Movies like Debbie Does Iowa (2001)
The best movies like Debbie Does Iowa (2001) are The Cheerleaders (1973), Bottoms (2023) and Big Fan (2009). If Debbie Does Iowa hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDinner in America (2022)7.8/10 from 251 votes
- NewestBuddy (2026)Released 2026
The Cheerleaders (1973)
A group of cheerleaders from the local high school decide to show their school spirit for their football team by sleeping with the opponents the night before the game so that they can be so worn out the opposition won't be able to play.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBottoms (2023)
Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school self-defense club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig Fan (2009)
Paul Aufiero, a 35-year-old parking-garage attendant from Staten Island, is the self-described "world's biggest New York Giants fan". One night, Paul and his best friend Sal spot Giants star linebacker Quantrell Bishop at a gas station and decide to follow him. At a strip club Paul cautiously decides to approach him but the chance encounter brings Paul's world crashing down around him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNot Another Teen Movie (2001)
On a bet, a gridiron hero at John Hughes High School sets out to turn a bespectacled plain Jane into a beautiful and popular prom queen in this outrageous send-up of the teen movies of the 1980s and '90s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisNorth Dallas Forty (1979)
A semi-fictional account of life as a professional football player. Loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys team of the early 1970s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBadlands (1973)
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSugar & Spice (2001)
When Jack and Diane find themselves in an unexpected adult situation, the A-Squad comes to their rescue. In order to help their friend Diane, the A-Squad goes where no cheerleader has gone before: taking on a little after-school project known as bank robbery. But the A-Squad does things their way -- with sugar and spice -- forever changing their friendship, their future and the nation's notion of teen spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuddy (2026)
Inside the colorful world of "It's Buddy!", a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy - bright orange unicorn - spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDinner in America (2022)
An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with a local band go on an unexpected and epic journey together through the decaying suburbs of the American Midwest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUrban Cowboy (1980)
After moving to Pasadena, Texas, country boy Bud Davis starts hanging around a bar called Gilley's, where he falls in love with Sissy, a cowgirl who believes the sexes are equal. They eventually marry, but their relationship is turbulent due to Bud's traditional view of gender roles. Jealousy over his rival leads to their separation, but Bud attempts to win Sissy back by triumphing at Gilley's mechanical bull-riding competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo Die For (1995)
Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Quick and the Dead (1995)
A mysterious woman comes to compete in a quick-draw elimination tournament, in a town taken over by a notorious gunman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCover Girl (1944)
A nightclub dancer makes it big in modeling, leaving her dancer boyfriend behind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwiss Army Man (2016)
Alone on a tiny deserted island, Hank has given up all hope of ever making it home again. But one day everything changes when a dead body washes ashore, and he soon realizes it may be his last opportunity to escape certain death. Armed with his new “friend” and an unusual bag of tricks, the duo go on an epic adventure to bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hunting Party (1971)
A ruthless rancher, and his gang, use extremely long range rifles to kill the men who kidnapped his wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Picture Show (1971)
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating a local beauty, while Sonny is having an affair with the coach's wife. As graduation nears and both boys contemplate their futures, Duane eyes the army and Sonny takes over a local business. Each struggles to figure out if he can escape this dead-end town and build a better life somewhere else.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThere's Something About Mary (1998)
For Ted, prom night went about as bad as it’s possible for any night to go. Thirteen years later, he finally gets another chance with his old prom date, only to run up against other suitors including the sleazy detective he hired to find her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
An all-girl rock band moves to Hollywood in the hope of achieving success, only to fall into a whirlpool of wickedness and decadence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGregory's Girl (1980)
A teenager falls hard for the female soccer player who has replaced him on the team and attempts to pursue her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarrie (2013)
An awkward, telekinetic teenage girl is the object of relentless bullying at school and an oppressively religious mother at home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Debbie Does Iowa?
The closest matches to Debbie Does Iowa are The Cheerleaders (1973), Bottoms (2023) and Big Fan (2009). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Debbie Does Iowa?
Start with The Cheerleaders (1973), the closest match to Debbie Does Iowa.
What is the highest-rated movie like Debbie Does Iowa?
Dinner in America (2022), rated 7.8/10 by 251 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Debbie Does Iowa?
Buddy (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Debbie Does Iowa?
Yes: The Cheerleaders (1973), Bottoms (2023) and Big Fan (2009).
How are movies similar to Debbie Does Iowa chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Debbie Does Iowa, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.