Movies like How I Was Independent (1987)
The best movies like How I Was Independent (1987) are Chang Can Dunk (2023), Cadet Kelly (2002) and I Believe (2019). If How I Was Independent hooked you with its family, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFar from the Tree (2021)8.1/10 from 395 votes
- NewestSnoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026)Released 2026
Chang Can Dunk (2023)
Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American, bets the high school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads 5' 8" Chang on a quest to learn to dunk—not only to impress his crush, Kristy, but to gain the respect of his high school peers too. But before he can rise up and truly throw one down, he'll have to reexamine everything he knows about himself, his friendships and his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCadet Kelly (2002)
Hyperactive teenager Kelly is enrolled into a military school when her new stepfather becomes the Commandant. At first she has problems fitting in and taking orders until she tries out for the drill team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Believe (2019)
A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026)
When Snoopy's beloved doghouse goes missing, he tries to track it down, and learns what makes a house feel like home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCurious George 3: Back to the Jungle (2015)
When Curious George is offered a special space mission, Ted (The Man in the Yellow Hat) can't deny his little friend this exciting journey, especially after Curious George completes the training. But when he crash-lands in Africa, a worried Ted goes searching, expecting the worst, only to have it turn out to be the best.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Happiest Millionaire (1967)
A happy and unbelievably lucky young Irish immigrant, John Lawless, lands a job as the butler of an unconventional millionaire, Biddle. His daughter, Cordelia Drexel Biddle, tires of the unusual antics of her father--especially since the nice young men around town all fear him. Wouldn't you fear a father-in-law that keeps alligators for pets and teaches boxing at his daily Bible classes?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunderstruck (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 family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! Meets the Harlem Globetrotters (1973)
In yet another hilarious caper, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and, of course, Scooby-Doo team up with the talented Harlem Globetrotters to solve a haunting that, apparently, involves the ghosts of Paul Revere and other Revolutionary War soldiers. A second episode features the gang and the Globetrotters heading to a deserted island for some relaxation, but they realize they are in for trouble when their ship sets sail with nobody at the wheel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (2020)
A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
Winnie the Pooh and his friends experience high winds, heavy rains, and a flood in Hundred Acre Wood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFar from the Tree (2021)
On an idyllic beach in the Pacific Northwest, curiosity gets the better of a young raccoon whose frustrated parent attempts to keep them both safe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Willoughbys (2020)
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Loud House Christmas (2021)
Lincoln Loud gears up for the ultimate Christmas, until he finds out that most of his sisters have plans to be elsewhere for the big day. Determined to remind his family that they all need to be together, Lincoln and his best friend Clyde McBride embark on a mission to preserve the family’s holiday traditions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFlicka (2006)
Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Don't Co$t a Thing (2003)
A high school outcast pays a cheerleader to pose as his girlfriend so he can be considered cool.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHappiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011)
Linus is pushed to his limits when he learns Grandma is coming to visit and plans on ridding him of his childish security blanket.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArlo the Alligator Boy (2021)
Upon learning that he is from New York City, a wide-eyed boy, who is half human and half alligator, decides to leave his sheltered life in the swamp and search for his long lost father. A musical adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003)
The Yowie Yahoo starts kidnapping musicians at a concert attended by Scooby and the gang in Vampire Rock, Australia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSketch (2025)
When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life—chaotic, real, and on the loose. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unleash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies 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 family
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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 Chang Can Dunk (2023), Cadet Kelly (2002) and I Believe (2019). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How I Was Independent?
Start with Chang Can Dunk (2023), the closest match to How I Was Independent.
What is the highest-rated movie like How I Was Independent?
Far from the Tree (2021), rated 8.1/10 by 395 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How I Was Independent?
Snoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026) 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.