Movies like David Holzman's Diary (1967)
The best movies like David Holzman's Diary (1967) are The Truman Show (1998), In the Soup (1992) and Be Kind Rewind (2008). If David Holzman's Diary hooked you with its comedy and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Truman Show (1998)8.2/10 from 21,199 votes
- NewestCode 3 (2025)Released 2025
The Truman Show (1998)
In a picture-perfect seaside town, an insurance salesman begins to realize that his entire existence may be staged and observed by a vast unseen audience as part of a long-running real-time reality TV show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIn the Soup (1992)
An aspiring young filmmaker gets involved with an eccentric gangster for the financing of his first film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBe Kind Rewind (2008)
A man whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend's video store. In order to satisfy the store's most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Think Twice (2016)
An improv group deals with several crises, including the loss of their lease and one member hitting the big time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSubUrbia (1997)
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCQ (2001)
A young filmmaker in 1960s Paris juggles directing a cheesy sci-fi debacle, directing his own personal art film, coping with his crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, and a new-found infatuation with the sci-fi film's starlet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisCode 3 (2025)
A burned-out paramedic tries to survive his last 24 hours on the job while training a new recruit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Joneses (2010)
A seemingly perfect family moves into a suburban neighborhood, but when it comes to the truth as to why they're living there, they don't exactly come clean with their neighbors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProject X (2012)
Three high school seniors throw a party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCunk on Shakespeare (2016)
Fresh from her triumphs on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe investigating time, Winston Churchill, and Donald Trump, Philomena Cunk has finally been given her own show - about William Shakespeare. Cunk will leave no stone unturned as she gets to the bottom of the Bard, visiting his birthplace, exploring the Globe, studying priceless artefacts and interviewing literally six different experts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTour de Pharmacy (2017)
A mockumentary that chronicles the prevalence of doping in the world of professional cycling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this7 Days in Hell (2015)
A fictional documentary-style expose on the rivalry between two tennis stars who battled it out in a 1999 match that lasted seven days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLarry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999)
Mock documentary about Seinfeld writer Larry David featuring contributions from his friends and colleagues. Larry makes a return to stand-up comedy and prepares to film a television special for HBO. This is the original special that gave birth to the long-running award-winning HBO series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPunishment Park (1971)
In this fictional documentary, U.S. prisons are at capacity, and President Nixon declares a state of emergency. All new prisoners, most of whom are connected to the antiwar movement, are now given the choice of jail time or spending three days in Punishment Park, where they will be hunted for sport by federal authorities. The prisoners invariably choose the latter option, but learn that, between the desert heat and the brutal police officers, their chances of survival are slim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSeries 7 (2001)
A reality TV program selects six contestants to participate in a free-for-all, no holds barred deathmatch, where they must skillfully outwit and kill each other in order to be the last person alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
The story of the rise and fall of the Pre-Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeath to 2020 (2020)
2020: A year so [insert adjective of choice here], even the creators of Black Mirror couldn't make it up… but that doesn't mean they don't have a little something to add. This comedy event that tells the story of the dreadful year that was — and perhaps still is? The documentary-style special weaves together some of the world's most (fictitious) renowned voices with real-life archival footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCunk on Life (2024)
Pioneering documentary maker Philomena Cunk returns with her most ambitious quest to date: venturing right up the universe and everything to examine life and existence in an attempt to find out the point of it all. Along the way, she interrogates experts on subjects from the big bang to biology and art to artificial intelligence. Really get to the nub of it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohn Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (2018)
John Mulaney relays stories from his childhood and "SNL," eviscerates the value of college and laments getting older in this electric comedy special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! (2010)
When the mystery-solving musician Foxxy Love notices she and her fellow housemates can curse without being bleeped—something they've never been able to do before—she realizes their show has been canceled. Determined to get back on the air, the gang travels to Make-A-Point-Land in order to get a point (and get back on the air).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCard Zero (2023)
Before disappearing in the Mojave Desert, Robbie Zagorac captured love, life and heartbreak in a video diary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
High Fantasy (2017)
A group of young friends on a camping trip, deep in the South African countryside wake up to discover they have all swapped bodies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Man Bites Dog (1992)
The activities of rampaging, indiscriminate serial killer Ben are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team, who eventually become his accomplices and active participants. Ben provides casual commentary on the nature of his work and arbitrary musings on topics of interest to him, such as music or the conditions of low-income housing, and even goes so far as to introduce the documentary crew to his family. But their reckless indulgences soon get the better of them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisReno 911!: Miami (2007)
A rag-tag team of Reno cops are called in to save the day after a terrorist attack disrupts a national police convention in Miami Beach during spring break. Based on the Comedy Central series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisConfetti (2006)
A mockumentary that follows three couples as they battle it out to win the coveted title of 'Most Original Wedding of the Year'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Poltergeist Diaries (2021)
After moving to an isolated cabin, Jacob Taylor vanishes without a trace. With the help of footage he leaves behind, his family members, friends, and a detective try to find answers to the strange events that are centered around him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Alien Autopsy (2006)
Humouristic reconstruction of the 1995 scandal when two British lads were accused of having faked a documentary from the Roswell incident in 1947.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Henry Smurf Project (2005)
El proyecto del Pitufo Enrique is a document about the existence of a mysterious goblin from the province of Catamarca. During the filming of the movie there were some tragic incidents, such as the disappearance of six people or the violent deaths of another three. Some of these incidents were registered on video but couldn't see the light because of the ongoing legal battle between the director and the victim's families opposing its screening. On the contrary, Elvira Serio director of the movie, thinks that what is on the tape could be of great help shedding some light over all the mysteries around this thread. She hopes that her work can serve as a warning as well to all the residents and tourists who often visit that place.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
419 (2012)
When a New York City actor loses everything to an internet scam based in South Africa, his two best friends take him to Cape Town to track down the scammer. With the help of a charismatic local, their search begins promisingly, leading them into Cape Town's clubs, back alleys, and townships. But as they find themselves moving into darker territory, things prove to be not all that they seem, old rivalries flare up, and the limits of friendship are tested in ways the three men could never have imagined. Designed to look and feel like a documentary, 419 is a unique thriller about the mysteries of male friendship and the true cost of revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
America's Most Haunted (2013)
The crew of a popular ghost hunting show gets more than they bargained for when they come across a location that's actually haunted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like David Holzman's Diary?
The closest matches to David Holzman's Diary are The Truman Show (1998), In the Soup (1992) and Be Kind Rewind (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after David Holzman's Diary?
Start with The Truman Show (1998), the closest match to David Holzman's Diary.
What is the highest-rated movie like David Holzman's Diary?
The Truman Show (1998), rated 8.2/10 by 21,199 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like David Holzman's Diary?
Code 3 (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like David Holzman's Diary?
Yes: The Truman Show (1998), In the Soup (1992) and Be Kind Rewind (2008).
How are movies similar to David Holzman's Diary chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside David Holzman's Diary, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.