Movies like The Girl From the Tugboat (1966)
The best movies like The Girl From the Tugboat (1966) are The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018), A Dog Named Palma (2021) and Your Heart Will Be Broken (2026). If The Girl From the Tugboat hooked you with its romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedYour Heart Will Be Broken (2026)7.9/10 from 233 votes
- NewestBack to Tadou (2026)Released 2026
The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018)
After a career-ending accident, former NFL recruit Ian Hunter is back on campus, and he's putting his extensive skills with women to work as one of the masterminds behind a successful and secretive dating service. But when Blake Olson requests the services of Wingmen, Inc., Ian may have landed his most hopeless client yet. As Blake begins the transformation from hot mess to smokin' hot, Ian realizes he's in danger of breaking his cardinal rule....
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Dog Named Palma (2021)
The film is inspired by an incredible story of a shepherd dog named Palm who was inadvertently left in the airport by her owner. She befriends nine-year old Nicholas whose mother dies leaving him with a father he barely knows - a pilot who finds the dog at the airport. It's a story of amazing adventures, true friendship and unconditional love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisYour Heart Will Be Broken (2026)
High school student Polina is saved from bullying at her new school and makes a deal with the main bully Bars: he must pretend to be her boyfriend and protect her, and she must do everything he says. During this game, the couple develops real feelings, but her family and classmates have reasons to separate the lovers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisChateau Christmas (2020)
Margot, a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParis, Wine & Romance (2019)
Isabella is the ambitious new owner of her family’s Oregon winery whose dream of becoming world-renowned takes a big step forward when she enters a prestigious wine competition in Paris. Upon arrival, Isabella meets her biggest competitor, Jacques, from one of the world’s foremost winemaking families. Impressed by Isabella and her expertise in wine, a budding romance develops between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt Was Always You (2021)
Elizabeth's engagement plans are thrown into disarray when her fiancée's free-spirited brother David returns home. David's unexpected influence prompts Elizabeth to question her life decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove in the Sun (2019)
When successful dating app creator Alana hesitantly gets engaged, she returns to her hometown in Florida to deliver the news to her dad. Upon returning home, she crosses paths with her former flame, Kai, and finds herself falling in love with the fun and adventurous lifestyle tied to her community. As Alana and Kai work together to help her dad restore his declining property, Alana finds herself conflicted as to whether or not her current way of living makes her happier than the home and community that she always knew and loved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Country Wedding (2015)
A famous country singer set to marry a glamorous Hollywood actress returns to his small town roots. When he crosses paths with his childhood sweetheart and finally feels inspired to write songs again he reevaluates his life, his values and his opinion of true love. As his wedding day approaches, he must decide if he has chosen the right woman to be his wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Made to Order (2018)
When architect and Christmas amateur Steven finds himself hosting his family for Christmas, he recruits holiday coordinator Gretchen to bring holiday joy to his home. Gretchen’s expert Christmas spirit brings Steven’s family together, but neither expected it to bring them closer to each other. After a great opportunity presents itself to Gretchen, she and Steven must decide what’s really important in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTurkey Drop (2019)
Lucy Jacobs, a freshman university student, returns home to her small town for Thanksgiving break and suspects she's about to get turkey dropped— aka dumped by her high school sweetheart. To avoid a Turkey Day travesty, Lucy gets out of her comfort zone, proving she's not the same play-it-safe girl she once was.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSailing Into Love (2019)
A biology teacher’s crusade to save a nearby island from development leads to unexpected romance with the handsome and mysterious young sea captain who is new to the seaside town of Willow Bay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Glenbrooke Christmas (2020)
As Christmas nears, heiress Jessica Morgan seizes what seems like her last chance to experience a relaxed Christmas and heads off to the small town of Glenbrooke, where she meets a handsome fireman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWrite Before Christmas (2019)
A recently single Jessica sends Christmas cards to people who have impacted her life—the aunt who raised her, her younger brother in the military, a popstar who was part of the soundtrack of her life, the music teacher who inspired her, and the best friend who always tells the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMerry & Bright (2019)
Cate, CEO of the Merry and Bright Candy Cane Company, meets Gabe during the busy Christmas season. She assumes Gabe is the suitor her well-meaning mother is trying to set her up with when in reality, he works for Empire Corporate Recovery, which has been hired to take a closer look at Merry and Bright's operation and find ways to make the company more profitable. As Cate and Gabe begin to work together, they find ways to elevate the business and find that they have more in common than savvy business sense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoliday Date (2019)
