Movies like From Harlem to Harvard (1981)
The best movies like From Harlem to Harvard (1981) are Honor Society (2022), Spontaneous (2020) and Chemical Hearts (2020). If From Harlem to Harvard hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)7.8/10 from 11,626 votes
- NewestA Different Man (2024)Released 2024
Honor Society (2022)
Honor is an ambitious high school senior whose sole focus is getting into Harvard, assuming she can first score the coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, Mr. Calvin. Willing to do whatever it takes, Honor concocts a Machiavellian-like plan to take down her top three student competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition, Michael.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpontaneous (2020)
When students in their high school begin inexplicably exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChemical Hearts (2020)
When a hopelessly romantic high school senior falls for a mysterious new classmate, it sets them both on an unexpected journey that teaches them about love, loss, and most importantly themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Invisible (2007)
After an attack leaves him in limbo -- invisible to the living and also near death -- a teenager discovers the only person who might be able help him is his attacker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFirst Girl I Loved (2016)
Seventeen-year-old Anne just fell in love with Sasha, the most popular girl at her L.A. public high school. But when Anne tells her best friend, Clifton—who has always harbored a secret crush on her—he does his best to get in the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
For Peter Parker, life is busy. Between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen Stacy, high school graduation cannot come quickly enough. Peter has not forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away, but that is a promise he cannot keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrad's Status (2017)
Although Brad has a satisfying career, a sweet wife and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento, things aren't quite what he imagined during his college glory days. When he accompanies his musical prodigy son on a university tour, he can't help comparing his life with those of his four best college friends who seemingly have more wealthy and glamorous lives. But when circumstances force him to reconnect with his former friends, Brad begins to question whether he has really failed or if their lives are actually more flawed than they appear.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe First Time (2012)
A spark of attraction smolders, then ignites, between two teens from different high schools who meet by chance at a party.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDope (2015)
Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGood Kids (2016)
Four high school students look to redefine themselves after graduation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRob Peace (2024)
An underprivileged, gifted young black man from Newark reaches Yale University, only for shadows and injustices from his past to threaten his future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWords on Bathroom Walls (2020)
Diagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who inspires him to open his heart and not be defined by his condition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fountainhead (1949)
An uncompromising, visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity and individualism despite personal, professional and economic pressures to conform to popular standards.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAfter (2019)
Tessa Young is a dedicated student, dutiful daughter and loyal girlfriend to her high school sweetheart. Entering her first semester of college, Tessa's guarded world opens up when she meets Hardin Scott, a mysterious and brooding rebel who makes her question all she thought she knew about herself -- and what she wants out of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Spectacular Now (2013)
Sutter, a popular party animal, unexpectedly meets the introverted Aimee after waking up on a stranger's lawn. As Sutter deals with the problems in his life and Aimee plans for her future beyond school, an unexpected romance blossoms between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMusic of the Heart (1999)
After Roberta Guaspari separates from her husband, she receives encouragement from her mother to take up a job of a music teacher at the Central Park East School in East Harlem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPretty in Pink (1986)
Andie is an outcast, hanging out either with her older boss, who owns the record store where she works, or her quirky high school classmate Duckie, who has a crush on her. When one of the rich and popular kids at school, Blane, asks Andie out, it seems too good to be true. As Andie starts falling for Blane, she begins to realize that dating someone from a different social sphere is not easy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMac & Devin Go to High School (2012)
A comedy that follows two high school students -- one overachiever struggling to write his valedictorian speech, the other a senior now going on his 15th year of school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Different Man (2024)
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like From Harlem to Harvard?
The closest matches to From Harlem to Harvard are Honor Society (2022), Spontaneous (2020) and Chemical Hearts (2020). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after From Harlem to Harvard?
Start with Honor Society (2022), the closest match to From Harlem to Harvard.
What is the highest-rated movie like From Harlem to Harvard?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), rated 7.8/10 by 11,626 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like From Harlem to Harvard?
A Different Man (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like From Harlem to Harvard?
Yes: Honor Society (2022), Spontaneous (2020) and Chemical Hearts (2020).
How are movies similar to From Harlem to Harvard chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside From Harlem to Harvard, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.