Movies like A California Christmas: City Lights (2021)
The best movies like A California Christmas: City Lights (2021) are Which Brings Me to You (2023), A California Christmas (2020) and Chéri (2009). If A California Christmas: City Lights hooked you with its romance and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFather of the Bride (1950)7.0/10 from 248 votes
- NewestThe Baltimorons (2025)Released 2025
Which Brings Me to You (2023)
Two romantic burnouts, Jane and Will, are immediately drawn to each other at a mutual friend’s wedding. After a disastrous hookup in the coatroom, the two spend the next 24 hours together, trading candid confessions of messy histories and heartbreak, on the off chance that this fling might be the real thing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA California Christmas (2020)
With his carefree lifestyle on the line, a wealthy charmer poses as a ranch hand to get a hardworking farmer to sell her family’s land before Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChéri (2009)
The son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove in Taipei (2023)
A young American woman is sent by her parents to a cultural immersion program in Taipei where she begins a new journey of self-discovery and romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
Two married couples find only trouble and heartache as their complicated lives unfold. After 40 years of marriage, Alfie leaves his wife to pursue what he thinks is happiness with a call girl. His wife, Helena, reeling from abandonment, decides to follow the advice of a psychic. Sally, the daughter of Alfie and Helena, is unhappy in her marriage and develops a crush on her boss, while her husband, Roy, falls for a woman engaged to be married.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMadame (2017)
Anne and Bob, a well-to-do American couple, have just moved to a beautiful manor house in romantic Paris. To impress their sophisticated friends, they decide to host a lavish dinner party, but must disguise their maid as a noblewoman to even out the number of guests. When the maid runs off with a wealthy guest, Anne must chase her around Paris to thwart the joyous and unexpected love affair.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisFather of the Bride (2022)
A father comes to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding through the prism of multiple relationships within a big, sprawling Cuban-American family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFather of the Bride (1950)
Proud father Stanley Banks remembers the day his daughter, Kay, got married. Starting when she announces her engagement through to the wedding itself, we learn of all the surprises and disasters along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Baltimorons (2025)
A newly sober man's Christmas Eve dental emergency leads to an unexpected romance with his older dentist as they explore Baltimore together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Met a Girl (2020)
An aspiring musician struggling with schizophrenia falls for a mysterious woman who may be all in his head. When she suddenly vanishes, he takes off on a cross-country journey across Australia to find her, forcing his long-suffering brother to chase after him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeace, Love & Misunderstanding (2011)
A conservative lawyer named Diane takes her two teenage children Jake and Zoe to meet their estranged, hippie grandmother in Woodstock after her husband asks for a divorce.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSidewalks of New York (2001)
The film follows the marital and dating lives of three men and three women who unknowingly form a tangled web of relationships. Interspersing "man on the street" interviews with scenes from the six characters' lives, the film weaves a humorous and biting commentary on the game of love -- easy to start, hard to finish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappiness for Beginners (2023)
At a crossroads after her divorce, a schoolteacher ventures toward a fresh start in life — and love — when she signs up for a grueling group hiking trip.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
Bridget Jones navigates life as a widow and single mum with the help of her family, friends, and former lover, Daniel. Back to work and on the apps, she's pursued by a younger man and maybe – just maybe – her son's science teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPicture a Perfect Christmas (2019)
An extreme-sports photographer returns home for the holiday to take care of her grandmother, only to have a neighbor grab her attention as he needs assistance watching his young nephew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCosi (1996)
Lewis, a young amateur theater director, is offered a job with a governmental program for the rehabilitation of mentally ill patients in a Sydney institution. His project is overrun by one of the patients, who wants to stage the opera Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart, despite the fact that none of the patients can sing or speak Italian. A comedy of errors ensues, but one which unifies the patients and their director in unexpected ways.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaper Heart (2009)
