Movies Like Harriet the Spy

If you liked Harriet the Spy (1996), a comedy and drama movie directed by Bronwen Hughes, 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
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy and family
Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny discovers that the children are fighting a war of their…
2
My Spy (2020)
★ 6.9/10Also family and comedy
A hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.
3
Little Secrets (2002)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and family
Emily is a plucky preteen who is entrusted with her young neighbors' most private and cherished secrets. Every Wednesday, Emily sets up a booth in her backyard that regularly attracts the guilty young souls of the…
4
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)
★ 6.5/10Also family and comedy
The Great Depression hits home for nine year old Kit Kittredge when her dad loses his business and leaves to find work. Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin stars as Kit, leading a splendid cast in the first ever "American…
5
Madeline (1998)
★ 6.2/10Also family and comedy
Horrified at the prospect of her beloved school being sold, a young French girl named Madeline uses her wit and craftiness to attempt to save it, making an unlikely new friend in the process.
6
The Spy Next Door (2010)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and family
Former CIA spy Bob Ho takes on his toughest assignment to date: looking after his girlfriend's three kids, who haven't exactly warmed to their mom's beau. And when one of the youngsters accidentally downloads a…
7
Lemonade Mouth (2011)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and comedy
When five ragtag freshman first meet in detention, it seems they have nothing in common. But, through music, they form an unbreakable bond and discover they have the makings of the greatest high school garage band in…
8
Nanny McPhee (2005)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and family
Widower Cedric Brown hires Nanny McPhee to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill…
9
Ramona and Beezus (2010)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy and family
Ramona is a little girl with a very big imagination and a nose for mischief. Her playful antics keep everyone in her loving family on their toes, including her older sister Beezus, who's just trying to survive her…
10
The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy and drama
Young and feisty Gilly Hopkins devises a scheme to escape from her new foster home and reunite with her birth mother.
11
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!
12
Little Big League (1994)
★ 6/10Also comedy and family
When the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, he bequeaths the team to his preteen grandson. The newly minted head honcho quickly appoints himself manager, causing unrest in an organization that struggles to take…
13
Moxie (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy and drama
Inspired by her mom's rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy 16-year-old publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.
14
Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas (2018)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and drama
As Bright Fields preps for its Mistletoe Ball, a broken ornament leads Zoe to a family secret, while Gaby finds herself at the mercy of new boss Mia.
15
Thunderstruck (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy and 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.
16
Spymate (2006)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy and family
Amelia, a young genius and daughter of a top secret agent, unknowingly invents a contraption that makes her the target of an evil scientist.
17
Dennis the Menace (1993)
★ 5.9/10Also family and comedy
Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of gold coins that go missing when a shady drifter named Switchblade Sam…
18
The Care Bears Movie (1985)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy and family
The Care Bears team up with a troubled brother and sister who just moved to a new town to help a neglected young magician's apprentice whose evil spell book causes sinister things to happen.
19
Nativity! (2009)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy and family
Paul, charged with directing his school's Nativity play, falsely boasts that his ex-girlfriend plans to turn the production into a film.
20
Chang Can Dunk (2023)
★ 6.7/10Also family and comedy
Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American, bets the high school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads 5' 8" Chang on a quest to learn to dunk—not only to impress his crush, Kristy, but to gain the…