Movies Like The Diary of Carlos Espinola

If you liked The Diary of Carlos Espinola (1977), a family movie directed by Valentin Selivanov, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Love Don't Co$t a Thing (2003)
★ 7.7/10Also family
A high school outcast pays a cheerleader to pose as his girlfriend so he can be considered cool.
2
Skater Girl (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also family
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
3
The Clique (2008)
★ 5.9/10Also family
A young girl tries to fit in with a clique of popular middle school girls after moving into the guest house of one of their homes.
4
Cadet Kelly (2002)
★ 6.2/10Also family
Hyperactive teenager Kelly is enrolled into a military school when her new stepfather becomes the Commandant. At first she has problems fitting in and taking orders until she tries out for the drill team.
5
Thunderstruck (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also family
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
6
Stargirl (2020)
★ 7.4/10Also family
An unassuming high schooler finds himself inexplicably drawn to the free-spirited new girl, whose unconventional ways change how they see themselves…and their world.
7
PAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (2020)
★ 7.1/10Also family
A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.
8
Flicka (2006)
★ 6.9/10Also family
Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets…
9
The Beautician and the Beast (1997)
★ 6.7/10Also family
A New York City beautician is mistakenly hired as the school teacher for the children of the president of a small Eastern European country.
10
Recess: School's Out (2001)
★ 6.6/10Also family
The school year is finally ending, and T.J. Detweiler is looking forward to summer. But boredom quickly sets in when his friends leave for camp — until T.J. uncovers an evil plot to do away with summer vacation! A…
11
Six Pack (1982)
★ 6.4/10Also family
Stopping briefly in a small Texas town, an itinerant race car driver finds that his stock car, on a trailer behind his motor home, has just been quickly and expertly stripped. He chases down the miscreants, who turn…
12
A Dog Named Palma (2021)
★ 8.1/10Also family
The film is inspired by an incredible story of a shepherd dog named Palm who was inadvertently left in the airport by her owner. She befriends nine-year old Nicholas whose mother dies leaving him with a father he…
13
The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
★ 6.8/10Also family
A happy and unbelievably lucky young Irish immigrant, John Lawless, lands a job as the butler of an unconventional millionaire, Biddle. His daughter, Cordelia Drexel Biddle, tires of the unusual antics of her…
14
Princess Protection Program (2009)
★ 6.6/10Also family
When her nation is invaded, a young princess is taken into the Princess Protection Program. She is relocated to Louisiana, where she stays with a covert agent and his tomboyish daughter, and must learn how to behave…
15
The Boy with Green Hair (1948)
★ 6.2/10Also family
Peter, an orphaned boy, is adopted by Gramp Frye after his parents are killed in Europe while doing war relief work. The boy feels safe with his new caretaker, but when he is taunted for being an orphan, he gets…
16
Sneakerella (2022)
★ 5.9/10Also family
When El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity…
17
Snoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026)
★ 8.4/10Also family
When Snoopy's beloved doghouse goes missing, he tries to track it down, and learns what makes a house feel like home.
18
Yours, Mine & Ours (2005)
★ 6.2/10Also family
Admiral Frank Beardsley returns to New London to run the Coast Guard Academy, his last stop before a probable promotion to head the Guard. A widower with eight children, he runs a loving but tight ship, with charts and…
19
The Willoughbys (2020)
★ 7.1/10Also family
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
20
A Little Princess (1995)
★ 7.6/10Also family
When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who…