Movies Like Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)

Sometimes a Great Notion is a 1971 action, adventure, drama film from Paul Newman with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Train Dreams and Old School.

Action Adventure Drama

Train Dreams

2025

A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.

7.3

MagicScore

Old School

2003

Three friends attempt to recapture their glory days by opening up a fraternity near their alma mater.

6.6

MagicScore

Fire in the Sky

1993

After clearing brush for the government, a group of men return to town claiming their friend was abducted. Despite no apparent motive or evidence of foul play, no-one believes their story and his disappearance is treated as murder.

6.7

MagicScore

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

1992

When a sprite named Crysta shrinks a human boy, Zak, down to her size, he vows to help the magical fairy folk stop a greedy logging company from destroying their home: the pristine rainforest known as FernGully. Zak and his new friends fight to defend FernGully from lumberjacks — and the vengeful spirit they accidentally unleash after chopping down a magic tree.

6.4

MagicScore

Savages

2024

In Borneo, near the tropical forest, Kéria rescues a baby orangutang in the palm oil plantation where her father works. Kéria's cousin Selaï comes to live with them seeking refuge from the conflict between his indigenous tribe and the logging companies. Kéria, Selaï and the little orangutang, now named Oshi, will have to fight against their forest’s destruction.

7.0

MagicScore

Clearcut

1991

A white lawyer finds his values shaken when he is paired with an angry Indigenous activist who insists on kidnapping the head of a logging company to teach him the price of his destruction.

6.9

MagicScore

Stakeout

1987

Two detectives observe an escaped convict's ex-girlfriend, but complications set in when one of them falls for her.

6.5

MagicScore

The Daughter

2015

In the last days of a dying logging town, Christian returns to his family home for his father Henry’s wedding. While home, Christian reconnects with his childhood friend Oliver, who has stayed in town working at Henry’s timber mill and is now out of a job. As Christian gets to know Oliver’s wife Charlotte, daughter Hedvig, and father Walter, he discovers a secret that could tear Oliver’s family apart.

6.3

MagicScore

Bluebird

2014

On a freezing January evening, school bus driver Lesley completes her route, but her final inspection abruptly ends when a bluebird comes into view. What happens next shakes her small Maine logging town, proving that even the slightest actions have enormous consequences.

5.7

MagicScore

#10

Serena

2014

North Carolina mountains at the end of the 1920s – George and Serena Pemberton, love-struck newly-weds, begin to build a timber empire. Serena soon proves herself to be equal to any man: overseeing loggers, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving a man’s life in the wilderness. With power and influence now in their hands, the Pembertons refuse to let anyone stand in the way of their inflated love and ambitions. However, once Serena discovers George’s hidden past and faces an unchangeable fate of her own, the Pemberton’s passionate marriage begins to unravel leading toward a dramatic reckoning.

5.6

MagicScore

#11

Come and Get It

1936

An ambitious lumberjack abandons his saloon girl lover so that he can marry into wealth, but years later becomes infatuated with the woman's daughter.

6.8

MagicScore

#12

Mandy

2018

The Shadow Mountains, 1983. Red and Mandy lead a loving and peaceful existence; but when their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire.

6.2

MagicScore

#13

The Strange Woman

1946

In early 19th century New England, an unscrupulous woman uses her beauty and wits to seduce, deceive and control the men around her.

6.1

MagicScore

#14

Bunyan and Babe

2017

Travis and his sister, Whitney, visit their grandparents for the summer and fall through a magical portal which transports him to the world of American hero Paul Bunyan and his big, blue, talking ox, Babe.

5.8

MagicScore

#15

Forest Warrior

1996

John McKenna is a spiritual being who is able to transform into bear, wolf or eagle. He lives in the forests of Tanglewood and has dedicated his life to protect them. One day a gang of evil lumberjacks led by Travis Thorne arrive Tanglewood to chop the forest down. McKenna cannot let this happen, and together with his new friends - Lords of the Tanglewood, a band of children who love to play in the forest - he battles against Thorne and his evil gang.

4.3

MagicScore

#16

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

2022

Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

Triple 9

2016

A gang of criminals and corrupt cops plan the murder of a police officer in order to pull off their biggest heist yet across town.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

Blackway

2015

A young woman newly returned to her hometown becomes the subject of harassment by a man named Blackway, an ex-cop turned violent crime lord who operates with impunity in this small community on the edge of the wilderness. Forsaken by the local townspeople—and advised by the Sheriff to leave town—Lillian decides instead to take a stand against her sociopathic stalker, and enlists the help of ex-logger Lester and his laconic young sidekick.

5.3

MagicScore

#19

And Now for Something Completely Different

1971

A collection of Monty Python's Flying Circus skits from the first two seasons of their British TV series.

7.2

MagicScore

#20

Up a Tree

1955

Donald's playing lumberjack, but the targeted tree just happens to be the home of Chip 'n Dale. They give Donald plenty of trouble cutting down the tree, but eventually he succeeds. The wily chipmunks, though, manage to get their revenge on the homewrecker.

7.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Sometimes a Great Notion?

The top films similar to Sometimes a Great Notion by MovieMagicScore are Train Dreams (7.3), Old School (6.6), Fire in the Sky (6.7). Each shares action/adventure/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Sometimes a Great Notion worth watching?

Sometimes a Great Notion holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 100 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Sometimes a Great Notion?

Sometimes a Great Notion (1971) is a action, adventure, drama film directed by Paul Newman, starring Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Lee Remick.

Where can I find more recommendations like Sometimes a Great Notion?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Train Dreams Movies like Old School Movies like Fire in the Sky Movies like FernGully: The Last Rainforest Movies like Savages Movies like Clearcut

About movies like Sometimes a Great Notion

This ranked list pairs Sometimes a Great Notion (1971), a action and adventure and drama film from Paul Newman, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Paul Newman 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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