Movies Like Captains Courageous (1937)

Captains Courageous is a 1937 adventure, drama, family film from Victor Fleming with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Captains Courageous and Jaws.

Adventure Drama Family

Captains Courageous

1996

Harvey Cheyne, Jr., second richest person in the world, orphaned and spoiled rotten, encounters a cigar and the sea on his way to England for boarding school. Seasick, over the rail for real, rescued by Dan Troop of a Gloucester fishing sailboat. Three months at sea, under a firm but fair Captain Troop (fair wages of $10.50 a month, if you don't work you don't eat). A hard life and a dangerous one, and a lot of growing up to do through hardship and tragedy.

6.3

MagicScore

Jaws

1975

When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.

7.7

MagicScore

Serenity

2019

The quiet life of Baker Dill, a fishing boat captain who lives on the isolated Plymouth Island, where he spends his days obsessed with capturing an elusive tuna while fighting his personal demons, is interrupted when someone from his past comes to him searching for help.

5.4

MagicScore

Come Clean

1931

The Hardys wish to have a quiet evening in their apartment, but are interrupted when the Laurels pay a visit. Stan and Ollie go out for ice cream, and manage to prevent a shrewish woman from committing suicide on the way back home. The woman is ungrateful and makes threats against the them unless they look after her. They spend a chaotic evening trying to keep her hidden from their wives.

7.1

MagicScore

Sea Countrymen

1955

Sicily, Granitola, 1955. At the first light of dawn, the fishermen set out in their boats for open water, timing the rhythm of their oars to murmured chants. They set their nets in the sea, regulate the cords, organize the boats in a square. The men’s work becomes increasingly harder as the tuna are hoisted onto the boats, wriggling, beating their tails until death arrives and the water is tinged with blood.

6.0

MagicScore

The Breaking Point

1950

A fisherman with money problems hires out his boat to transport criminals.

7.1

MagicScore

Bait

2019

Martin Ward is a cove fisherman, without a boat. His brother Steven has repurposed their father’s vessel as a tourist tripper, driving a wedge between the brothers. With their childhood home now a getaway for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the picturesque harbour. As his struggle to restore the family to their traditional place creates increasing friction with tourists and locals alike, a tragedy at the heart of the family changes his world.

7.0

MagicScore

Luzzu

2021

Jesmark, a struggling fisherman on the island of Malta, is forced to turn his back on generations of tradition and risk everything by entering the world of black market fishing to provide for his girlfriend and newborn baby.

6.8

MagicScore

Leviathan

2012

An experimental portrait of the North American commercial fishing industry through the lens of GoPro cameras placed on a fishing vessel off the coast of New England.

6.5

MagicScore

#10

Problem Child 3

1995

Now a pre-teen, Junior has fallen head over heels for a classmate who doesn't even notice him, but does notice three other boys – a child star, a hockey player and a Boy Scout – who are rivals to Junior. This means war!

4.7

MagicScore

#11

Clueless

1995

Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. Emboldened by her success, she decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai a makeover. When Tai becomes more popular than she is, Cher realizes that her disapproving ex-stepbrother was right about how misguided she was -- and falls for him.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

CODA

2021

As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

7.9

MagicScore

#13

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

2023

Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

The Hurricane

1937

A Polynesian sailor is separated from his wife when he's unjustly imprisoned for defending himself against a colonial bully. Members of the community petition the governor for clemency but all pretense of law and order are soon shattered by an incoming tropical storm.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

The Secret of Roan Inish

1994

Ten-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie – a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother was washed out to sea and never seen again, so when Fiona spies a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish, she is compelled to investigate.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

In America

2003

A family of Irish immigrants adjusts to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.

7.2

MagicScore

#17

God's Comedy

1996

An ice-cream seller lusts after the female employees in his shop.

6.8

MagicScore

#18

Burying the Ex

2014

Before horror enthusiast Max can break things off with his girlfriend Evelyn she dies in a bus accident. In time, Max meets another woman only to have Evelyn resurface as a zombie ready to resume their relationship.

5.5

MagicScore

#19

The Bourne Identity

2002

Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy—but who does he work for?

7.5

MagicScore

#20

Voice Over

2011

I won't tell you whose voice over leads us through three extreme situations that are actually the same. Will you survive?

6.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Captains Courageous?

The top films similar to Captains Courageous by MovieMagicScore are Captains Courageous (6.3), Jaws (7.7), Serenity (5.4). Each shares adventure/drama/family themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Captains Courageous worth watching?

Captains Courageous holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 173 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Captains Courageous?

Captains Courageous (1937) is a adventure, drama, family film directed by Victor Fleming, starring Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore.

Where can I find more recommendations like Captains Courageous?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more adventure recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Captains Courageous Movies like Jaws Movies like Serenity Movies like Come Clean Movies like Sea Countrymen Movies like The Breaking Point

About movies like Captains Courageous

This ranked list pairs Captains Courageous (1937), a adventure and drama and family film from Victor Fleming, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Freddie Bartholomew take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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