Best movies like California Girls
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A New Jersey auto mechanic travels to California to find the girl of his dreams and woos a bikini fashion model while the time quarreling with her high-powered manager and avoiding his New Jersey girlfriend who comes looking for him.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 161
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like California Girls (1985):
Similar in 90%
On the Air Live with Captain Midnight (1979)
Plot Summary:
A suburban teen stars a pirate radio station in the back of his van and becomes a cult hero.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 65
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sexy, grindhouse, independent film
Similar in 87%
Palm Springs Weekend (1963)
Plot Summary:
Set in Palm Springs during a long, fun-filled weekend where several Los Angeles college students flock to spring break, centering on Jim who finds romance with Bunny, the daughter of Palm Springs harred, stressful police chief. Jim's bumbling roommate, Biff, tries to get Amanda, a tomboyish girl's attention with a so-called love gadget. Meanwhile, Gayle Lewis is a high school senior posing as a wealthy college girl who is pursued by Eric Dean, a wealthy and spoiled college prepie, while Gayle has eyes for a cowboy from Texas, named Stretch. Also Jim and Biff's basketball coach, Campbell, tries to romance Naomi, the owner of the motel where all of the gang is staying at, which is interfered by Naomi's young, trouble-making, brat son who's dubbed, Boom-Boom.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, sex comedy
Similar in 79%
The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue (2010)
Plot Summary:
In the wake of Dia Day Los Muertos, a young couple has 24 hours to decide if their love should live or die. With Sue afraid of love and Joey afraid of not figuring out what he did wrong in the first place, the couple is swept away by the intoxication of Dia De Los Muertos where the dead walk the earth for a day and where phantoms of Sue's past may force Joey to end up on the altar as well.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 28
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 81%
Coastal Dreams (2007)
Plot Summary:
Coastal Dreams is a 24-episode online soap opera produced by NBC in 2007. The series stars Danica Stewart, Tanee McCall, Elena Campbell-Martinez, Kam Heskin, Charlie Koznick, Ken Luckey, and Noah Schuffman. It features two beautiful women named Zoe and Stacey, whose plans for fun on the beach is interrupted by deadly danger. The series is executive produced, written and created by Rick Draughon and directed by Mark Cole. Zoe needs to escape her Texas hometown after her boyfriend goes more than a little psycho on her. She packs up her bathing suit, grabs her best friend and fellow college grad Stacey and heads to California to visit her wealthy cousin April. Staying in April's seaside mansion seems to like the dream vacation, especially after the girls meet April's hot boyfriend Christian and the dreamy local deputy, Will. the worse quickly though when Zoe starts receiving menacing text messages from her ex...and the locals reveal their ulterior motives. This show aired every Tuesday and Thursday at nbc.com.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 28
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: telenovela
Similar in 75%
Gidget's Summer Reunion (1985)
Plot Summary:
Gidget's Summer Reunion is a 1985 television film produced by Columbia Pictures Television for television syndication. It was written by Robert Blees and George Zateslo and directed by Bruce Bilson and starred Caryn Richman as Gidget.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 100
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychotronic, tv series pilot
Similar in 76%
Pink Lightning (1991)
Plot Summary:
California 1962, Five girls: beautiful Sharon, ugly-duckling Andy, nice Poo and hot-to-trot Jill support their best friend Tookie when she prepares to marry her boyfriend Pat. But the two of them realize that they are not prepared to get married, that the locks of marriage will prevent them from doing things they want to do first.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 129
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
San Diego Surf (1968)
Plot Summary:
Viva and Taylor Mead are a married couple renting an extra beach-house to a group of surfers sent to them by a Mr. Morrissey of La Jolla Realty. Their daughter, Ingrid Superstar, is pregnant and on the hunt for a husband. Mr. Mead, who is gay, tries to pawn her off to one of the surfers. Meanwhile, Viva wants a divorce from her boy-crazy hubby, who wants a surfer of his own. Tom, a surfer, is inveigled by Mr. Mead to urinate on him. In a close-up, Mr. Mead receives Tom's offering ecstatically, after which he comments, "I'm a real surfer now.".
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 46
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
Gardener of Eden (2007)
Plot Summary:
When a young deli-counter clerk and general slacker in New Jersey accidentally saves a young woman from a serial rapist, he becomes convinced that his new role in life is to become a vigilante.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: rough, psychological, realistic, semi serious, humorous, biting, suspense
Similar in 83%
Kenny & Company (1976)
Plot Summary:
Several days in the life of Kenny, a typical 12-year-old, and his friends. Kenny goes through all the activities that most of us went through as kids as he and his friends prepare for Halloween. Along the way, Kenny deals with such childhood issues as bullies and his first crush on a girl.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 773
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
Van Nuys Blvd. (1979)
Plot Summary:
A small-town kid hears about the wild nights of cruising the boulevard in Van Nuys, California. He drives out there to check it out, and gets involved with drag racers, topless dancers and bikers.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 582
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: cult classic, grindhouse, independent film, touching, offbeat, humorous, futuristic, realistic, semi serious, sexual
Similar in 76%
Love and Love Not (2022)
Plot Summary:
There are two places Nicky Leandro calls home each reinforcing a particular facet of his personality: the red-blooded New Yorker and the L.A. transplant. Up until now each have done a fine job of compartmentalizing themselves. That is until Lily, an old flame, gets a hold of him right as he's about to head home for the holidays.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 110
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
Boundaries (2018)
Plot Summary:
Single mom Laura, along with her awkward 14 year-old son Henry is forced to drive Jack, her estranged, care-free pot dealing father across country after he's kicked out of yet another nursing home.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sincere, humorous, light, thought provoking, captivating, intellectual, anamorphic
Similar in 88%
Venice Beach (1982)
Plot Summary:
A runaway tries to survive being homeless at Venice Beach, California.
