50 Movies Like National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View National Lampoon's Vacation details →If you loved National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) by Harold Ramis, here are 50 movies that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Vacation, Road Trip. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
The Best Movies Similar to National Lampoon's Vacation
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with National Lampoon's Vacation in terms of theme, narrative tone, and cinematic style. Every recommendation goes beyond genre — we evaluate the type of conflict, pacing, dramatic context, and the experience they create for viewers.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
2004 · Danny Leiner
Nerdy accountant Harold and his irrepressible friend, Kumar, get stoned watching television and find themselves utterly bewitched by a commercial for White Castle. Convinced there must be one nearby,
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Vacation
2015 · John Francis Daley
Hoping to bring his family closer together and to recreate his childhood vacation for his own kids, a grown up Rusty Griswold takes his wife and their two sons on a cross-country road trip to the cool
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Road Trip
2000 · Todd Phillips
After a student at the University of Ithaca films his one-night stand with a beautiful sorority girl, he discovers one of his friends has accidentally mailed the homemade sex tape to his girlfriend in
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
1998 · Terry Gilliam
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Wild Hogs
2007 · Walt Becker
Restless and ready for an adventure, four suburban bikers leave the safety of their subdivision and head out on the open road. But complications ensue when they cross paths with an intimidating band o
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Family Plan
2023 · Simon Cellan Jones
Dan Morgan is many things: a devoted husband, a loving father, a celebrated car salesman. He's also a former assassin. And when his past catches up to his present, he's forced to take his unsuspecting
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Sex Drive
2008 · Sean Anders
A high school senior drives cross-country with his best friends to hook up with a babe he met online.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Smokey and the Bandit
1977 · Hal Needham
A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Me, Myself & Irene
2000 · Peter Farrelly
Rhode Island State Trooper Charlie Baileygates has a multiple personality disorder. One personality is crazy and aggressive, while the other is more friendly and laid back. Both of these personalities
In common: Comedy
Major Payne
1995 · Nick Castle
Major Benson Winifred Payne is being discharged from the Marines. Payne is a killin' machine, but the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield. A career Marine, he has no idea what to
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Mortdecai
2015 · David Koepp
An art dealer, Charles Mortdecai, searches for a stolen painting rumored to contain a secret code that gains access to hidden Nazi gold.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Dirty Grandpa
2016 · Dan Mazer
Jason Kelly is one week away from marrying his boss's uber-controlling daughter, putting him on the fast track for a partnership at the law firm. However, when the straight-laced Jason is tricked into
In common: Comedy
Chef
2014 · Jon Favreau
When Chef Carl Casper suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner, he is left to figure out what's next.
In common: Comedy
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
1993 · Duwayne Dunham
Before the Seavers leave for a family vacation to San Francisco, they drop off their pets -- Chance, an adventurous American bulldog; Shadow, a wise golden retriever; and Sassy, a cautious cat -- at a
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Strays
2023 · Josh Greenbaum
When Reggie is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug, Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose. But once Reggie falls in with Bug, a fast-talki
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Crocodile Dundee
1986 · Peter Faiman
When a New York reporter plucks crocodile hunter Mick Dundee from the Australian Outback for a visit to the Big Apple, it's a clash of cultures and a recipe for good-natured comedy as naïve Dundee neg
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
1992 · Chris Columbus
Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin r
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Goonies
1985 · Richard Donner
Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set off on a quest to find Pirate One-Eyed Willie's treasure in hopes of saving their homes from demolition. However, on their quest to find the treasure, they r
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Dumb and Dumber
1994 · Peter Farrelly
Lloyd and Harry are two men whose stupidity is really indescribable. When Mary, a beautiful woman, loses an important suitcase with money before she leaves for Aspen, the two friends (who have found t
In common: Comedy
Paddington in Peru
2024 · Dougal Wilson
Paddington travels to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
2004 · Brad Silberling
Three wealthy children's parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Buen Camino
2025 · Gennaro Nunziante
Checco's life is a comfortable and luxurious one, and it couldn't be otherwise, considering he's the only son of Eugenio Zalone, a wealthy sofa manufacturer. Stranded by the pool in his luxurious vill
In common: Adventure · Comedy
American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile
2006 · Joe Nussbaum
When Erik Stifler realizes that he's the only Stifler family member who might graduate high school a virgin, he decides to live up to his legacy. After some well-meaning advice from Jim's dad, Erik's
In common: Comedy
Paddington
2014 · Paul King
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Bean
1997 · Mel Smith
Childlike Englishman, Mr. Bean, is an incompetent watchman at the Royal National Gallery. After the museum's board of directors' attempt to have him fired is blocked by the chairman, who has taken a l
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Dora and the Lost City of Gold
2019 · James Bobin
Dora, a girl who has spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, now must navigate her most dangerous adventure yet: high school. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself lead
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Paddington 2
2017 · Paul King
Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Dumb and Dumber To
2014 · Bobby Farrelly
20 years since their first adventure, Lloyd and Harry go on a road trip to find Harry's newly discovered daughter, who was given up for adoption.
