Movies like The Retrospective (2021)
The best movies like The Retrospective (2021) are Afterburn (2025), The Bed Sitting Room (1969) and Sleeper (1973). If The Retrospective hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBo Burnham: What. (2013)7.8/10 from 283 votes
- NewestRicky Gervais: Mortality (2025)Released 2025
Afterburn (2025)
Set against the backdrop of a postapocalyptic Earth whose Eastern Hemisphere was destroyed by a massive solar flare, leaving what life remains mutated from radiation and fallout. The story revolves around a group of treasure hunters who extract such objects as the Mona Lisa, the Rosetta Stone and the Crown Jewels while facing rival hunters, mutants and pirates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bed Sitting Room (1969)
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSleeper (1973)
Miles Monroe, a clarinet-playing health food store proprietor, is revived out of cryostasis 200 years into a future world in order to help rebels fight an oppressive government regime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIdiocracy (2006)
To test its top-secret Human Hibernation Project, the Pentagon picks the most average European-Americans it can find - an Army private and a prostitute - and sends them to the year 2505 after a series of freak events. But when they arrive, they find a civilization so dumbed-down that they're the smartest people around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSouth Park: Joining the Panderverse (2023)
Cartman's deeply disturbing dreams portend the end of the life he knows and loves. Meanwhile, the adults in South Park are wrestling with their own life decisions, as the advent of AI is turning their world upside down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Onion Movie (2008)
Venerable newscaster Norm Archer reports the latest news in politics, health, culture and entertainment - such as an automotive recall of decapitation-inducing "Neckbelts" and a study finding that "depression hits losers hardest". This compilation of bogus news stories, celebrity profiles, movie trailers and skits come courtesy of the ace satirists at The Onion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Centered on a television station which features a 1950s-style sci-fi movie interspersed with a series of wild commercials, wacky shorts and weird specials, this lampoon of contemporary life and pop culture skewers some of the silliest spectacles ever created in the name of entertainment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Armageddon (2023)
Ricky Gervais dishes out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity in a taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBo Burnham: What. (2013)
Left brain and right brain duke it out and then belt out a tune in comedian Bo Burnham's quick and clever one-man show. As intelligent as he is lanky, Burnham cynically pokes at pop entertainment while offering unadulterated showmanship of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhat About Bob? (1991)
Before going on vacation, self-involved psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin has the misfortune of taking on a new patient: Bob Wiley. An exemplar of neediness and a compendium of phobias, Bob follows Marvin to his family's country house. Dr. Marvin tries to get him to leave; the trouble is, everyone loves Bob. As his oblivious patient makes himself at home, Dr. Marvin loses his professional composure and, before long, may be ready for the loony bin himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlurt! (2018)
When nice-guy Jeremy Martin puts on mysterious virtual reality glasses at the mall, he suddenly loses his “inside voice” and starts spouting every thought he has out loud. Making matters worse, Jeremy is running for student council president against his classmate Milly, who is full of great ideas to improve the school. Desperate to get back to normal, Jeremy and his sister Victoria must figure out how to convince his brain that he can speak up for himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Mortality (2025)
Ricky Gervais tackles life, death and the state of the world in a brutally honest special that spares no topic, even his own mortality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
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 comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisImpractical Jokers: The Movie (2020)
The story of a humiliating high school mishap from 1992 that sends the Impractical Jokers on the road competing in hidden-camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and redeem three of the four Jokers.
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 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 thisHelp! (1965)
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeath Race 2000 (1975)
In a boorish future, the government sponsors a popular, but bloody, cross-country race in which points are scored by mowing down pedestrians. Five teams, each comprised of a male and female, compete using cars equipped with deadly weapons. Frankenstein, the mysterious returning champion, has become America's hero, but this time he has a passenger from the underground resistance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey Cloned Tyrone (2023)
A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy lurking directly beneath their neighborhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDelicatessen (1991)
In a post-apocalyptic world, the residents of an apartment above the butcher shop receive an occasional delicacy of meat, something that is in low supply. A young man new in town falls in love with the butcher's daughter, which causes conflicts in her family, who need the young man for other business-related purposes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFLOAT (2022)
A penguin drifting through the polluted waters of a flooded Earth must see if he has what it takes to survive the new ways of the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Bothersome Man (2006)
Forty-year-old Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there. He is presented with a job, an apartment - even a wife. But before long, Andreas notices that something is wrong. Andreas makes an attempt to escape the city, but he discovers there's no way out. Andreas meets Hugo, who has found a crack in a wall in his cellar. Beautiful music streams out from the crack. Maybe it leads to "the other side"? A new plan for escape is hatched.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJury Duty: The Comedy (1990)
Mild and meek accountant Sanford Lagelfost has been charged with embezzling $3 million dollars from Trout Industries. A decidedly mixed bag of jurors are chosen to serve on the case, including Eddie, a waiter; Rita, a high-priced call girl; Phil, a high-powered businessman; and Abby, a rabble rousing ex-hippie. When the star witness, the voluptuous Hope Hathaway, takes the stand, she startles everyone with her stories of Sanford's Lothario-esque conquests. Suddenly, the unassuming Sanford is a celebrity heartthrob and he finds himself in headlines and gossip columns across the country. Due to the case's growing notoriety, the judge sequesters the jury. And things start to get wild...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Weekend (1995)
In the midst of an evacuation effort, True World Forces agent Weed must secure an alien spacecraft suspected to have crashed somewhere in the city. But after Weed meets the ship's beautiful, shape-shifting pilot, he finds himself falling for her. As the two grow close, Weed struggles to determine where his true loyalties lie.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
H2S (1969)
Young student runs away from a 1984-esque dictatorship, lives for a while with a crazy girl in a surrealistic “igloo” in snowy wilderness and then returns to lead a revolution against the oppressive system. Sci-fi tale consistent with the political climate of May 68.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Visioneers (2008)
Visioneer George Washington Winsterhammerman lives a comfortable but monotonous life in this slightly futuristic black comedy. When people start exploding from stress and George is showing early symptoms, he's forced to examine his life. Taking a look at his nice job, his sexless marriage and his resistance to life coaching, George reconsiders the philosophy of happiness through mindless activity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisGurren Lagann The Movie: Childhood's End (2008)
Simon and Kamina live in an underground city monitored by the village chief. When Simon stumbles upon an artifact and beastmen invade from the surface, Simon and Kamina rebel against them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSexmission (1984)
Two scientists are chosen as guinea pigs for a time experiment: they are placed in hibernation and should be brought back to life after three years. In the meantime, however, World War III breaks out and life has been wiped off the surface of Earth. When they wake up, it turns out that not only 50 years have passed but also that they are the only living specimens of the male sex in a new, underground society composed exclusively of women.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Retrospective?
The closest matches to The Retrospective are Afterburn (2025), The Bed Sitting Room (1969) and Sleeper (1973). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Retrospective?
Start with Afterburn (2025), the closest match to The Retrospective.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Retrospective?
Bo Burnham: What. (2013), rated 7.8/10 by 283 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Retrospective?
Ricky Gervais: Mortality (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Retrospective?
Yes: Afterburn (2025), The Bed Sitting Room (1969) and Sleeper (1973).
How are movies similar to The Retrospective chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Retrospective, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.