Movies Like Bogus (1996)

Bogus is a 1996 comedy, family, fantasy film from Norman Jewison with a MovieMagicScore of 5.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with At the Circus and James and the Giant Peach.

Comedy Family Fantasy

At the Circus

1939

Jeff Wilson, the owner of a small circus, owes his partner Carter $10,000. Before Jeff can pay, Carter's accomplices steal the money so he can take over the circus. Antonio Pirelli and Punchy, who work at the circus, together with lawyer Loophole try to find the thief and get the money back.

6.4

MagicScore

James and the Giant Peach

1996

When the young orphan boy James spills a magic bag of crocodile tongues, he finds himself in possession of a giant peach that flies him away to strange lands.

6.6

MagicScore

Magic in the Moonlight

2014

Set in the 1920s French Riviera, a master magician is commissioned to try and expose a psychic as a fraud.

6.5

MagicScore

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical

2022

An extraordinary young girl discovers her superpower and summons the remarkable courage, against all odds, to help others change their stories, whilst also taking charge of her own destiny. Standing up for what's right, she's met with miraculous results.

6.8

MagicScore

Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man

2000

A child is born. We see underwater swimmers representing this. He is young, in a jungle setting, with two fanciful "instincts" guiding him as swooping bird-like acrobats initially menace, then delight. As an adolescent, he enters a desert, where a man spins a large cube of metal tubing. He leaves his instinct-guides behind, and enters a garden where two statues dance in a pond. As he watches their sensual acrobatics of love, he becomes a man. He is offered wealth (represented by a golden hat) by a devil figure. In a richly decorated room, a scruffy troupe of a dozen acrobats and a little girl reawaken the old man's youthful nature and love.

7.1

MagicScore

7 Faces of Dr. Lao

1964

An old Chinese man rides into the town of Abalone, Arizona and changes it forever, as the citizens see themselves reflected in the mirror of Lao's mysterious circus of mythical beasts.

6.9

MagicScore

Animal Crackers

2017

A family must use a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a rundown circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington.

6.2

MagicScore

Oz the Great and Powerful

2013

Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he's the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.

5.9

MagicScore

Capricious Summer

1968

Middle-aged Antonin and his friends, the major, now retired, and the canon, are in the river, swimming and philosophizing. Then it starts to rain. It just seems to be that sort of summer. Antonin runs the swimming bath with his portly wife Katherine... A man appears with his horse-drawn caravan. He lays a striped pole across the river and walks over. With a handstand and a magic trick, Ernie the Conjuror invites everyone to that evening's performance... Ernie is a tightrope walker of only modest skill, but with a slim and beautiful assistant, Anna. Antonin speaks to her. The two spend the night in the change room by the river, Antonin massaging her feet all night long. Katherine decides to move into the caravan with Ernie. But now the major and even the canon sense Anna's attractiveness...

6.4

MagicScore

#10

IF

2024

After discovering she can see everyone's imaginary friends, a girl embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten imaginary friends with their kids.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

A Stork's Journey

2017

Orphaned at birth and raised by storks, teenage sparrow Richard believes he is one of them. But when time comes to migrate to Africa, his stork family is forced to reveal his true identity and leave him behind in the forest, since he is not a migratory bird and would not survive the journey. Determined to prove he is a stork after all, Richard ventures south on his own. But only with the help of Olga, an eccentric owl with an imaginary friend and Kiki, a narcissistic, disco-singing parakeet, does he stand a chance to reach his goal and learn to accept who he really is.

6.0

MagicScore

#12

Drop Dead Fred

1991

When Elizabeth returns to her mother's home after her marriage breaks up, she recreates her imaginary childhood friend, Fred, to escape from the trauma of losing her husband and her job. In between the chaos and mayhem that Fred creates, Elizabeth attempts to win back her husband and return to normality.

5.8

MagicScore

#13

On Borrowed Time

1939

Young Pud is orphaned and left in the care of his aged grandparents. The boy and his grandfather are inseparable. Gramps is concerned for Pud's future and wary of a scheming relative who seeks custody of the child. One day Mr. Brink, an agent of Death, arrives to take Gramps "to the land where the woodbine twineth." Through a bit of trickery, Gramps confines Mr. Brink, and thus Death, to the branches of a large apple tree, giving Gramps extra time to resolve issues about Pud's future.

7.5

MagicScore

#14

Sabrina Goes to Rome

1998

Sabrina goes to Rome, with Salem stowaway-ed in her backpack, to free her 16th-century aunt Sophia who was banished for divulging her powers to a non-witch.

6.0

MagicScore

#15

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet

2008

When Hollywood starlet Morgan Carter passes out from alcohol poisoning on the red carpet of her movie premiere, she is whisked away to rehab, then sent to live with an aunt to complete her recovery in rural Indiana. There, she attends high school - changing her name and look to fit in-and live the life of a typical teenager, complete with the mysteries of geography, gym class, real friendship, love and jealousy.

5.1

MagicScore

#16

Inside Out

2015

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

7.9

MagicScore

#17

The Imaginary

2023

Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger go on thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger finds himself alone, he faces a mysterious threat.

7.8

MagicScore

#18

Harvey

1950

The story of Elwood P. Dowd who makes friends with a spirit taking the form of a human-sized rabbit named Harvey that only he sees (and a few privileged others on occasion also.) After his sister tries to commit him to a mental institution, a comedy of errors ensues. Elwood and Harvey become the catalysts for a family mending its wounds and for romance blossoming in unexpected places.

7.7

MagicScore

#19

Ruby Sparks

2012

Calvin is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby, in the flesh, sitting on his couch about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted that his words have turned into a living, breathing person.

7.1

MagicScore

#20

Heart and Souls

1993

A fateful night in 1959, four people die when the bus they are riding crashes. They continue as ghosts; their souls become eternally entwined to the life of a child born at the moment of their deaths as his guardians. Baby Thomas grows up to be a businessman who has memories of his playmates, but assumes they are products of his youthful imagination. When the ghosts realize they need Thomas' help to move on to the afterlife, they decide to make an appearance once more.

6.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Bogus?

The top films similar to Bogus by MovieMagicScore are At the Circus (6.4), James and the Giant Peach (6.6), Magic in the Moonlight (6.5). Each shares comedy/family/fantasy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Bogus worth watching?

Bogus holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.8/10 from 237 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Bogus?

Bogus (1996) is a comedy, family, fantasy film directed by Norman Jewison, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Gérard Depardieu, Haley Joel Osment.

Where can I find more recommendations like Bogus?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like At the Circus Movies like James and the Giant Peach Movies like Magic in the Moonlight Movies like Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical Movies like Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man Movies like 7 Faces of Dr. Lao

About movies like Bogus

This ranked list pairs Bogus (1996), a comedy and family and fantasy film from Norman Jewison, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Whoopi Goldberg 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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