Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Best of the Best:
Roommates
You could certainly do way worse when it comes to straight-to-streaming teenage comedies than Happy Madison’s latest Netflix release Roommates, Sadie Sandler’s first turn as a starring actress in a feature film following smaller roles and cameos in a handful of her father Adam Sandler’s movies over the last few years. Both Sadie and Sunny Sandler have had their shots at Netflix projects in recent years, and the results, while still leaning into cameos and low-hanging jokes that I usually roll my eyes at in both Netflix and Happy Madison movies, have been rather promising.
One of Them Days
Keke Palmer is undeniably magnetic, and One of Them Days serves as another showcase for her effortless charm and comedic timing. Directed by Lawrence Lamont, the film largely exists to let Palmer shine, and she doesn’t disappoint, carrying the movie’s 97-minute runtime with infectious energy.
Snack Shack
Snack Shack is an uncomplicated good time, anchored by two excellent and innocent performances by Conor Sherry and Gabriel LaBelle as 14-year-olds A.J. and Moose, respectively. Director Adam Rehmeier flexes his ability to tap into the mind of today’s youth and deliver a movie that is laugh out loud funny with a charming, heartfelt story.
Mile End Kicks
This generation’s closest thing to Almost Famous, and honestly, more coming-of-age movies in the vein of Cameron Crowe or Richard Linklater or even contemporaries like Cooper Raiff or Greta Gerwig, I’m all in for. The screenplay, which started life under the working title Anglophone as the winner of a competition for emerging women screenwriters back in 2016, is based in part on Chandler Levack’s own early adulthood before becoming a professional music critic and filmmaker. That autobiographical grounding should give the film the kind of lived-in specificity that separates the great hangout movies from the good ones.
Babes
Babes is the sort of down-the-line comedy that feels like a relic of the past. Nowadays, studio comedies are often hampered by another genre – superheroes, horror, action, etc. – so the occasional one that feels comfortable in its own skin and actually makes you laugh feels like a breath of fresh air. And this time, that breath comes from Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau‘s Babes, a comedy about motherhood and friendships as you grow older. It’s uncomplicatedly funny, with a surprisingly earnest and dramatic side to match.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
My skepticism was high for Adam Sandler’s new teen comedy on Netflix, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, but the movie is genuinely funny and surprisingly endearing. Sandler enlists his whole family for this take on adolescence and the Jewish community.
Read our full review of You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
Love, Brooklyn
Love, Brooklyn starts light on its feet and mostly stays that way. I liked watching André Holland drift through the borough as Roger, a writer dodging a commission about Black history and Brooklyn culture while splitting his time between two relationships. One is with his ex Casey, played by Nicole Beharie, and the other is with Nicole, played by DeWanda Wise. Everyone knows where they stand. There are no secrets. The dynamic feels modern and unusually honest for a romance, which gives the film a soft charge even when it keeps things quiet.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
There are four or five moments in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie where my brain basically short-circuited, not because the movie is confusing, but because it feels borderline impossible that it exists at this scale with this kind of scrappy, “how did they pull that off?” energy. Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol have always had a particular talent for turning cringe into momentum and turning momentum into a full-on set piece. Here, they do it on a bigger canvas without sanding down what made Nirvanna the Band the Show special in the first place.
Read our full review of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
The Christophers
The Christophers may not rank among Steven Soderbergh’s defining achievements, but it reminded me why his baseline remains so much higher than almost everyone else’s. It’s sharp, funny, surprisingly heartfelt, and has more to say about artistry, legacy, and the people who profit from both than most films on the subject ever attempt. Calling it “just another Soderbergh movie” sounds dismissive, but in practice, that’s still one of the stronger endorsements I can give.
Nonnas
Nonnas is a reminder that charm, good casting, and a touch of sincerity can elevate a standard script into something enjoyable, if not exactly essential. It’s not destined for rewatchability or critical acclaim, but for a streaming comedy in 2025, that’s probably enough.
READ MORE: Movies Like Roommates, Movies Like Mile End Kicks