IMDB Rating: 9.2
IMDB Votes: 8
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 89%
Ride (2014)
Plot Summary:
A mother travels cross-country to California to be with her son after he decides to drop out of school and become a surfer.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, thought provoking, humorous, light
Similar in 75%
Which Way, Por Favor? (1999)
Plot Summary:
The breathtaking sights and sounds of Mexico's lush Pacific coast come alive in this captivating comedy-drama shot in the isolated seaside village of Yelapa. Join four offbeat travelers hunting for romantic adventure, hidden cash, a mysterious father, and the mythic sorceror, "Don Juan," made famous in books by Carlos Castaneda. Featuring a cast of North American actors and Yelapa locals and an original soundtrack recorded by members of the David Grisman Band, Tito Puente, Van Morrison, The Robert Gray Band -- and the grammy-winning CARLOS SANTANA Band.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 40
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: independent film, low-budget
Similar in 83%
An American Summer (1990)
Plot Summary:
In this youthful drama, Tom, a 14- year-old who's parents have just divorced, is abruptly uprooted from his wealthy Chicago home and sent to the strange land of LA to live in the far-out beach bungalow of his aunt, an aging hippie still stuck in a by-gone era. He is unhappy with the new arrangement and finds his new bohemian lifestyle strange and the activities of his new peers, stupid. His life begins to change a bit when he befriends a young surfer named Fin. At first he thinks of the fun-loving Fin as a real dolt, but later he admits he was wrong. Like the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn characters on which they are loosely based, the two new friends soon find themselves having a series of adventures, some of them dangerous; by the summer's end, Tom finds himself wiser, accustomed to California, and a lot more grown up.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 274
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: independent film, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 77%
The Ecstasies of Women (1969)
Plot Summary:
Harry is a man whose friends throw him night-long bachelor party on the eve of him getting married. Harry flashes back to his many female "conquests" with the go-go dancers that remind him of his many past lovers.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 333
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: independent film, erotic, sexy, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 86%
Dean Slater: Resident Advisor (2013)
Plot Summary:
After their overenthusiastic RA is imprisoned in Mexico, a group of college freshmen are plunged into their first semester under a renegade Resident Advisor, Dean "The Dean" Slater. The boys battle viral video stigma, psychotic girlfriends, and hangovers on their way to creating a more analogue college experience.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 236
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, social, exciting
Similar in 78%
Dream with the Fishes (1997)
Plot Summary:
A suicidal man who can't kill himself agrees to finance his terminally ill neighbor's bucket list of fantasies if, at the end, the neighbor will kill him.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film, grim, humorous, realistic, gloomy, semi serious, surprise ending, crying, black comedy, scary
Similar in 89%
The Jimmy Show (2001)
Plot Summary:
A failed New Jersey inventor embarks on a career as a standup comic, turns to drink, and labors to keep his family together.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 619
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, cynical, semi serious, gloomy
Similar in 88%
Never on Tuesday (1988)
Plot Summary:
Matt and Eddie are two young men from the mid-west travelling to California to see the sights - primarily semi-clad women on beaches. They hop into their car and head off through the desert.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sexy, christian film, independent film, sex comedy, offbeat, humorous, realistic, semi serious, road movie
Similar in 82%
Mr. Write (1994)
Plot Summary:
Aspiring writer (with no talent) gets a job on a TV commercial, falls for an advertising executive.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 210
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: independent film, feel good, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 77%
Last Weekend (2014)
Plot Summary:
When an affluent matriarch gathers her dysfunctional family for a holiday at their Northern California lake house, her carefully constructed weekend begins to come apart at the seams, leading her to question her own role in the family.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, sincere, captivating, independent film, queer cinema
Similar in 90%
The Runnin' Kind (1989)
Plot Summary:
An Ohio teen moves to L.A. to find fame as a rock musician and to find a drummer.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 159
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, offbeat, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 86%
Palo Alto, CA (2007)
Plot Summary:
On their last night of Thanksgiving break, four old friends, now all college freshmen, realize their small town has more meaning than they ever imagined.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 911
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: humorous, teen sex comedy, captivating, light, emotional, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Dog (2022)
Plot Summary:
An army ranger and his dog embark on a road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway to attend a friend's funeral.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: feel good, emotional, captivating, satirical, semi serious, road movie, sad, humorous, funny, entertaining
Similar in 85%
S.O.B. (1981)
Plot Summary:
A movie producer who made a huge flop tries to salvage his career by revamping his film as an erotic production, where its family-friendly star takes her top off.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: funny, clever, humorous, witty, cynical, sex comedy, black comedy, meta, offbeat, tragicomedy
Similar in 89%
American Graffiti (1973)
Plot Summary:
A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 97000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: humorous, teen, melancholic, sentimental, sincere, feel good, semi serious, road movie, cult classic, realistic
Similar in 82%
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Plot Summary:
Follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett and Mike Damone, respectively. The center of the film is held by Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer dude who faces off with the resolute Mr. Hand, who is convinced that everyone is on dope.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 114000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: teen sex comedy, feel good, humorous, funny, sexy, sex comedy, teen, cult classic, light, hilarious
Similar in 76%
The Candidate (1972)
Plot Summary:
Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: political, witty, realistic, cynical, thought provoking, clever, talky, biting, entertaining, funny