Movies Like It's a Wonderful World (1939)

It's a Wonderful World is a 1939 comedy, crime, mystery, romance film from W.S. Van Dyke with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Ball of Fire and Taken 3.

Comedy Crime Mystery Romance

Ball of Fire

1941

A group of academics have spent years shut up in a house working on the definitive encyclopedia. When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language. Here he meets Sugarpuss O’Shea, a nightclub singer, who’s on top of all the slang—and, it just so happens, needs a place to stay.

7.3

MagicScore

Taken 3

2014

Ex-government operative Bryan Mills finds his life is shattered when he's falsely accused of a murder that hits close to home. As he's pursued by a savvy police inspector, Mills employs his particular set of skills to track the real killer and exact his unique brand of justice.

6.3

MagicScore

Nancy Drew

2007

Intrepid teenage private eye Nancy Drew heads to Tinseltown with her father to investigate the unsolved murder of a movie star in this old-fashioned whodunit based on Carolyn Keene's popular series of books for young adults. But can the small-town girl cut through the Hollywood hype to solve the case?

6.1

MagicScore

Gone Baby Gone

2007

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.

7.3

MagicScore

His Girl Friday

1940

Walter Burns is an irresistibly conniving newspaper publisher desperate to woo back his paper’s star reporter, who also happens to be his estranged wife. She’s threatening to quit and settle down with a new beau, but, as Walter knows, she has a weakness: she can’t resist a juicy scoop.

7.4

MagicScore

The Mad Miss Manton

1938

When the murdered body discovered by beautiful, vivacious socialite Melsa Manton disappears, police and press label her a prankster until she proves them wrong.

6.3

MagicScore

The Thin Man

1934

A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.

7.5

MagicScore

Man on a Ledge

2012

An ex-cop turned con threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The NYPD dispatch a female police psychologist to talk him down. However, unbeknownst to the police on the scene, the suicide attempt is a cover for the biggest diamond heist ever pulled.

6.4

MagicScore

Ek Hasina Thi

2004

A woman falls for a charming and mysterious businessman. The whirlwind romance turns sour when she is framed for his underworld crimes. Now, finally out of prison she is ready for sweet revenge.

6.3

MagicScore

#10

There Goes the Neighborhood

1992

A dying prisoner whispers the location of his loot to the facility's psychologist, who heads to the New Jersey suburbs to find it. Two prisoners overhear the plan and escape to get the millions for themselves. Who will get the money?

5.2

MagicScore

#11

Kiss the Girls

1997

Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.

6.5

MagicScore

#12

The Fast and the Furious

1954

A framed man escapes prison and takes a wealthy woman's Jaguar with her in it. After she tries to escape numerous times, they begin to develop feelings for each other, and enter a road race that ends in Mexico.

4.9

MagicScore

#13

The Gorilla

1939

When an escaped circus gorilla appears to have gone on a murderous rampage, a threatened attorney calls on the detective trio of Garrity, Harrigan and Mullivan to act as bodyguards. In short order, we discover that there is more to the attorney than meets the eye, and the ape may be innocent after all. When a pretty young heiress faces peril, it's up to our heroic trio to save the day.

4.6

MagicScore

#14

Youth in Revolt

2009

As a fan of Albert Camus and Jean-Luc Godard, teenage Nick Twisp is definitely out of his element when his mother and her boyfriend move the family to a trailer park. When a pretty neighbor named Sheeni plays records by French crooners, it's love at first sight for frustrated and inexperienced Nick. Learning that she is dating someone, Nick launches a hilarious quest to find his way into Sheeni's heart -- and bed.

6.2

MagicScore

#15

The Chase

1994

Jack Hammond is sentenced to life in prison, but manages to escape. To get away from the police he takes a girl as hostage and drives off in her car. The girl happens to be the only daughter of one of the richest men in the state. In a while the car chase is being broadcast live on every TV-channel.

5.8

MagicScore

#16

The Treatment

2014

Inspector Nick Cafmeyer seems to have it all - looks, brains and a successful career. But a dark cloud hangs over his life: since the age of nine, he has been haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother, Bjorn. Plettinckx, a known sex offender, was questioned but quickly released. Plettinckx lives close by and takes fiendish pleasure in harassing Nick. Then, when a disturbing case comes to light involving a missing nine-year-old, Nick heads a massive search which turns into a relentless manhunt.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

7 Women and a Murder

2021

When the family patriarch is murdered, seven women find themselves trapped together in his mansion to solve the mystery.

5.5

MagicScore

#18

Spooks: The Greater Good

2015

During a handover to the head of counter-terrorism of MI5, Harry Pearce, a terrorist escapes custody. When Harry disappears soon after, his protégé is tasked with finding out what happened as an impending attack on London looms, and eventually uncovers a deadly conspiracy.

6.0

MagicScore

#19

Dirty Harry

1971

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.

7.5

MagicScore

#20

Death Wish

2018

A mild-mannered father is transformed into a killing machine after his family is torn apart by a violent act.

6.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like It's a Wonderful World?

The top films similar to It's a Wonderful World by MovieMagicScore are Ball of Fire (7.3), Taken 3 (6.3), Nancy Drew (6.1). Each shares comedy/crime/mystery/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is It's a Wonderful World worth watching?

It's a Wonderful World holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 44 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is It's a Wonderful World?

It's a Wonderful World (1939) is a comedy, crime, mystery, romance film directed by W.S. Van Dyke, starring Claudette Colbert, James Stewart, Guy Kibbee.

Where can I find more recommendations like It's a Wonderful World?

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 Ball of Fire Movies like Taken 3 Movies like Nancy Drew Movies like Gone Baby Gone Movies like His Girl Friday Movies like The Mad Miss Manton

About movies like It's a Wonderful World

This ranked list pairs It's a Wonderful World (1939), a comedy and crime and mystery and romance film from W.S. Van Dyke, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Claudette Colbert 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.

← Back to It's a Wonderful World