Movies like The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The best movies like The Philadelphia Story (1940) are It Happened One Night (1934), My Favorite Wife (1940) and The Out-of-Towners (1999). If The Philadelphia Story hooked you with its comedy and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIt Happened One Night (1934)7.8/10 from 1,483 votes
- NewestOne Night Only (2026)Released 2026
It Happened One Night (1934)
A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them behind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Favorite Wife (1940)
Years after her ship disappeared, a presumably dead woman returns home. To her shock, she finds her husband has remarried.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Out-of-Towners (1999)
The adventures of married couple Henry and Nancy Clark, vexed by misfortune while in New York City for Henry's job interview.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisMove Over, Darling (1963)
Three years into their loving marriage, with two infant daughters at home in Los Angeles, Nicholas Arden and Ellen Wagstaff Arden are on a plane that goes down in the South Pacific. Although most passengers manage to survive the incident, Ellen presumably perishes when swept off her lifeboat, her body never recovered. Fast forward five years. Nicholas, wanting to move on with his life, has Ellen declared legally dead. Part of that moving on includes getting remarried, this time to a young woman named Bianca Steele, who, for their honeymoon, he plans to take to the same Monterrey resort where he and Ellen spent their honeymoon. On that very same day, Ellen is dropped off in Los Angeles by the Navy, who rescued her from the South Pacific island where she was stranded for the past five years. She asks the Navy not to publicize her rescue nor notify Nicholas as she wants to do so herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Manhattan (2005)
Ten-year-old Gabe Burton is just an average kid growing up in Manhattan until Rosemary Telesco walks into his karate class. But before Gabe can tell Rosemary how he feels, she reveals that she won't be going to public school any more. Gabe has a lot more to learn about life, love, and girls.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYoh! Bestie (2026)
Thando is perpetually unlucky in love, but when her bestie returns from his travels with a fiancée in tow, she's forced to face a new emotion — jealousy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEveryone Says I Love You (1996)
A New York girl sets her father up with a beautiful woman in a shaky marriage while her half sister gets engaged.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIntolerable Cruelty (2003)
A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMerv (2025)
When their beloved dog Merv loses his spark after their split, Anna and Russ are forced into the world's most awkward co-parenting arrangement. Hoping to shake Merv out of his funk, Russ takes him to Florida for a much-needed getaway-only for Anna to show up unexpectedly. As Merv slowly gets his groove back, turns out fixing their dog's broken heart may lead to a few sparks of their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisCousins (1989)
When Larry and Maria learn that their respective spouses are cheating on them, they try to turn the tables on them by pretending to have an affair. However, they soon find themselves falling in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYour Place or Mine (2023)
When best friends and total opposites Debbie and Peter swap homes for a week, they get a peek into each other's lives that could open the door to love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Happens in Vegas (2008)
During a wild vacation in Las Vegas, career woman Joy McNally and playboy Jack Fuller come to the sober realization that they have married each other after a night of drunken abandon. They are then compelled, for legal reasons, to live life as a couple for a limited period of time. At stake is a large amount of money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShe's Funny That Way (2015)
On the set of a playwright's new project, a love triangle forms between his wife, her ex-lover, and the call girl-turned-actress cast in the production.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisKeeping the Faith (2000)
Best friends since they were kids, Rabbi Jacob Schram and Father Brian Finn are dynamic and popular young men living and working on New York's Upper West Side. When Anna Reilly, once their childhood friend and now grown into a beautiful corporate executive, suddenly returns to the city, she reenters Jake and Brian's lives and hearts with a vengeance. Sparks fly and an unusual and complicated love triangle ensues.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Other Woman (2014)
After discovering her boyfriend is married, Carly soon meets the wife he's been cheating on. And when yet another affair is discovered, all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on the three-timing SOB.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrossing Delancey (1988)
Thirty-something Isabelle spends her time going from her tiny, solitary West Side apartment to that of her grandmother on the Lower East Side. While her grandmother plots to find her a romantic match, Isabelle is courted by a married, worldly author, Anton, yet can't seem to shake the down-to-earth appeal of Sam, a pickle vendor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisIt's Complicated (2009)
