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Movies that feel like Meet John Doe (1941)

If you loved Meet John Doe, the closest films we have are Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), It Happened One Night (1934) and You Can't Take It with You (1938). All three share Meet John Doe's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 6 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Criterion Channel and FlixFling and others, checked against today's data.

As a parting shot, fired reporter Ann Mitchell prints a fake letter from unemployed "John Doe," who threatens suicide in protest of social ills. The paper is forced to rehire Ann and hires John Willoughby to impersonate "Doe." Ann and her bosses cynically milk the story for all it's worth, until the made-up "John Doe" philosophy starts a whole political movement.

πŸ… 92% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Frank Capracontemplativewittyplayfulromantictender
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If Meet John Doe hit the spot, these will too

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town poster
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936 Β· dir. Frank Capra
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.8comedy Β· drama Β· romance

The same hand behind both of them: Frank Capra

Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life. When a relative dies and leaves Deeds a fortune, Longfellow moves to the big city where he becomes an instant target for everyone. Deeds outwits them all until Babe Bennett comes along. When small-town boy meets big-city girl anything can, and does, happen.

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It Happened One Night poster
It Happened One Night
1934 Β· dir. Frank Capra
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.1comedy Β· romance

Both are Frank Capra's work, and they rhyme

The difference: None of the stillness Meet John Doe is built on

A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them behind.

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You Can't Take It with You poster
You Can't Take It with You
1938 Β· dir. Frank Capra
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.8comedy Β· romance

Witty and playful in the same breath

The difference: Missing the stillness of Meet John Doe

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the Kirbys are invited to dinner to become better acquainted with their future in-laws, things don't turn out the way Alice had hoped.

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Holiday poster
Holiday
1938 Β· dir. George Cukor
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.7comedy Β· romance Β· drama

The same mix in both: stillness, then romance

Johnny Case, a freethinking financier, has finally found the girl of his dreams β€” Julia Seton, the spoiled daughter of a socially prominent millionaire β€” and she's agreed to marry him. But when Johnny plans a holiday for the two to enjoy life while they are still young, his fiancΓ©e has other plans & that is for Johnny to work in her father's bank!

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I Know Where I'm Going! poster
I Know Where I'm Going!
1945 Β· dir. Michael Powell
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.4romance Β· drama Β· comedy

Drama with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

Plucky Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist. Trapped by inclement weather on the Isle of Mull and unable to continue to her destination, Joan finds herself charmed by the straightforward, no-nonsense islanders around her, and becomes increasingly attracted to naval officer Torquil MacNeil, who holds a secret that may change her life forever.

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The Palm Beach Story poster
The Palm Beach Story
1942 Β· dir. Preston Sturges
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.5comedy Β· romance

Both lean on wit more than on comedy

A New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry, decides to raise it by divorcing him and marrying an eccentric Florida millionaire, J. D. Hackensacker III.

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The Awful Truth poster
The Awful Truth
1937 Β· dir. Leo McCarey
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.6comedy Β· romance

Playful romance in both cases

Unfounded suspicions lead a married couple to begin divorce proceedings, whereupon they start undermining each other's attempts to find new romance.

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On the Town poster
On the Town
1949 Β· dir. Gene Kelly
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.3comedy Β· romance

Romantic comedy, and it commits to that

Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.

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The Cameraman poster
The Cameraman
1928 Β· dir. Edward Sedgwick
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8comedy Β· romance Β· drama

Drama built on stillness, twice over

A photographer takes up newsreel shooting to impress a secretary.

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The Shop Around the Corner poster
The Shop Around the Corner
1940 Β· dir. Ernst Lubitsch
πŸ… 99%β˜… 8comedy Β· drama Β· romance

Romance with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand one another, without realising that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.

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Adam's Rib poster
Adam's Rib
1949 Β· dir. George Cukor
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.4comedy Β· romance

Comedy with a pulse of wit, in both cases

A woman's attempted murder of her uncaring husband results in everyday quarrels in the lives of Adam and Amanda, a pair of happily married lawyers who end up on opposite sides of the case in court.

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Smiles of a Summer Night poster
Smiles of a Summer Night
1955 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.7comedy Β· romance

Both lean on play more than on romance

Early in the 20th century, middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman and his young wife, Anne, have still not consummated their marriage, while Fredrik's son finds himself increasingly attracted to his new stepmother. To make matters worse, Fredrik's old flame Desiree makes a public bet that she can seduce him at a romantic weekend retreat where four couples convene, swapping partners and pairing off in unexpected ways.

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The best-reviewed films that share Meet John Doe’s defining feeling.