When Brooke’s boyfriend, Ethan, breaks up with her just before the holidays, she agrees to go home with Joel, an actor who will pose as her boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Next Door (2017)
Eric Randall, an author of bachelor lifestyle books, is left in charge of his young niece and nephew for the holidays. Eric turns to his neighbor April, a lover of all things Christmas, for help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecret Millionaire (2018)
When a bored millionaire (Steve Lund) is mistaken for a parking attendant by a beautiful girl (Siobhan Williams) who is protesting against his family’s intention of closing a local park, he uses the misunderstanding to get to know her better.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFive Star Christmas (2020)
After moving back to her hometown, Lisa (Lenz) plots with her siblings and grandparents to help her father's bed and breakfast get a five-star review from an incognito travel critic (Webster), but ends up falling for him, not knowing he is the real critic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019)
A skeptical writer shows up in Evergreen to get the scoop on the town's famed passion for Christmas during a search for a long-lost time capsule.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Under the Stars (2019)
When Nick is fired from his high-powered investment firm at Christmastime, he takes a job at a Christmas tree lot. There, he meets Julie, an astronomy teacher who’s always looked to the stars for hope. As the Christmas spirit washes over him—and he begins falling for Julie—the once self-centered Nick discovers the joy of helping others.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEles só voltam amanhã (TBA)
The pleasures and displeasures of a couple.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Back to Tadou (2026)
One winter afternoon, Maude rings the doorbell of Cécile and Justin's apartment with a surprising request. Maude met Justin ten years ago on the beach at Tadoussac and hasn't seen him since. Yet she asks him to reenact their first meeting to find a more satisfying resolution. Faced with Maude's insistence, and with Cécile's complicit pressure, Justin agrees to participate in the strange game she proposes. The scene is reenacted down to the last detail: the glances exchanged, the words spoken, the caresses shared. Initially clumsy and mechanical, the reenactment gradually takes on a more intimate, more fluid dimension: emotions resurface, past and present intertwine, the line between drama and reality blurs, and the situation slowly transforms into a gentle settling of scores.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
True (2004)
While he's receiving an enigmatic phone call from his girlfriend Francine, Thomas remembers the milestones of their relationship, from the very moment they met in a really strange way. A segment of “Paris, je t'aime” (2006).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn Another Place (2019)
With no final destination in sight, a couple takes a leave-it-all-behind road trip up north. Their perspectives on life clash as their relationship unravels.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
The war and the moon (2024)
The teenagers Vigo and Luna were friends, but haven't spoken to each other in ten years. Now they meet again; their lives very different. When Vigo shows Luna his life, they grow closer. Until Vigo confesses something.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Pragma (2018)
Yoo-Hee and Joo-Yeon fell in love in high school, but their school’s persecution of gays tore them apart. When meet again years later, sparks fly.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Bonhomme (2021)
A dare led a rugby player to kiss his receptive waiter, which led to his first intimate night with a man. He woke with the possibility of a meaningful romance, but circumstances may not be as he thought.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Jewish Blind Date (2015)
Mary Lou is unhappy in love and decides to reconnect with her religious roots by marrying a practicing Jew. In order to get married, she has to pass the Shidduch test, which will determine whether her life will be a success or failure.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
En los espacios de silencio (2021)
It is a warm afternoon in Mexico City; Cornelio and Fabiola are finishing their workday. While they pass through different points of the center and Cornelio narrates the world to Fabiola - In the spaces of silence-; a game of love and intimacy is revealed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Microwave (2023)
Andy has never seen another human. Then a severed hand arrives in the mail.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Girl From the Tugboat?
The closest matches to The Girl From the Tugboat are The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018), A Dog Named Palma (2021) and Your Heart Will Be Broken (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Girl From the Tugboat?
Start with The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018), the closest match to The Girl From the Tugboat.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Girl From the Tugboat?
Your Heart Will Be Broken (2026), rated 7.9/10 by 233 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Girl From the Tugboat?
Back to Tadou (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Girl From the Tugboat chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Girl From the Tugboat, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.