Movies Like It Had to Happen
If you liked It Had to Happen (1936), a drama movie directed by Roy Del Ruth, 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
Fast Girls (2012)
★ 6/10Also dramaA street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
- 2
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
★ 5.9/10Also dramaThe story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
- 3
The River (1984)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaTom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from…
- 4
Adopt a Highway (2019)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaRuss Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn…
- 5
Poor Cow (1967)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaJoy lives a life filled with bad choices. At a young age, she marries and has a child–with an abusive thief who quickly ends up incarcerated. Left alone, she takes up with the guy's mate, another thief, who seems to…
- 6
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaYoung Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American…
- 7
Eleanor the Great (2025)
★ 6.8/10Also drama94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
- 8
Won't Back Down (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaJamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for…
- 9
Skater Girl (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also dramaPrerna, 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.
- 10
Blue Chips (1994)
★ 6.1/10Also dramaPete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the…
- 11
Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaBilly Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy…
- 12
The Color of Friendship (2000)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaMahree Bok lives on a farm in South Africa. Her father is a policeman who cannot hide his joy when activist Steve Biko is caught by the South African authorities. Piper Dellums is the daughter of a US congressman from…
- 13
Kid Galahad (1962)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaAfter completing military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter—and takes him under his wing.
- 14
Hurry Sundown (1967)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaA ruthless Southern opportunist tries to buy his cousin's land, and when thwarted, brings several tragedies to the lives of his loved ones.
- 15
The Last Bus (2021)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaWidower Tom, on the recent passing of his wife Mary, uses his free bus pass to travel the length of Britain from John O'Groats in Caithness to Land's End in Cornwall, their shared birthplace, using only local buses…
- 16
All Together Now (2020)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaAn optimistic, talented teen clings to a huge secret: she's homeless and living on a school bus. When tragedy strikes, can she learn to accept a helping hand?
- 17
Waiting for Anya (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also dramaDuring the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
- 18
Flicka (2006)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaKaty 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…
- 19
Jonathan (2018)
★ 5.9/10Also dramaJonathan is a young man with a strange condition that only his brother understands. But when he begins to yearn for a different life, their unique bond becomes increasingly tested.
- 20
Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaSet in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces…