Movies like How I Was Independent (1963)
The best movies like How I Was Independent (1963) are Thunderstruck (2012), Gabriel Iglesias: I'm Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (2016) and Brain Donors (1992). If How I Was Independent hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFerris Bueller's Day Off (1986)7.6/10 from 5,666 votes
- NewestAmerican Dreamer (2022)Released 2022
Thunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabriel Iglesias: I'm Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (2016)
Hawaiian-shirt enthusiast Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias finds the laughs in racist gift baskets, Prius-driving cops and all-female taco trucks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBrain Donors (1992)
Three manic idiots—a lawyer, a cab driver and a handyman—team up to run a ballet company to fulfil the will of a millionaire. Stooge-like antics result as the trio try to outwit the rich widow and her scheming big-shot lawyer, who also wants to run the ballet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIliza Shlesinger: War Paint (2013)
Her innocent appearance is just a cover for Last Comic Standing winner Iliza Shlesinger's acerbic, stream-of-conscious comedy that she unleashes on an unsuspecting audience in her hometown of Dallas in "War Paint," her first stand-up special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDuplex (2003)
When a young couple buys their dream home, they have no idea what the sweet little old lady upstairs is going to put them through!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClass Rank (2017)
Two high school misfits join forces in an attempt to overtake the local school board. Guided by their families, they enter the perilous word of politics and, in the process, learn a thing or two about love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mouse That Roared (1959)
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. They send an invasion force (in chain mail, armed with bows and arrows) to New York and they arrive during a nuclear drill that has cleared the streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Dreamer (2022)
In this winsome comedy, an entitled Economics professor pursues a tactic to buy an ailing widow’s mansion for nothing, but he quickly realizes that his seemingly foolproof strategy won’t be as easy as he thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisChris Rock: Kill the Messenger (2008)
An HBO special edited from three performances from Chris Rock's 2008 comedy tour: London (dark suit, dark shirt), Johannesburg (black suit, white shirt) and New York (shiny jacket). Topics include the ongoing presidential campaign, the possibility of a black president, George W. Bush, gas prices, low-paid jobs, ringtones and bottled water, sex, relationships and the correct use of the n-word
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Errand Boy (1961)
Paramutual Pictures wants to know where all the money is going so they hire Morty to be their spy. Morty works for Mr. Sneak and gets a job in the mail room so that he can have access to the lot. But all that Morty ever finds is that he can cause havoc no matter what he does.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Irritate People (1969)
A pre-Monty Python mockumentary, written by and presented by John Cleese, that provides tips on learning how to irritate people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
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 · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIliza Shlesinger: Freezing Hot (2015)
Smart and brazen comedian Iliza Shlesinger shares her unflinchingly honest observations on the differences between men and women. Filled with hashtag-able catch phrases, this is a laugh-out-loud revelation exposing some of women’s best kept - and ugliest - secrets, including truths about first date attire, fantasy break-ups and the tireless pursuit of not being cold while still looking hot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais Live: Animals (2003)
Ricky Gervais entertains a live audience in his first stand-up routine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)
The maniacal baby of the Griffin family, Stewie, meets his future self. In doing this he discovers that his future image is not what he has anticipated because of a near death experience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEasy Money (1983)
To inherit his mother-in-law's colossal fortune, a hard living gambling addict must change his unhealthy ways before it gets the best of him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGotcha! (1985)
A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFerris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
After high school slacker Ferris Bueller successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all the while trying to outwit his wily school principal and fed-up sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAziz Ansari: Buried Alive (2013)
Standup comedian Aziz Ansari ("Parks and Recreation") headlines his third standup special, where he shares his uniquely hilarious perspective on fears of adulthood, babies, marriage, and more. Ansari's look at life on the cusp of 30 years old is smart, unfiltered, and hysterical.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ladies Man (1961)
After his girl leaves him for someone else, Herbert gets really depressed and starts searching for a job. He finally finds one in a big house which is inhabited by many, many women. Can he live in the same home with all these females?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lion Ran Away from the House (1977)
A musical fairy tale about a lion who got bored living in the zoo and goes wandering around the city of Baku, where he met and became friends with a boy Rustam.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Midday (1982)
The film based on Eno Raua's stories "Päris kriminnene lugu" and "Telepathic lugu" takes the viewer to a summer town in Estonia, where boys and girls meet with exciting adventures, dreams and falling in love. There are no real forensics and telepathy here, but it is about the disappearance and finding of a little boy. In addition to adventures, the main characters find something else - both in life and in themselves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Pikachu's PikaBoo (2001)
At a giant beachside mansion, Pikachu and some of its buddies decide to play a game of hide-and-seek. Pikachu is “it,” and it goes off in search of its friends. Meanwhile, Larvitar, sick of being all by itself, kicks a rock in anger. The rock hurtles through the air—and hits a lawnmower, turning it on and sending it tearing off after Pikachu and its friends! The group draws the lawnmower into a maze and even gets it into the water, but the lawnmower just keeps on chasing. The Pokémon build a road out of logs, hoping to get the lawnmower into a shack, but Psyduck trips and ruins the whole setup. How will the friends ever escape the lawnmower? This fantasy will have you on the edge of your seat!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Rambunctious Gang (1937)
In one of Baku's international high schools geography class, the teacher talks about the hunting of wild cats in the Indian jungle. Influenced by this, Heydar imagines himself as a hunter in India. Soon, his classmates join him into making a game out of his daydreaming.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Valerka, Remka + ... (1970)
A story about first love of two boys and a neighbor girl...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Big Heel-Watha (1944)
To prove he's a true Indian Brave, Big Heel-Watha decides to catch a squirrel - but wouldn't you know it; Screwy Squirrel is the first one he sees...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
You Can't Take an Island with You (1980)
A young girl is trying to save an island which is endangered by nearby construction.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Beauty (1969)
Little Inga considers herself pretty and is pampered by her mother and other children in her housing block, until a new boy with questionable habits arrives and calls her ugly to her face.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Music Teacher (1983)
The film is about the music teacher who came to the village to teach the children.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Like How I Was Independent and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like How I Was Independent?
The closest matches to How I Was Independent are Thunderstruck (2012), Gabriel Iglesias: I'm Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (2016) and Brain Donors (1992). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How I Was Independent?
Start with Thunderstruck (2012), the closest match to How I Was Independent.
What is the highest-rated movie like How I Was Independent?
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), rated 7.6/10 by 5,666 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How I Was Independent?
American Dreamer (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to How I Was Independent chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside How I Was Independent, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.