Movies Like Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread

If you liked Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread (1987), a comedy and science fiction movie directed by Bob Balaban, 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
Afterburn (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also science fiction and comedy
Set against the backdrop of a postapocalyptic Earth whose Eastern Hemisphere was destroyed by a massive solar flare, leaving what life remains mutated from radiation and fallout. The story revolves around a group of…
2
Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999)
★ 7/10Also comedy and science fiction
What was a cunning plan from Lord Edmund Blackadder V to fake a time machine on his gullibly incompetent friends, turns out to be the real thing and hurls him and his imbecile underling, Baldrick, through the course of…
3
Real Men (1987)
★ 6/10Also comedy and science fiction
A womanizing CIA agent and an insecure insurance agent are paired together to make sure a deal goes through with aliens for the future of mankind.
4
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (2010)
★ 7.5/10Also comedy and science fiction
Millions of years from now, after Socrates, Shakespeare and the bible are long forgotten, only two great works will remain: the sci-fi cinema epic Star Wars and Adult Swim's stop-motion animated, cheap gag…
5
Dark Star (1974)
★ 6/10Also comedy and science fiction
A group of scientists are sent on a mission to destroy unstable planets. Twenty years into their mission, they have to battle their alien mascot as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to…
6
Bugonia (2025)
★ 7.3/10Also science fiction and comedy
Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
7
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and science fiction
Centered on a television station which features a 1950s-style sci-fi movie interspersed with a series of wild commercials, wacky shorts and weird specials, this lampoon of contemporary life and pop culture skewers some…
8
The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and science fiction
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
9
Dr. Strange (1978)
★ 6/10Also tv movie and science fiction
A psychiatrist becomes the new Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth in order to battle an evil Sorceress from the past.
10
Ben 10: Race Against Time (2008)
★ 5.9/10Also science fiction and tv movie
Ben, Gwen, and Max must stop an extraterrestrial who plans to open a gateway that leads to an alien invasion.
11
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death (1999)
★ 7.5/10Also comedy and science fiction
Before the Doctor can settle down to married life, he must face one last confrontation with his deadly enemy of certain death - the Master.
12
Invisible Sister (2015)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and tv movie
Teenager Cleo's school science project goes quite awry, causing her popular older sister Molly to go invisible.
13
Ben 10: Alien Swarm (2009)
★ 6.2/10Also tv movie and science fiction
Ben and a mysterious girl from his past must prevent an alien threat from destroying the world.
14
Relax, I'm from the Future (2023)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and science fiction
Casper is a time traveller who arrives in the 2020s in an attempt to prevent a major future catastrophe. He meets Holly, a queer black woman he befriends and draws into his plan by giving her his knowledge of the…
15
Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest (2007)
★ 7.4/10Also comedy and science fiction
With the Griffins stuck at home during a blackout, Peter tells the story of "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope".
16
Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix (2007)
★ 7.5/10Also science fiction and tv movie
After a battle with Dr. Animo in a power plant, Ben notices something strange is happening with the Omnitrix but doesn't tell anyone. Tetrax arrives and tells them the Omnitrix is broadcasting a self-destruct signal…
17
Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens (2012)
★ 6.7/10Also science fiction and tv movie
Based on the original animated series Ben 10. Ben becomes targeted by an evil Mechamorph Warrior, named "Retaliator," who mistakenly blames Ben for something he did not do and attempts to destroy all aliens.
18
South Park: Imaginationland (2008)
★ 7.9/10Also comedy and tv movie
Some of the boys from South Park Elementary find themselves on a balloon ride to an imaginary land. Upon their arrival they're faced with an unimaginable threat.
19
Psych: The Movie (2017)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy and tv movie
The ambitious friends come together during the holidays after a mystery assailant targets one of their own. A comedic thrill-ride follows, as the wild and unpredictable Psych team pursues the bad guys, justice … and…
20
Plankton: The Movie (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and science fiction
Plankton's tangled love story with his sentient computer wife goes sideways when she takes a stand — and decides to destroy the world without him.