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Bruce Almighty poster

Movies that feel likeBruce Almighty (2003)

Bruce Nolan toils as a "human interest" television reporter in Buffalo, NY, but despite his high ratings and the love of his beautiful girlfriend, Bruce remains unfulfilled. At the end of the worst day in his life, he angrily ridicules God — and the Almighty responds, endowing Bruce with all of His divine powers.

If you loved Bruce Almighty, the closest films we have are Liar Liar (1997), The Mermaid (2016) and Groundhog Day (1993). All three share Bruce Almighty's dreamlike and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985).

🍅 48% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Tom Shadyacdreamlikewittyplayfulromantic
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Brew

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If Bruce Almighty hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Evan Almighty (2007)

Liar Liar poster
Liar Liar
1997 · dir. Tom Shadyac
🍅 83%★ 6.9comedy · fantasyNetflix

Shadyac and Carrey — one magic premise wrung for every laugh

The difference: No cosmic scope — the miracle is being forced honest

Forced by his son's birthday wish, fast-talking attorney and habitual liar Fletcher Reede must tell the truth for the next 24 hours.

The Mermaid poster
The Mermaid
2016 · dir. Stephen Chow
🍅 95%★ 6.2comedy · fantasy · romance

The same mix in both: dream logic, then wit

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

When Xuan's real estate project threatens the home of mermaids, Shan is sent to stop him. When they fall in love, he is encouraged to cancel the project. However, he must save them from bigger danger.

Groundhog Day poster
Groundhog Day
1993 · dir. Harold Ramis
🍅 93%★ 8romance · fantasy · comedy

Playful where it counts, romantic underneath

The difference: Sits closer to romance than Bruce Almighty does

A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.

Being John Malkovich poster
Being John Malkovich
1999 · dir. Spike Jonze
🍅 94%★ 7.7comedy · drama · fantasy

An absurd power trip taken to its strangest ends

The difference: Genuinely unsettling art-comedy — laughs come with dread

One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters its mad and controlling world of overtaking another human body.

The Brand New Testament poster
The Brand New Testament
2015 · dir. Jaco Van Dormael
🍅 82%★ 7.1comedy · fantasy

God's powers loose in ordinary hands, comedy ensuing

The difference: Surreal Belgian satire — wry and strange, not crowd-pleasing

God lives in Brussels. On Earth though, God is a coward, morally pathetic and odious to his family. His daughter, Ea, is bored at home and can't stand being locked up in a small apartment in ordinary Brussels, until the day she decides to revolt against her dad...

The Purple Rose of Cairo poster
The Purple Rose of Cairo
1985 · dir. Woody Allen
🍅 93%★ 7.6fantasy · comedy · romance

Fantasy built on dream logic, twice over

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again.

The Invention of Lying poster
The Invention of Lying
2009 · dir. Ricky Gervais
🍅 56%★ 6.4comedy · fantasy · romance

One man gifted an ability nobody else on Earth has

The difference: A sly jab at religion — cynical where Bruce is reverent

Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead.

Practical Magic poster
Practical Magic
1998 · dir. Griffin Dunne
🍅 31%★ 6.4romance · fantasy · comedyMax

Magic tangled up with love and its consequences

The difference: A witchy romance drama — the comedy is second fiddle

Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov -- and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.

Dark Shadows poster
Dark Shadows
2012 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 35%★ 6.2comedy · fantasy

A supernatural fish out of water fumbling the modern world

The difference: Gothic deadpan — Depp's stiffness where Carrey is rubber

Vampire Barnabas Collins is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate and family have fallen into ruin.

Click poster
Click
2006 · dir. Frank Coraci
🍅 34%★ 6.4comedy · drama · fantasyStarz

A magical shortcut through life that costs more than it gives

The difference: Turns unexpectedly sad — the lesson arrives with tears

A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results.

When We First Met poster
When We First Met
2018 · dir. Ari Sandel
🍅 45%★ 6.4comedy · romance · fantasyNetflix

Witty comedy, and it commits to that

Using a magical photo booth that sends him back in time, Noah relives the night he met Avery over and over, trying to persuade her to fall for him.

Lulli poster
Lulli
2021 · dir. César Rodrigues
★ 4.9comedy · romance · fantasyNetflix

Playful fantasy in both cases

After getting electrocuted by an MRI machine, an ambitious young medical student begins to hear the thoughts of others.

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The best-reviewed films that share Bruce Almighty’s defining feeling.