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Movies that feel like Police Academy (1984)

If you loved Police Academy, the closest films we have are Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), The Pink Panther (1963) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). All three share Police Academy's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

New rules enforced by the Lady Mayoress mean that sex, weight, height and intelligence need no longer be a factor for joining the Police Force. This opens the floodgates for all and sundry to enter the Police Academy, much to the chagrin of the instructors. Not everyone is there through choice, though. Social misfit Mahoney has been forced to sign up as the only alternative to a jail sentence and it doesn't take long before he falls foul of the boorish Lieutenant Harris. But before long, Mahoney realises that he is enjoying being a police cadet and decides he wants to stay... while Harris decides he wants Mahoney out!

πŸ… 58% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Hugh Wilsonwittyplayfulgritty
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If Police Academy hit the spot, these will too

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery poster
πŸ… 72%β˜… 7comedy Β· crime

The same mix in both: wit, then play

As a swinging fashion photographer by day and a groovy British superagent by night, Austin Powers is the '60s' most shagadelic spy. But can he stop megalomaniac Dr. Evil after the bald villain freezes himself and unthaws in the '90s? With the help of sexy sidekick Vanessa Kensington, he just might.

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The Pink Panther poster
The Pink Panther
1963 Β· dir. Blake Edwards
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7comedy Β· crime

Gritty comedy in both cases

The difference: Reviewed even better

The trademark of The Phantom, a renowned jewel thief, is a glove left at the scene of the crime. Inspector Clouseau, an expert on The Phantom's exploits, feels sure that he knows where The Phantom will strike next and leaves Paris for the Tyrolean Alps, where the famous Lugashi jewel 'The Pink Panther' is going to be. However, he does not know who The Phantom really is, or for that matter who anyone else really is...

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Austin Powers in Goldmember poster
Austin Powers in Goldmember
2002 Β· dir. Jay Roach
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.3comedy Β· crime

Crime with a pulse of wit, in both cases

The world's most shagadelic spy continues his fight against Dr. Evil. This time, the diabolical doctor and his clone, Mini-Me, team up with a new foeβ€”'70s kingpin Goldmember. While pursuing the team of villains to stop them from world domination, Austin gets help from his dad and an old girlfriend.

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My Name Is Nobody poster
My Name Is Nobody
1973 Β· dir. Tonino Valerii
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.3comedy Β· western

Both lean on play more than on comedy

The difference: Sits closer to western than Police Academy does

Jack Beauregard, an aging gunman of the Old West, only wants to retire in peace and move to Europe, but a young gunfighter known as "Nobody" who idolizes Beauregard wants him to go out in a blaze of glory. So, he arranges for Jack to face the 150-man gang known as The Wild Bunch and earn his place in history.

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Hera Pheri poster
Hera Pheri
2000 Β· dir. Priyadarshan
β˜… 8.2comedy Β· crime

Crime built on grit, twice over

Two tenants and a landlord, in desperate need of money, chance upon a ransom call via a cross connection. They hatch a plan to claim the ransom for themselves.

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Beverly Hills Cop II poster
Beverly Hills Cop II
1987 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 48%β˜… 6.6action Β· comedy Β· crime

Witty comedy, and it commits to that

Axel Foley returns to the land of sunshine and palm trees to investigate the near-fatal shooting of police Captain Andrew Bogomil. With the help of Sgt. Taggart and Det. Rosewood, they soon uncover that the shooting is associated with a series of "alphabet" robberies masterminded by a heartless weapons kingpinβ€”and the chase is on.

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Support Your Local Sheriff! poster
Support Your Local Sheriff!
1969 Β· dir. Burt Kennedy
πŸ… 80%β˜… 7.4comedy Β· western

Playful crime, and it commits to that

In the old west, a man becomes a Sheriff just for the pay, figuring he can decamp if things get tough.

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Bottle Rocket poster
Bottle Rocket
1996 Β· dir. Wes Anderson
πŸ… 86%β˜… 6.9comedy Β· crime Β· drama

Both work the same grit

Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a harebrained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry.

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Police Story poster
Police Story
1985 Β· dir. Jackie Chan
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.5action Β· crime Β· comedy

Comedy in the same key

Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum. Now, he must protect the boss' secretary, Selina, who will testify against the gangster in court.

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White Chicks poster
White Chicks
2004 Β· dir. Keenen Ivory Wayans
πŸ… 15%β˜… 5.9comedy Β· crime

Crime approached the same way

The difference: Made in the 2000s, in a different era of the craft

Two FBI agent brothers, Marcus and Kevin Copeland, accidentally foil a drug bust. To avoid being fired they accept a mission escorting a pair of socialites to the Hamptons--but when the girls are disfigured in a car accident, they refuse to go. Left without options, Marcus and Kevin decide to pose as the sisters, transforming themselves from black men into rich white women.

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Big Deal on Madonna Street poster
Big Deal on Madonna Street
1958 Β· dir. Mario Monicelli
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.9comedy Β· crime

Both working the same comedy territory

Best friends Peppe and Mario are thieves, but they're not very good at it. Still, Peppe thinks that he's finally devised a master heist that will make them rich. With the help of some fellow criminals, he plans to dig a tunnel from a rented apartment to the pawnshop next door, where they can rob the safe. But his plan is far from foolproof, and the fact that no one in the group has any experience digging tunnels proves to be the least of their problems.

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Going in Style poster
Going in Style
2017 Β· dir. Zach Braff
πŸ… 82%β˜… 6.6crime Β· comedy

Crime of the same temperament

Desperate to pay the bills and come through for their loved ones, three lifelong pals risk it all by embarking on a daring bid to knock off the very bank that absconded with their money.

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The best-reviewed films that share Police Academy’s defining feeling.