Movies Like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is a 1982 comedy, crime, mystery film from Carl Reiner with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Harper and The Maltese Falcon.

Comedy Crime Mystery

Harper

1966

Harper is a cynical private eye in the best tradition of Bogart. He even has Bogie's Baby hiring him to find her missing husband, getting involved along the way with an assortment of unsavory characters and an illegal-alien smuggling ring.

6.6

MagicScore

The Maltese Falcon

1941

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

7.7

MagicScore

Marlowe

2023

Private detective Philip Marlowe becomes embroiled in an investigation involving a wealthy Californian family after a beautiful blonde hires him to track down her former lover.

5.7

MagicScore

Chinatown

1974

Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

7.9

MagicScore

Murder, My Sweet

1944

After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.

7.2

MagicScore

My Gun Is Quick

1957

Detective Mike Hammer's investigation of a murder puts him in the middle between warring jewel thieves.

5.4

MagicScore

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

1988

'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect.

7.5

MagicScore

Devil in a Blue Dress

1995

In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet, who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in over his head.

6.5

MagicScore

Moonage Daydream

2022

A cinematic odyssey featuring never-before-seen footage exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

2012

There’s only one person who so accurately personifies movie magic in the history of film, and that man is special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. Focusing on the man behind the landmark effects on films like Clash Of The Titans, One Million Years B.C., Jason And The Argonauts and many more, this in-depth film features interviews with the great man himself, and with an array of animators and directors influenced by his work including Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Terry Gilliam, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. The film also features unseen footage of tests and experiments recently uncovered.

7.4

MagicScore

#11

Becoming Cary Grant

2017

For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words. From a childhood of poverty to global fame, Cary Grant, the ultimate self-made star, explores his own screen image and what it took to create it.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies

2020

The definitive documentary on the history of nudity in feature films from the early silent days to the present, studying the changes in morality that led to the use of nudity in films while emphasizing the political, sociological and artistic changes that shaped that history. Skin will also study the gender inequality in presenting nude images in motion pictures and will follow the revolution that has created nude gender equality in feature films today.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

Gumshoe

1971

A would be private eye gets mixed up in a smuggling case.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

The Long Goodbye

1973

In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.

7.4

MagicScore

#15

Falling in Love Like in Movies

2023

Bagus, a screenwriter, reunites with his high school friend and crush, Hana, who is still grieving from the loss of her husband. He wants to convince her to fall in love once again, just like in the movies.

8.6

MagicScore

#16

Things I Like, Things I Don't Like

1990

Dominique Pinon takes the viewer through various examples of what he "likes and dislikes."

7.1

MagicScore

#17

The Maltese Falcon

1931

A lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly caught up in the mystery and intrigue of a statuette known as the Maltese Falcon.

6.3

MagicScore

#18

Decasia: The State of Decay

2002

A meditation on the human quest to transcend physicality, constructed from decaying archival footage and set to an original symphonic score.

6.4

MagicScore

#19

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

2019

Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…

7.4

MagicScore

#20

Trumbo

2015

The career of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo is halted by a witch hunt in the late 1940s when he defies the anti-communist HUAC committee and is blacklisted.

7.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?

The top films similar to Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid by MovieMagicScore are Harper (6.6), The Maltese Falcon (7.7), Marlowe (5.7). Each shares comedy/crime/mystery themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid worth watching?

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 415 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) is a comedy, crime, mystery film directed by Carl Reiner, starring Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Alan Ladd.

Where can I find more recommendations like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?

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 Harper Movies like The Maltese Falcon Movies like Marlowe Movies like Chinatown Movies like Murder, My Sweet Movies like My Gun Is Quick

About movies like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

This ranked list pairs Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), a comedy and crime and mystery film from Carl Reiner, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Steve Martin 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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