Movies like Unexcused Absence (1985)
The best movies like Unexcused Absence (1985) are Sweetie (1989), Son of Rambow (2007) and Cheaper by the Dozen (2003). If Unexcused Absence hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Unexcused Absence
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFerris Bueller's Day Off (1986)7.6/10 from 5,666 votes
- NewestCode 3 (2025)Released 2025
Sweetie (1989)
The buttoned-down, superstitious Kay is attempting to lead a normal existence with her new boyfriend Louis. That’s until Sweetie, her rampaging, devil-may-care sister, returns home after an absence, exposing the rotten roots of their family and placing a strain on Kay and Louis’ relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSon of Rambow (2007)
Will is looking for an escape from his family when he encounters Lee, the school bully. Armed with a video camera and a copy of Rambo, Lee plans to make his own action-packed video epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCheaper by the Dozen (2003)
The Baker brood moves to Chicago after patriarch Tom gets a job coaching football at Northwestern University, forcing his writer wife, Kate, and the couple's 12 children to make a major adjustment. The transition works well until work demands pull the parents away from home, leaving the kids bored -- and increasingly mischievous.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChildren of the Damned (1964)
Six children are found spread through out the world that not only have enormous intelligence, but identical intelligence and have a strange bond to each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four (2015)
A history of the ill-fated 1994 production of “The Fantastic Four” that was executive produced by Roger Corman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Summer (2019)
Standing on the precipice of adulthood, a group of friends navigate new relationships, while reexamining others, during their final summer before college.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006)
A college student must take care of her 7-year-old half sister after the death of their parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarolina (2003)
A young woman escapes her wildly eccentric family in search for a life of normalcy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisWish Upon a Star (1996)
A younger sister wishes to switch places with her popular older sister and the two bickering siblings awaken to find the wish has come true.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNapoleon Dynamite (2004)
A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Girl (2012)
Director Alfred Hitchcock is revered as one of the greatest creative minds in the history of cinema. Known for his psychological thrillers, Hitchcock’s leading ladies were cool, beautiful and preferably blonde. One such actress was Tippi Hedren, an unknown fashion model given her big break when Hitchcock’s wife saw her on a TV commercial. Brought to Universal Studios, Hedren was shocked when the director, at the peak of his career, quickly cast her to star in his next feature, 1963’s The Birds. Little did Hedren know that as ambitious and terrifying as the production would be to shoot, the most daunting aspect of the film ended up coming from behind the camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming (2022)
Madea's back - hallelujer! And she's not putting up with any nonsense as family drama erupts at her great-grandson's college graduation celebration.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRamona and Beezus (2010)
Ramona is a little girl with a very big imagination and a nose for mischief. Her playful antics keep everyone in her loving family on their toes, including her older sister Beezus, who's just trying to survive her first year of high school. Through all the ups and downs of childhood, Ramona and Beezus learn that anything's possible when you believe in yourself and rely on each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJonathan (2018)
Jonathan is a young man with a strange condition that only his brother understands. But when he begins to yearn for a different life, their unique bond becomes increasingly tested.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDavid and Lisa (1962)
Teenager David Clemens develops a hysterical fear that he will die if he comes into physical contact with another person. Perturbed, David's overbearing mother places him in a home for mentally disturbed young people, but David remains withdrawn from the other patients and his psychiatrist. Over time, however, David grows interested in 15-year-old Lisa, who suffers from multiple personalities – one who can only speak in rhyme, and the other, a mute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFerris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
After high school slacker Ferris Bueller successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all the while trying to outwit his wily school principal and fed-up sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHalf Brothers (2020)
Mexican aviation exec Renato is shocked to learn that he has an American half-brother he never knew about: free-spirited Asher. They are forced on a road trip together, tracing the path their father took from Mexico to the U.S.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Taste of Honey (1961)
While out to avoid spending time with her narcissistic and promiscuous mother, sixteen-year-old Jo has a brief affair that leaves her pregnant and abandoned. When her mother remarries, Jo's only support becomes her friend Geoffrey, a homosexual.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Picture (1989)
Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Unexcused Absence?
The closest matches to Unexcused Absence are Sweetie (1989), Son of Rambow (2007) and Cheaper by the Dozen (2003). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Unexcused Absence?
Start with Sweetie (1989), the closest match to Unexcused Absence.
What is the highest-rated movie like Unexcused Absence?
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), rated 7.6/10 by 5,666 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Unexcused Absence?
Code 3 (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Unexcused Absence?
Yes: Sweetie (1989), Son of Rambow (2007) and Cheaper by the Dozen (2003).
How are movies similar to Unexcused Absence chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Unexcused Absence, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.