Movies like Why He Gave Up (1911)
The best movies like Why He Gave Up (1911) are Why Worry? (1923), The Fixer Uppers (1935) and Head Above Water (1996). If Why He Gave Up hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Why He Gave Up
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBarb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)6.0/10 from 292 votes
- NewestSpa Weekend (2026)Released 2026
Why Worry? (1923)
A hypochondriac vacations in the tropics for the fresh air - and finds himself in the middle of a revolution instead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fixer Uppers (1935)
Stan and Ollie are greeting card salesmen who agree to help a woman put a spark in her loveless marriage by making her husband jealous.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHead Above Water (1996)
Judge George brings his young wife, Nathalie, to a remote island for a vacation. But while George accompanies their only neighbor -- Nathalie's childhood friend Lance -- on a fishing trip, Nathalie spends time with her ex, Kent. When Kent ends up dead the next morning, Nathalie tries to hide the evidence before her husband gets home. After the body is found, the events of the previous night unravel, with unexpected revelations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)
The story of best friends Barb and Star, who leave their small midwestern town for the first time to go on vacation in Vista Del Mar, Florida, where they soon find themselves tangled up in adventure, love, and a villain’s evil plot to kill everyone in town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSolid Serenade (1946)
Tom ties up Spike and sneaks into the courtyard of the glamorous Toodles Galore with his bass, hoping to woo her with his song, much to the annoyance of a sleeping Jerry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wedding Year (2019)
A commitment-phobic 27-year old’s relationship is put to the test when she and her boyfriend attend 7 weddings in the same year.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisFun with Dick and Jane (1977)
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMr. Bones (2001)
A medicine man is sent looking for the son of his tribal king, and brings back an American golfer and a host of goons intent on keeping him in the golf tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Day's Pleasure (1919)
A father takes his family for an outing, which turns out to be a ridiculous trial.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTowed in a Hole (1932)
Although they are successful fishmongers, Stan convinces Ollie that they should become fishermen too, but making a boat seaworthy isn't an easy task.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisI Love My Dad (2022)
A hopelessly estranged father catfishes his son in an attempt to reconnect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011)
A group of 30-year-olds who have been friends since high school attempt to throw an end-of-summer orgy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisPerfect Day (1929)
Two families embark on a pleasant Sunday picnic but manage to run into a variety of issues with their temperamental automobile. Each incident requires repeated exits and reboardings by Laurel, Hardy, their wives and grouchy, gout-ridden Uncle Edgar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnaccustomed as We Are (1929)
Laurel and Hardy try to entertain a female neighbor, unbeknown to Hardy’s wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGood Neighbor Sam (1964)
To help his divorced neighbor claim a substantial inheritance, a family man poses as her husband. The ruse spills over into his career in advertising, and his recent promotion relies on his wholesome and moral appearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeau Hunks (1931)
Stan and Ollie join the French Foreign Legion after Ollie's sweetheart rejects him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Air Up There (1994)
Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home movie. But Saleh is the chief's son and has responsibilities at home, since the tribe's land is threatened by a mining company with its own hotshot basketball team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)
As Tom and Jerry stage their typical fight sequences, the patriotic soldier theme of the title is evidenced by such things as a carton of eggs labeled "Hen Grenades"; Jerry dropping light bulbs from an airplane like bombs; and Jerry sending a telegram with the message "Sighted Cat - Sank Same." Musical phrasings from various patriotic war songs are heard throughout. The cut scene after Jerry hitting Tom with the board 4 times was cut from the 1950 reissue print for a war bond joke, and the original footage is currently considered "lost" due to the negatives destroyed in the 1978 George Eastman House fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Revolt of Mr. Wiggs (1915)
Mr. Wiggs' wife is a militant suffragist, and he is the miserable sufferer left at home to mind their five children and feel that married life is closely approaching Sherman's idea of war. So, he decides to break her spirit with underhanded tricks. He succeeds but they are all poorer for his boorish behavior.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
A Fugitive from Matrimony (1919)
The Riggs family, newly wealthy from Oklahoma oil, move to an estate in Ossining, New York, adjoining that of eligible bachelor Stephen Van Courtlandt, who wants to avoid marriage. Mrs. Riggs, anxious to break into society, wants her daughter Barbara to marry Stephen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Dave's Love Affair (1911)
Dave is sweet on May and she likes him, so while he is sitting with her on the front steps, he all togged out in his glad clothes, his boy pals play a trick on him by sending him a note about a certain Clarice. Of course, Clarice is a myth, but may is too jealous to believe his denial, so sends poor Dave away. The boys, however, are sorry when they see their grief-stricken pal so down in the mouth, and hasten to right the wrong their joke had occasioned. Dave now realizes that the course of true love ne'er did run smooth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Dorothy and the Scarecrow in Oz (1910)
Dorothy and the Scarecrow are now in the Emerald City. They have become friendly with the Wizard, and together with the woodman, the cowardly lion, and several new creations equally delightful, they journey through Oz -- the earthquake -- and into the glass city. The Scarecrow is elated to think he is going to get his brains at last and be like other men are; the Tin-Woodman is bent upon getting a heart, and the cowardly lion pleads with the great Oz for courage. All these are granted by his Highness. Dorothy picks the princess. -- The Dangerous Mangaboos. -- Into the black pit, and out again. We then see Jim, the cab horse, and myriads of pleasant surprises that hold and fascinate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Power of the Camera (1913)
Two convicts escape from the city jail and manage to elude their pursuers for quite a while, by contriving a fake motion picture machine and posing as picture producers. But, like many of us, they become over-confident and are finally apprehended by the guard.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Pan profesor, nepřítel žen (1913)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Cold Turkey (1925)
A chaotic, night-long comedy ensues when a newlywed couple's celebration is interrupted by rowdy in-laws, a pet parrot that gets stuck inside the cooked turkey, and a series of slapstick mishaps. The turmoil is resolved when a perceived, romantic misunderstanding is revealed to be a secret surprise celebration for the husband's new contract and salary increase.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Minnie (1922)
Minnie, the homeliest girl in town, is devoted to her father, a discouraged inventor who has been working on a wireless device. Subject to the sneers of her neighbors, Minnie "invents" a lover and sends herself letters and flowers. Her stepsister suspects the truth and threatens to expose her. Desperate, she claims an unidentified body at the morgue and tells a reporter that this is her lover, unaware that the body is that of a Chinese man. The absent-minded reporter sees her heart and forgets about the big story. After further disappointments in the invention, Minnie's stepmother decides to leave her father. Her father then has a success and becomes rich. At a celebration, the stepsister and townspeople are surprised when a new couple appear, which turn out to be the former reporter and his lovely wife Minnie.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Heart Trouble (1928)
No known surviving copy is known to exist. This well received film revolved around Harry Van Housen's rejection from service in WWI and subsequent heroism in foiling a ring of spies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Boy Friend (1926)
A young man uses tips from an absurd book to woo a woman he fancies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Why He Gave Up?
The closest matches to Why He Gave Up are Why Worry? (1923), The Fixer Uppers (1935) and Head Above Water (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Why He Gave Up?
Start with Why Worry? (1923), the closest match to Why He Gave Up.
What is the highest-rated movie like Why He Gave Up?
Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), rated 6.0/10 by 292 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Why He Gave Up?
Spa Weekend (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Why He Gave Up?
Yes: Why Worry? (1923), The Fixer Uppers (1935) and Head Above Water (1996).
How are movies similar to Why He Gave Up chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Why He Gave Up, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.