In common: Comedy
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
2021 · Will Gluck
Peter Rabbit runs away from his human family when he learns they are going to portray him in a bad light in their book. Soon, he crosses paths with an older rabbit who ropes him into a heist.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Jingle All the Way
1996 · Brian Levant
Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly kept busy at his job, disappointing his son. After he misses his son's karate exposition, Howard vows to make it up to him by buying a
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Cars
2006 · John Lasseter
Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town o
In common: Adventure · Comedy
We Bare Bears: The Movie
2020 · Daniel Chong
When Grizz, Panda, and Ice Bear's love of food trucks and viral videos get out of hand, the brothers are now chased away from their home and embark on a trip to Canada, where they can live in peace.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
A Goofy Movie
1995 · Kevin Lima
Goofy’s teenage son Max is desperate to impress his crush and fit in at school. After well-meaning but ignorant Goofy suddenly whisks him away on a cross-country road trip—messing up Max’s first date
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
1974 · Michael Cimino
With the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organise a daring new heist.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Little Miss Sunshine
2006 · Valerie Faris
A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
In common: Comedy
The Darjeeling Limited
2007 · Wes Anderson
Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Bucket List
2007 · Rob Reiner
Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a
In common: Comedy
Holes
2003 · Andrew Davis
After being wrongfully convicted for stealing a pair of shoes, Stanley Yelnats is sent away to Camp Green Lake, a boys detention facility where inmates are forced to dig holes all day in the hot deser
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Winnie the Pooh
2011 · Stephen J. Anderson
During an ordinary day in Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh sets out to find some honey. Misinterpreting a note from Christopher Robin, Owl convinces Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, and Eey
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Scooby-Doo
2002 · Raja Gosnell
When the Mystery Inc. gang is invited to Spooky Island, a popular amusement park, they soon discover that the attractions aren't the only things that are spooky. Strange things are happening, and it's
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Kelly's Heroes
1970 · Brian G. Hutton
A misfit group of World War II American soldiers goes AWOL to rob a bank behind German lines.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Shaun the Sheep Movie
2015 · Mark Burton
When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City an
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
2004 · Raja Gosnell
A masked villain wreaks mayhem on the city of Coolsville with a monster machine that creates real-life versions of Mystery Inc.'s former foes like The 10,000 Volt Ghost, The Cotton Candy Glob, The Ske
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Inside Out 2
2024 · Kelsey Mann
Teenager Riley's mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a suc
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Toy Story
1995 · John Lasseter
Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstan
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Madagascar
2005 · Eric Darnell
Four animal friends get a taste of the wild life when they break out of captivity at the Central Park Zoo and wash ashore on the island of Madagascar.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Toy Story 4
2019 · Josh Cooley
Woody has always been confident about his place in the world, devoted to taking care of his kid—whether that's Andy or Bonnie. But after Bonnie creates a reluctant new toy called "Forky", a road trip
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
2019 · David Leitch
Ever since US Diplomatic Security Service Agent Hobbs and lawless outcast Shaw first faced off, they just have traded smack talk and body blows. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton's
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Up
2009 · Pete Docter
Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
2023 · Jonathan Goldstein
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
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2008 · Michelle MacLaren
Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting
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2023 · Kazutaka Yamanaka
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s m
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In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
