Movies Like Up the River

If you liked Up the River (1938), a comedy movie directed by Alfred L. Werker, 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
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
2
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy
Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he has to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for when he escapes. Adding to his problems, Frank's wife, Jane, is…
3
Stir Crazy (1980)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy
New Yorkers Skip Donahue and Harry Monroe have no jobs and no prospects, so they decide to flee the city and find work elsewhere, landing jobs wearing woodpecker costumes to promote the opening of a bank. When their…
4
Bandits (2001)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy
After escaping from prison, Joe and Terry go on a crime spree, robbing banks through Oregon and California in order to finance their scheme for a new life south of the border. Unfortunately, things get more complicated…
5
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.
6
Big Stan (2007)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy
A weak con man panics when he learns he's going to prison for fraud. He hires a mysterious martial arts guru who helps transform him into a martial arts expert who can fight off inmates who want to hurt or love him.
7
The Underdoggs (2024)
★ 7/10Also comedy
Jaycen 'Two Js' Jennings is a washed-up former pro football star who has hit rock bottom. When sentenced to community service coaching the Underdoggs, an unruly pee-wee football team in his hometown, he sees it mostly…
8
Take the Money and Run (1969)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy
Virgil Starkwell is intent on becoming a notorious bank robber. Unfortunately for Virgil and his not-so-budding career, he is completely incompetent.
9
Analyze That (2002)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy
The mafia's Paul Vitti is back in prison and will need some serious counseling when he gets out. Naturally, he returns to his analyst Dr. Ben Sobel for help and finds that Sobel needs some serious help himself as he…
10
Spa Weekend (2026)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy
Four lifelong friends realize that somewhere between careers, relationships, families, and everyday responsibilities, they’ve forgotten how to take care of themselves and each other. Burned out and overdue for a break…
11
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.
12
Ocean's Eight (2018)
★ 6.9/10Also comedy
Debbie Ocean, a criminal mastermind, gathers a crew of female thieves to pull off the heist of the century at New York's annual Met Gala.
13
Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy
Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor, prompting the trio to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme.
14
The Air Up There (1994)
★ 6.1/10Also comedy
Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home…
15
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.
16
Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer (2023)
★ 6.9/10Also comedy
From his onstage tackle to the slap heard round the world, Dave Chappelle lets loose in this freewheeling and unfiltered stand-up comedy special.
17
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.
18
Two-Way Stretch (1960)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy
Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must…
19
The Ritz (1976)
★ 6/10Also comedy
To escape from a mobster, businessman Gaetano Proclo orders a cab driver to take him to a place where he can't be found. Unfortunately for Gaetano, the place turns out to be a gay bathhouse.
20
Henry's Crime (2010)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy
An aimless man is sent to prison for a crime he did not commit, an ex-con targets the same bank he was sent away for robbing.