Ten years after their divorce, Jane and Jake Adler unite for their son's college graduation and unexpectedly end up sleeping together. But Jake is married, and Jane is embarking on a new romance with her architect. Now, she has to sort out her life—just when she thought she had it all figured out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Front Page (1974)
Ruthless Chicago newspaper editor Walter Burns resorts to dubious motives in order to get top reporter Hildy Johnson to cover one more big crime story before retirement.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWalk of Shame (2014)
A reporter's dream of becoming a news anchor is compromised after a one-night stand leaves her stranded in downtown L.A. without a phone, car, ID or money - and only 8 hours to make it to the most important job interview of her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwitching Channels (1988)
A television news chief courts his anchorwoman ex-wife with an eleventh-hour story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSocial Register (1934)
Chorus girl Patsy Shaw crashes a high-society party, meets playboy Charlie Breen, they fall in love, and are on their merry way to wedded bliss. However, Charlie's snobbish, ever-loving mama doesn't think that Patsy is worthy and sets out to prove it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
One Night Only (2026)
Two love-starved strangers crash into each other on the one night of the year when single people are allowed to have sex.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHot Wheelz (TBA)
A roller skating rink employee develops an infatuation with the rink's one regular patron.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Runaway Bride (1999)
Having already left three grooms at the altar, Maggie Carpenter is branded "the runaway bride" by jaded New York journalist Ike Graham. But, after his facts are called into question, Ike races to Maggie's hometown to save his reputation and report on her upcoming fourth trip down the aisle – during which he's convinced she'll run again. Though he's there on a muckraking mission, Ike can't help but fall for this breathtaking heartbreaker.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharade (1963)
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband's World War II cronies, Tex, Scobie and Gideon, who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGuys and Dolls (1955)
In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a Salvation Army missionary to Havana, and unexpectedly they fall for each other. And the bet has a hidden motive ... classic song and dance ensues!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSend Me No Flowers (1964)
When a hypochondriac assumes that he is dying, he makes an elaborate plan to ensure his wife's happiness. However, trouble ensues when she misunderstands his intentions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret Call (1931)
The Secret Call is adapted from The Woman, a play by William C. DeMille (brother of Cecil B.) Peggy Shannon plays Wanda Kelly, the daughter of a disgraced politician. Reduced to working as a switchboard operator, Wanda is privy to the many secrets and indiscretions of the clients of a big-city hotel. She also finds romance in the form of handsome Tom Blake (Richard Arlen). The huge cast of characters comes in handy for the film's multitude of subplots, none of which ever get their wires crossed. Peggy Shannon acquits herself nicely in her first major role, but by the end of the decade her career was in decline.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (2000)
In this horror parody, a masked serial killer menaces the town of Bulimia Falls with various sharp objects. Attention-seeking television personality Hagitha Utslay is soon on the scene, reporting on the ever-growing body count. Former mall security guard Doughy shows up to protect the teenage population, but he's clearly not much help, allowing the murderer to pick off even more hapless kids as numerous scary movies are referenced.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisYou're Not Alone (2007)
Master painter Hans Moll and his wife, the television announcer Ms. Wellinek and her husband, and the German-Russian Jew Yevgenia have many things to live on: food, drink, an apartment. What they do not have is work. They all discover the yearning for a chance to start all over again and bring themselves back to life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Philadelphia Story?
The closest matches to The Philadelphia Story are It Happened One Night (1934), My Favorite Wife (1940) and The Out-of-Towners (1999). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Philadelphia Story?
Start with It Happened One Night (1934), the closest match to The Philadelphia Story.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Philadelphia Story?
It Happened One Night (1934), rated 7.8/10 by 1,483 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Philadelphia Story?
One Night Only (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Philadelphia Story?
Yes: It Happened One Night (1934), My Favorite Wife (1940) and The Out-of-Towners (1999).
How are movies similar to The Philadelphia Story chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Philadelphia Story, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.