Movies Like Ups & Downs

If you liked Ups & Downs (1981), a comedy movie directed by Paul Almond, 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 Trouble with Angels (1966)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and…
2
Driver's Ed (2026)
★ 6.9/10Also comedy
A group of teens hit the road in a stolen driver's ed car, racing against time to help a lovesick high school senior track down his college-freshman girlfriend and win her back.
3
Pretty Persuasion (2005)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy
A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.
4
Class Rank (2017)
★ 6.9/10Also comedy
Two high school misfits join forces in an attempt to overtake the local school board. Guided by their families, they enter the perilous word of politics and, in the process, learn a thing or two about love.
5
Heathers (1989)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy
A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
6
Thunderstruck (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy
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.
7
Ali Wong: Single Lady (2024)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
After a whirlwind couple of years, Ali Wong returns to the stage to dish on the highs, lows and surprises of dating post-divorce.
8
Much Ado About Nothing (2013)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
9
Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis (2020)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy
Comedian Taylor Tomlinson is halfway through her 20s — and she's over it. From dating losers to a failed engagement, she takes aim at her life choices.
10
How High (2001)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
Jamal and Silas, two ordinary guys who smoke something magical, pass their college entrance exams with flying colors and end up at Harvard. Ivy League ways are strange but Silas and Jamal take it in a stride -- until…
11
Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill (1999)
★ 7.8/10Also comedy
Eddie Izzard takes her show to San Francisco to give a brief history of pagan and Christian religions, the building of Stonehenge, the birth of the Church of England and of Western empires, and the need for a European…
12
Old Boys (2018)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy
In the school-set re-working of Cyrano, an awkward but imaginative pupil helps the handsome but spectacularly dim school-hero pursue the fiery daughter of a visiting French teacher.
13
Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years (2025)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy
In what might be his most personal and introspective hour yet, Bill offers hilarious takes on everything from male sadness to dating advice.
14
Cadet Kelly (2002)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy
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.
15
The F**k-It List (2020)
★ 6/10Also comedy
After a prank blows up a studious high school senior's life, he shares a list of certain things he wishes he'd done differently — and maybe still can.
16
Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room (2019)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy
Fresh from a tour, comedian Katherine Ryan shares shrewd observations about school bullies, revenge bodies and raising a very fancy child.
17
Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (2023)
★ 7/10Also comedy
In a rowdy stand-up set, Shane Gillis riffs on his girlfriend's Navy SEAL ex, touring George Washington's house and being bullied by an Australian Goth.
18
I Love My Dad (2022)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy
A hopelessly estranged father catfishes his son in an attempt to reconnect.
19
Hard to Die (1990)
★ 6/10Also comedy
While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorized by a series of bizarre killings. They suspect that the strange janitor, who witnessed another series…
20
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy
A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.