Movies Like By Dawn's Early Light

If you liked By Dawn's Early Light (2001), a comedy and drama movie directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, 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
The War with Grandpa (2020)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
Peter is thrilled that his Grandpa is coming to live with his family. That is, until Grandpa moves into Peter's room, forcing him upstairs into the creepy attic. And though he loves his Grandpa, he wants his room back…
2
RV (2006)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy
Climbing aboard their mammoth recreational vehicle for a cross-country road trip to the Colorado Rockies, the Munro family – led by dysfunctional patriarch, Bob – prepares for the adventure of a lifetime. But spending…
3
What We Did on Our Holiday (2014)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy
Doug and Abi and their three children travel to the Scottish Highlands for Doug's father Gordie's birthday party. It's soon clear that when it comes to keeping a secret under wraps from the rest of the family, their…
4
An Unfinished Life (2005)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
Stoic and heartbroken, Einar Gilkyson quietly lives in the rugged Wyoming ranchlands alongside his only trusted friend, Mitch Bradley. One day, the woman he blames for the death of his only son arrives at his door…
5
Nothing in Common (1986)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and comedy
A successful advertising executive finds his freewheeling life crashing to a halt when his parents end their longtime marriage.
6
Boyhood (2014)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his…
7
Charlie & Boots (2009)
★ 6/10Also comedy and drama
After a family tragedy, Charlie and his estranged son, Boots, try to put their differences aside and head off on the road trip of a lifetime - from regional Victoria to the Cape York Peninsula - they overcome many…
8
Rebuilding (2025)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
After wildfires take his ranch, a cowboy named Dusty winds up in a FEMA camp, finding community with others who lost homes, including his daughter and ex-wife.
9
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
★ 6/10Also comedy and drama
When a celebrated TV show host returns to his hometown in the South, his family is there to remind him that going home is no vacation!
10
Why Did I Get Married? (2007)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy and drama
Eight married college friends plus one other non-friend (all of whom have achieved middle to upper class economic status) go to Colorado for their annual week-long reunion, but the mood shifts when one couple's…
11
Ideal Home (2018)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy and drama
A couple is going through marital troubles made worse when a previously unknown grandson shows up.
12
The Son (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
A successful lawyer, with a new wife and infant, agrees to care for his teenage son from a previous marriage after his ex-wife becomes concerned about the boy's wayward behavior.
13
St. Vincent (2014)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy
A young boy whose parents just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic, war veteran who lives next door.
14
Radio Flyer (1992)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
A father reminisces about his childhood when he and his younger brother moved to a new town with their mother, her new husband and their dog, Shane. When the younger brother is subjected to physical abuse at the hands…
15
City Slickers (1991)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy
Three New York businessmen decide to take a "Wild West" vacation that turns out not to be the relaxing vacation they had envisioned.
16
Uncle Buck (1989)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy and drama
Buck Russell, a lovable but slovenly bachelor, suddenly becomes the temporary caretaker of his nephew and nieces after a family emergency. His freewheeling attitude soon causes tension with his older niece Tia, loyal…
17
The Way Way Back (2013)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy and drama
Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water…
18
Secondhand Lions (2003)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy and drama
The comedic adventures of an introverted boy left on the doorstep of a pair of reluctant, eccentric great-uncles, whose exotic remembrances stir the boy's spirit and re-ignite the men's lives.
19
The Outsiders (1983)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival…
20
Carbon Copy (1981)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy and drama
A middle-aged married wealthy white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a working-class black teen-age son who wants to be adopted into the almost-exclusively-white upper-middle-class community of…