Movies like Return to Action (1947)
The best movies like Return to Action (1947) are The Waterdance (1992), My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995). If Return to Action hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest rated12 Angry Men (1997)7.7/10 from 481 votes
- NewestSightless (2020)Released 2020
The Waterdance (1992)
Author Joel Garcia breaks his neck while hiking, and finds himself in a rehab center with Raymond, an exaggerating ladies man, and Bloss, a racist biker. Considerable tension builds as each character tries to deal with his new found handicap and the problems that go with it, especially Joel, whose lover Anna is having as difficult a time as he is.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)
No one expects much from Christy Brown, a boy with cerebral palsy born into a working-class Irish family. Though Christy is a spastic quadriplegic and essentially paralyzed, a miraculous event occurs when, at the age of 5, he demonstrates control of his left foot by using chalk to scrawl a word on the floor. With the help of his steely mother — and no shortage of grit and determination — Christy overcomes his infirmity to become a painter, poet and author.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMr. Holland's Opus (1995)
In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his true calling: writing a historic opus. As the decades roll by with the composition unwritten but generations of students inspired through his teaching, Holland must redefine his life's purpose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRegarding Henry (1991)
After being shot, a lawyer loses his memory and must relearn speech and mobility, but he has a loving family to support him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Miracle Worker (2000)
Devoted teacher Anne Sullivan leads deaf, blind and mute Helen Keller out of solitude and helps integrate her into the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAt First Sight (1999)
A blind man has an operation to regain his sight at the urging of his girlfriend and must deal with the changes to his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Browning Version (1994)
Andrew Crocker-Harris is an embittered and disliked teacher of Greek and Latin at a British prep school. After nearly 20 years of service, he is being forced to retire for 'health reasons', and perhaps may not even be given a pension. The boys regard him as a Hitler, with some justification. His unfaithful wife Laura tries to hurt him in any way she can. Andrew must come to terms with his failed life and at least regain his own self-esteem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSightless (2020)
After an attack renders her blind, Ellen withdraws from the world to recover. But soon she plunges into paranoia, unable to convince anyone that her assailant has returned to terrorize her by hiding in plain sight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this12 Angry Men (1997)
During the trial of a man accused of his father's murder, a lone juror takes a stand against the guilty verdict handed down by the others as a result of their preconceptions and prejudices.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCinderella Man (2005)
The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMurderball (2005)
Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAbove the Shadows (2019)
A young woman who has faded to the point of becoming invisible must find her way back with the help of the one man who can see her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Breathe (2016)
A group of teens break into a blind man's home thinking they'll get away with the perfect crime. They're wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisProof (1991)
Martin, a young blind photographer, is divided between his friendship with restaurant worker Andy and the exclusive love that Celia—who is terribly jealous of this new friendship—has for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisX+Y (2015)
Struggling to connect with those around him, a teenage math prodigy trains for the International Mathematical Olympiad, where a budding romance with a fellow contestant breaks through his emotional walls and teaches him that love cannot be calculated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Reservations (2007)
Master chef Kate Armstrong runs her life and her kitchen with intimidating intensity. However, a recipe for disaster may be in the works when she becomes the guardian of her young niece while crossing forks with the brash sous-chef who just joined her staff. Though romance blooms in the face of rivalry, Kate needs to look outside the kitchen to find true happiness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBitter Moon (1992)
A passenger on a cruise ship develops an irresistible infatuation with an eccentric paraplegic's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Sam (2001)
Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMore Beautiful for Having Been Broken (2020)
Three women’s lives intersect at a lakeside resort and are forever changed by the love of a special needs boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRadio (2003)
In the racially divided town of Anderson, South Carolina in 1976, football coach Harold Jones spots a mentally disabled African-American young man nicknamed Radio near his practice field and is inspired to befriend him. Soon, Radio is Jones' loyal assistant, and he becomes a student at T.L. Hanna High School. But things start to sour when Coach Jones begins taking guff from parents and fans who feel that his devotion to Radio is getting in the way of the team's quest for a championship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Return to Action?
The closest matches to Return to Action are The Waterdance (1992), My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Return to Action?
Start with The Waterdance (1992), the closest match to Return to Action.
What is the highest-rated movie like Return to Action?
12 Angry Men (1997), rated 7.7/10 by 481 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Return to Action?
Sightless (2020) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Return to Action?
Yes: The Waterdance (1992), My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995).
How are movies similar to Return to Action chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Return to Action, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.