Movies Like Murder by the Book

If you liked Murder by the Book (1987), a comedy and crime movie directed by Mel Damski, 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
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and crime
While attending a glamorous jazz cruise on New York’s East River, Nick and Nora Charles witness the fatal shooting of a wealthy patron. When suspicion falls on a young bandleader and his musicians, the couple steps in…
2
Hailey Dean Mysteries: Deadly Estate (2017)
★ 7.1/10Also mystery and tv movie
When Hailey helps her friend Pam sell her recently deceased parent’s estate, she becomes suspicious when Pam suddenly leaves town without notice. To make matters worse, Pam's boyfriend is the sudden victim of an…
3
The Blue Gardenia (1953)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and mystery
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while…
4
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
★ 7.3/10Also comedy and crime
When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
5
The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex (2013)
★ 7.8/10Also comedy and tv movie
While trying to prove to her family she can be mature and responsible, teen wizard Alex Russo conjures up a spell to rid herself of her bad qualities, unintentionally creating a Good and Evil Alex. When Evil Alex gets…
6
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
★ 7/10Also comedy and crime
While attending a major horse race with their young son, Nick Jr., Nick and Nora Charles witnesse a shocking murder from the crowded grandstand. What first appears to be an isolated killing soon leads to a maze of…
7
The Cheap Detective (1978)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy and crime
A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.
8
The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy and mystery
Hoping for a peaceful visit with his parents in the small town of Sycamore Springs, Nick Charles and his wife Nora soon find themselves surrounded by old rivalries, family tensions, and a mysterious murder. Nick’s…
9
Another Thin Man (1939)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy and mystery
Nick and Nora Charles are back - and this time, they have a baby, a wealthy new client, and another murder to solve! Retired detective Nick is enjoying family life with Nora and their young son, Nick Jr., when…
10
LaRoy, Texas (2024)
★ 6.8/10Also crime and comedy
Broke and depressed, Ray is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip, he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of LaRoy alive.
11
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
★ 6.9/10Also comedy and crime
Charles Dreyfus, who has finally cracked over inspector Clouseau's antics, escapes from a mental institution and launches an elaborate plan to get rid of Clouseau once and for all.
12
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
★ 7.2/10Also comedy and mystery
Inspector Jacques Clouseau, smitten with the accused maid Maria Gambrelli, unwittingly turns a straightforward murder investigation into a comedic series of mishaps, testing the patience of his irritable boss Charles…
13
Hailey Dean Mysteries: Murder, With Love (2016)
★ 7.3/10Also tv movie and mystery
Former prosecutor-turned-therapist Hailey Dean is a powerhouse, Mensa bright, and acutely observant. During a tragic week, one of her patients loses her parents to separate fatal accidents along with millions of…
14
The Glass Key (1942)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and mystery
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
15
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy and crime
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
16
Deathtrap (1982)
★ 6.7/10Also mystery and thriller
A Broadway playwright puts murder in his plan to take credit for a student's script.
17
The Mirror Crack'd (1980)
★ 6.1/10Also mystery and crime
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
18
See Spot Run (2001)
★ 6.1/10Also comedy and crime
A drug sniffing agent canine is a target for an assassin boss so the FBI calls Witness Protection to send him somewhere else. Meanwhile a single Mom puts her 6 year old boy James in the care of her irresponsible…
19
Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999)
★ 7/10Also comedy and tv movie
What was a cunning plan from Lord Edmund Blackadder V to fake a time machine on his gullibly incompetent friends, turns out to be the real thing and hurls him and his imbecile underling, Baldrick, through the course of…
20
Oscar Shaw (2026)
★ 6.6/10Also crime and thriller
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the…