find a way to return them home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Map That Leads to You (2025)
Heather is a young woman traveling Europe with friends before starting her perfectly planned life. A chance meeting with Jack sparks an unexpected romance that leads to deep emotional discovery. As secrets and life choices test their bond, her path changes forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAfter We Fell (2021)
Just as Tessa's life begins to become unglued, nothing is what she thought it would be. Not her friends nor her family. The only person that she should be able to rely on is Hardin, who is furious when he discovers the massive secret that she's been keeping. Before Tessa makes the biggest decision of her life, everything changes because of revelations about her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll of My Heart: Inn Love (2017)
Brian and Jenny are preparing for the grand opening of their bed and breakfast, Emily's Country Inn, when a big storm hits Buck County. Brian agrees to go back to Wall Street to boost their funds, while Jenny scrambles to keep the opening on track.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPetals on the Wind (2014)
This sequel to Flowers in the Attic picks up 10 years after Cathy, Chris and Carrie managed to escape Foxworth Hall.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hangover Part III (2013)
This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisL.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach (1998)
A stolen computer disk contains the location of a hidden tresaure trove. It's up to the sexy ladies of LETHAL (Legion to Ensure Total Harmony and Law) to find the treasure before the bad guys do.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThin Ice (2012)
A dishonest insurance salesman's life quickly disintegrates during a Wisconsin winter when he teams up with a psychopath to steal a rare violin at the home of a reclusive farmer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisButter (2012)
An adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their Iowa town's annual contest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDescendants 2 (2017)
When the pressure to be royal becomes too much for Mal, she returns to the Isle of the Lost where her archenemy Uma, Ursula's daughter, has taken her spot as self-proclaimed queen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCheck Inn to Christmas (2019)
Julia Crawley and Ryan Mason must unite their families during Crestridge's Centennial Christmas celebration in order to save their family inns from a chain resort.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Royal Treatment (2022)
Isabella runs her own salon and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, while Prince Thomas runs his own country and is about to marry for duty rather than love. When Izzy and her fellow stylists get the opportunity of a lifetime to do the hair for the royal wedding, she and Prince Thomas learn that taking control of their own destiny requires following their hearts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Souvenir: Part II (2021)
In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with a charismatic and manipulative older man, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Sassy Girl (2008)
A guy has his life planned out until he is wooed, groomed and then dumped by an elusive woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLadies First (2026)
An arrogant but charismatic ladies' man finds his life of money, power and casual flings upended when he wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisAfter Ever Happy (2022)
As a shocking truth about a couple's families emerges, the two lovers discover they are not so different from each other. Tessa is no longer the sweet, simple, good girl she was when she met Hardin — any more than he is the cruel, moody boy she fell so hard for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStep Up All In (2014)
All-stars from previous installments convene in glittering Las Vegas, battling for a victory that could define their dreams and their careers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Substance Without Science?
The closest matches to Substance Without Science are The 4:30 Movie (2024), The Christmas Calendar (2017) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Substance Without Science?
Start with The 4:30 Movie (2024), the closest match to Substance Without Science.
What is the highest-rated movie like Substance Without Science?
Descendants 2 (2017), rated 7.4/10 by 1,842 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Substance Without Science?
Ladies First (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Substance Without Science?
Yes: The 4:30 Movie (2024), The Christmas Calendar (2017) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014).
How are movies similar to Substance Without Science chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Substance Without Science, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.