Paper Heart follows Nick and Charlyne on a cross-country journey to document what exactly "love" is. Interviewing ministers, happily married couples, chemists, romance novelists, divorce lawyers, a group of children and more, the determined young girl attempts to find definition and perhaps even experience the mysterious emotion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisOther People's Money (1991)
When a corporate raider threatens a hostile takeover of a 'mom and pop' company, the patriarch of the company enlists the help of his wife's attractive daughter—who is a lawyer—to stop the takeover. However, the raider soon becomes infatuated with her, and enjoys the legal manoeuvring as he tries to win her heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoliday Harmony (2022)
A likeable and talented underdog gets momentarily sidelined from chasing her musical dreams when her van breaks down in a welcoming small town just before Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNot Easily Broken (2009)
A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Time Is Here (2021)
Nia Moore ia a successful small-town real estate agent trying to sell a resort to her client, Julian. Much to Nia's dismay, the only resort that Julian wants to buy belongs to her widower father, Patrick. Patrick is ready to retire, but Nia wants to keep the property and the family memories it holds.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
You, Me and the Christmas Trees (2021)
An arborist helps a fourth generation Christmas tree farmer whose evergreens are dying just before the holiday. As she tries to get to the root of the problem before the town tree lighting, they begin to fall in love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Sugar Plum Twist (2021)
After failing to get the coveted role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in this year's production of The Nutcracker, Vivíana Serrano joins forces with Natalia, to create a surprise reprise of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy...with a Latin twist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Much Ado About Christmas (2021)
Haley is a wealthy heiress known for her acts of kindness. Haley meets hopeless romantic Claud, and she keeps her wealthy family a secret. When Claud pitches an ad campaign to Haley's mom and Haley's secrets are revealed, things get...complicated.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Royally Wrapped For Christmas (2021)
Lindsay Palmer, the NY director of an international charity organization, is called to the Kingdom of Veronia by the royal family who runs the foundation to interview for the job of overseeing the whole operation. As Lindsay is put through the interview process, she ends up finding true love with the prince.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
A Kindhearted Christmas (2021)
Jamie owns a sightseeing and tour company in the small town of Cooperville, New York. Navigating the holidays with enthusiasm is trickier for Jamie since her husband Matt passed. Matt loved Christmas and found unparalleled joy in giving to others. While reminiscing with family, Jamie realizes the town desperately needs someone with Matt’s genius for thinking of the small gestures that bring genuine happiness to the holidays.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDebbie Macomber's A Mrs. Miracle Christmas (2021)
When a family faces loneliness and loss of faith, Mrs. Miracle swoops in to renew their Christmas Spirit, and they experience a holiday of heavenly proportions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
A Lot Like Christmas (2021)
Jessica Roberts owns the most popular Christmas Tree lot in the picturesque New England town of Hudson Springs. But when big-city marketing executive, Clay Moore moves a "Big Box" store into the area and starts selling trees, Jasmine finds her business in jeopardy. As their professional competition escalates, Jasmine and Clay run into another complication - they start falling for each other.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Christmas for Keeps (2021)
At Christmastime, a close-knit group of childhood friends returns home after 10 years to take part in the celebration of life of their beloved high school teacher.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
A Dickens of a Holiday! (2021)
To make the 100th anniversary of her hometown's Victorian festival a success, Cassie invites action movie star and former high school classmate Jake to play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A California Christmas: City Lights?
The closest matches to A California Christmas: City Lights are Which Brings Me to You (2023), A California Christmas (2020) and Chéri (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A California Christmas: City Lights?
Start with Which Brings Me to You (2023), the closest match to A California Christmas: City Lights.
What is the highest-rated movie like A California Christmas: City Lights?
Father of the Bride (1950), rated 7.0/10 by 248 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A California Christmas: City Lights?
The Baltimorons (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A California Christmas: City Lights?
Yes: Which Brings Me to You (2023), A California Christmas (2020) and Chéri (2009).
How are movies similar to A California Christmas: City Lights chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A California Christmas: City Lights, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.