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The Palm Beach Story poster

Movies that feel likeThe Palm Beach Story (1942)

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.

If you loved The Palm Beach Story, the closest films we have are The Lady Eve (1941), The Awful Truth (1937) and Sullivan's Travels (1941). All three share The Palm Beach Story's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Horse Feathers (1932).

🍅 94% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.5 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Preston Sturgeswittyplayfulromantic
6 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video · Kino Film Collection · Pure Flix

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If The Palm Beach Story hit the spot, these will too

The Lady Eve poster
The Lady Eve
1941 · dir. Preston Sturges
🍅 99%★ 7.7comedy · romance

Both are Preston Sturges's work, and they rhyme

It's no accident when wealthy Charles falls for Jean. Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean starts falling for her mark. When Charles suspects Jean is a gold digger, he dumps her. Jean, fixated on revenge and still pining for the millionaire, devises a plan to get back in Charles' life. With love and payback on her mind, she re-introduces herself to Charles, this time as an aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich.

The Awful Truth poster
The Awful Truth
1937 · dir. Leo McCarey
🍅 94%★ 7.6comedy · romance

Two things both keep coming back to: divorce and screwball comedy

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

Sullivan's Travels poster
Sullivan's Travels
1941 · dir. Preston Sturges
🍅 100%★ 7.9comedy · romance · adventure

The same hand behind both of them: Preston Sturges

The difference: Sits closer to adventure than The Palm Beach Story does

Successful movie director John L. Sullivan, convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to "know trouble" first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion, he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.

Adam's Rib poster
Adam's Rib
1949 · dir. George Cukor
🍅 96%★ 7.4comedy · romance

Common ground: marriage

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.

Horse Feathers poster
Horse Feathers
1932 · dir. Norman Z. McLeod
🍅 97%★ 7.5comedy · romance

Witty where it counts, playful underneath

Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new president of Huxley U, hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help his school win the big football game against rival Darwin U.

On the Town poster
On the Town
1949 · dir. Gene Kelly
🍅 94%★ 7.3comedy · romance

Romantic comedy in both cases

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

Smiles of a Summer Night poster
Smiles of a Summer Night
1955 · dir. Ingmar Bergman
🍅 100%★ 7.7comedy · romance

Romance with a pulse of wit, in both cases

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.

My Man Godfrey poster
My Man Godfrey
1936 · dir. Gregory La Cava
🍅 97%★ 7.9comedyPrime Video

Both are built on the same subject: screwball comedy

Fifth Avenue socialite Irene Bullock needs a "forgotten man" to win a scavenger hunt, and no one is more forgotten than Godfrey Park, who resides in a dump by the East River. Irene hires Godfrey as a servant for her riotously unhinged family, to the chagrin of her spoiled sister, Cornelia, who tries her best to get Godfrey fired. As Irene falls for her new butler, Godfrey turns the tables and teaches the frivolous Bullocks a lesson or two.

The Philadelphia Story poster
The Philadelphia Story
1940 · dir. George Cukor
🍅 100%★ 7.8comedy · romance

Both lean on play more than on comedy

When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

Bringing Up Baby poster
Bringing Up Baby
1938 · dir. Howard Hawks
🍅 97%★ 7.8comedy · romance

Romance built on romance, twice over

David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances, he meets Susan Vance, and the duo have a series of misadventures which include a leopard called Baby.

Seven Chances poster
Seven Chances
1925 · dir. Buster Keaton
🍅 94%★ 7.8comedy · romance

Witty comedy, and it commits to that

Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday -- which is today -- he'll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. poster
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
1928 · dir. Charles Reisner
🍅 96%★ 7.8comedy · romance

Both lean on play more than on romance

The just-out-of-college, effete son of a no-nonsense steamboat captain comes to visit his father whom he's not seen since he was a child.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Palm Beach Story’s defining feeling.