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Movies that feel like American Movie (1999)

If you loved American Movie, the closest films we have are Best Worst Movie (2009), Winnebago Man (2010) and The Hangover Part III (2013). All three share American Movie's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 7 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Amazon Prime Video, Philo and Screambox Amazon Channel and others, checked against today's data.

American Movie documents the story of filmmaker Mark Borchardt, his mission, and his dream. Spanning over two years of intense struggle with his film, his family, financial decline, and spiritual crisis, American Movie is a portrayal of ambition, obsession, excess, and one man's quest for the American Dream.

πŸ… 94% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Chris Smithwittyplayfulobsessivehopeful

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If American Movie hit the spot, these will too

Best Worst Movie poster
Best Worst Movie
2009 Β· dir. Michael Stephenson
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.2documentary Β· comedy

Witty where it counts, playful underneath

The difference: Not nearly as obsessive as American Movie

A look at the making of the film Troll 2 (1990) and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.

Feels alike?
Winnebago Man poster
Winnebago Man
2010 Β· dir. Ben Steinbauer
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.2documentary Β· comedy

Documentary built on wit, twice over

Jack Rebney is the most famous man you've never heard of - after cursing his way through a Winnebago sales video, Rebney's outrageously funny outtakes became an underground sensation and made him an internet superstar. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer journeys to the top of a mountain to find the recluse who unwittingly became the "Winnebago Man".

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The Hangover Part III poster
The Hangover Part III
2013 Β· dir. Todd Phillips
πŸ… 21%β˜… 5.9comedy

Hopeful comedy, and it commits to that

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.

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DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story poster
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
2004 Β· dir. Rawson Marshall Thurber
πŸ… 72%β˜… 6.7comedy

Underdog sits at the heart of each

When megalomaniacal White Goodman, the owner of a trendy, high-end fitness center, makes a move to take over the struggling local gym run by happy-go-lucky Pete La Fleur, there's only one way for La Fleur to fight back: dodgeball. Aided by a dodgeball guru and Goodman's attorney, La Fleur and his rag-tag team of underdogs launch a knock-down, drag-out battle in which the winner takes all.

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The Castle poster
The Castle
1997 Β· dir. Rob Sitch
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.6drama Β· comedy

Underdog is the engine of both

The difference: Plays it as drama more than American Movie does

The quirky Kerrigan family lives together in a makeshift home they built themselves – with great pride and a bizarre attention to detail – a few yards from the edge of Melbourne, Australia's busy Tullamarine Airport. When a building inspector condemns the building and reveals that the government plans to use their land for an airport expansion, Darryl Kerrigan and his brood recruit hack attorney Dennis Denuto and prepare themselves for the fight of their lives.

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The Royal Tenenbaums poster
The Royal Tenenbaums
2001 Β· dir. Wes Anderson
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.6comedy Β· drama

Playful comedy in both cases

Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.

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Best in Show poster
Best in Show
2000 Β· dir. Christopher Guest
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5comedy

Documentary with a pulse of wit, in both cases

The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show. The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them.

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Dumb and Dumber poster
Dumb and Dumber
1994 Β· dir. Peter Farrelly
πŸ… 69%β˜… 7.3comedy

Both trade on play more than on being comedy

Lloyd and Harry are two men whose stupidity is really indescribable. When Mary, a beautiful woman, loses an important suitcase with money before she leaves for Aspen, the two friends (who have found the suitcase) decide to return it to her. After some "adventures" they finally get to Aspen where, using the lost money they live it up and fight for Mary's heart.

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Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy poster
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2004 Β· dir. Adam McKay
πŸ… 66%β˜… 7.1comedy

The same comedy instincts

It's the 1970s and San Diego anchorman Ron Burgundy is the top dog in local TV, but that's all about to change when ambitious reporter Veronica Corningstone arrives as a new employee at his station.

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Me, Myself & Irene poster
Me, Myself & Irene
2000 Β· dir. Peter Farrelly
πŸ… 47%β˜… 6.6comedy

Comedy approached the same way

Rhode Island State Trooper Charlie Baileygates has a multiple personality disorder. One personality is crazy and aggressive, while the other is more friendly and laid back. Both of these personalities fall in love with the same woman named Irene after Charlie loses his medication.

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Zoolander poster
Zoolander
2001 Β· dir. Ben Stiller
πŸ… 64%β˜… 6.5comedy

Cut from the same comedy cloth

Clear the runway for Derek Zoolander, VH1's three-time male model of the year. His face falls when hippie-chic Hansel scooters in to steal this year's award. The evil fashion guru Mugatu seizes the opportunity to turn Derek into a killing machine. It's a well-designed conspiracy and only with the help of Hansel and a few well-chosen accessories like Matilda can Derek make the world safe for male models everywhere.

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Legally Blonde poster
Legally Blonde
2001 Β· dir. Robert Luketic
πŸ… 75%β˜… 6.5comedy

Both are comedy through and through

Fashionable sorority queen Elle Woods has it all, but, she wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But he dumps her before heading to Harvard Law School. Elle rallies all of her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. While there, she figures out that there is more to herself than just good looks.

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The best-reviewed films that share American Movie's defining feeling.