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Movies Like Meatballs (What to Watch After)

If you were moved by Meatballs, you will appreciate how these films questions the purpose and weight of our choices while grounding the story in targets the intellect with complex, multi-layered ideas. Carefully balances character depth with narrative flow makes this a deeper look into what makes these stories stick.

Mood Breakdown
Runtime Cluster

Standard feature-length experiences.

Viewer Fit

Best for fans of who appreciate concise storytelling.

Top Picks

Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp
6.4

Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp

2024

After getting kicked out of the forest, Woody thinks he's found a forever home at Camp Woo Hoo — until an inspector threatens to shut down the camp.

Little Darlings
6.5

Little Darlings

1980

Two 15-year-old girls from different sides of the tracks compete to see who will be first to lose their virginity while at camp.

Camp Nowhere
5.9

Camp Nowhere

1994

Morris "Mud" Himmel has a problem. His parents desperately want to send him away to summer camp. He hates going to summer camp, and would do anything to get out of it. Talking to his friends, he realizes that they are all facing the same sentence: a boring summer camp. Together with his friends, he hatches a plan to trick all the parents into sending them to a camp of their own design.

Shag
6.1

Shag

1989

Summer of 1963. Carson is getting married to her boyfriend so her friends Melaina, Pudge and Luanne take her to Myrtle Beach for one last irresponsible weekend.

Bunks
6.2

Bunks

2013

When two trouble-making brothers scam their way into an idyllic summer camp, they find themselves leading a rag tag cabin of boys into breaking every rule in the book.

Major Payne
6.4

Major Payne

1995

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 do as a civilian, so his commander finds him a job - commanding officer of a local school's JROTC program, a bunch of ragtag losers with no hope.

Planes: Fire & Rescue
6.2

Planes: Fire & Rescue

2014

When world-famous air racer Dusty learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he must shift gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting. Dusty joins forces with veteran fire and rescue helicopter Blade Ranger and his team, a bunch of all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers. Together, the fearless team battles a massive wildfire, and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero.

Good Kids
6.3

Good Kids

2016

Four high school students look to redefine themselves after graduation.

More Movies Like Meatballs

Measure of a Man
6.5

Measure of a Man

2018

A bullied teen experiences a turning point summer in which he learns to stand up for himself.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
6.3

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

2012

It's summertime, and Greg Heffley is looking forward to playing video games and spending time with his friends. However, Greg's dad has other plans: He's decided that some father-son bonding time is in order. Desperate to prevent his dad from ruining summer vacation, Greg pretends he has a job at a ritzy country club. But Greg's plan backfires, leaving him in the middle of embarrassing mishaps and a camping trip gone wrong.

Moonrise Kingdom
7.7

Moonrise Kingdom

2012

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.

Heavyweights
6.2

Heavyweights

1995

Camp Hope is a summer retreat for overweight boys run by a kindly couple who make the campers feel comfortable with their extra pounds. But when tyrannical fitness guru Tony buys the camp, he puts the kids on a cruel regimen that goes too far. Sick of the endless weeks of "all work and no play," the kids stage a coup and reclaim their summer of fun.

Girl on a Bicycle
6.0

Girl on a Bicycle

2013

Paolo, an Italian tour bus driver living in Paris, has just summoned up the courage to propose marriage to his German girlfriend Greta. However, a chance encounter with a French woman on a bicycle the very next day turns Paolo's life upside down.

American Graffiti
7.0

American Graffiti

1973

A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

Beach Party
5.8

Beach Party

1963

Anthropology Professor Robert Orwell Sutwell and his secretary Marianne are studying the sex habits of teenagers. The surfing teens led by Frankie and Dee Dee don't have much sex but they sing, battle the motorcycle rats and mice led by Eric Von Zipper and dance to Dick Dale and the Del Tones.

Walk of Shame
6.0

Walk of Shame

2014

A reporter's dream of becoming a news anchor is compromised after a one-night stand leaves her stranded in downtown L.A. without a phone, car, ID or money - and only 8 hours to make it to the most important job interview of her life.

Top Secret!
7.1

Top Secret!

1984

Popular and dashing American singer Nick Rivers travels to East Germany to perform in a music festival. When he loses his heart to the gorgeous Hillary Flammond, he finds himself caught up in an underground resistance movement. Rivers joins forces with Agent Cedric and Flammond to attempt the rescue of her father, Dr. Paul, from the Germans, who have captured the scientist in hopes of coercing him into building a new naval mine.

Camp Rock
6.4

Camp Rock

2008

When Mitchie gets a chance to attend Camp Rock, her life takes an unpredictable twist, and she learns just how important it is to be true to yourself.

Carry On Camping
6.6

Carry On Camping

1969

Sid and Bernie keep having their amorous intentions snubbed by their girlfriends Joan and Anthea, so when they decide to take them on a holiday to Paradise Camp, they think they're off to a nudist colony—but they couldn't be more wrong, and meet up with the weirdest bunch of campers you can imagine.

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare
7.8

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare

2010

Scooby and the gang experience outdoor fun as they go back to Fred's old summer camp. As summer goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that the spooky camp stories told by the fireplace, are more real than they've though and soon, it's up to the gang to try and solve the mystery of camp scare.

Why These Movies Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Meatballs (1979): Comedy themes, similar narrative structure, and comparable emotional depth. NoBadPicks uses a combination of TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface films most likely to resonate with fans of Meatballs.

See full details for Meatballs (1979)

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