Finding a rom-com that actually hits the spot is harder than it looks. You know the feeling. You’ve scrolled through Netflix for forty minutes, rejected every generic "boy meets girl" story, and then you stumble upon The Other Zoey. It’s got that weirdly specific mix of a high-concept mix-up—Zoey Miller, a hyper-logical computer science major, gets mistaken for the girlfriend of a popular amnesiac jock—and actual, genuine heart. It’s a trope as old as Shakespeare, but it works every single time.
If you’ve already finished it and you’re looking for movies like The Other Zoey, you aren’t just looking for a love story. You’re looking for that specific "Oh my god, I can’t believe they’re getting away with this lie" tension combined with a protagonist who feels a little smarter than the average rom-com lead.
Let's be real. Most of these movies rely on people being terrible at communicating. But that’s the fun, right?
The Best Mistaken Identity Flick: While You Were Sleeping
If we’re talking about the blueprint for The Other Zoey, we have to talk about the 1995 classic While You Were Sleeping. Honestly, the parallels are kind of wild. In The Other Zoey, Zoey Miller gets pulled into a family’s life because a guy named Zach has amnesia and thinks she’s his "Zoey." In While You Were Sleeping, Sandra Bullock’s Lucy saves a man’s life, and through a series of hospital-room misunderstandings, his entire family thinks she’s his fiancée while he’s in a coma.
It’s cozy. It’s set in Chicago during the holidays. It features a young Bill Pullman being incredibly charming in a flannel shirt.
The reason this movie works—and why fans of the 2023 Drew Hancock-penned film will love it—is the family dynamic. Both films realize that falling for the guy is only half the battle; falling for his family is what makes the stakes high. When Zoey spends time with Zach’s family (played by the likes of Andie MacDowell, no less), she’s not just lying to a guy; she’s lying to a support system. Lucy does the exact same thing with the Callaghans. It’s that warm, fuzzy, but deeply stressful deception that keeps you glued to the screen.
High-Concept Rom-Coms With Brains
The Other Zoey stands out because Zoey isn’t your typical "I just want to find love" heroine. She’s cynical about romance. She’s a coder. She thinks love can be solved with an algorithm. If that’s the vibe you’re chasing, you should probably watch Plus One.
It stars Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. They’re long-time friends who agree to be each other’s plus-ones for a grueling summer of weddings.
It’s sharp. The dialogue feels like actual humans talking, not a script-bot. Like Zoey, the characters here are deeply skeptical of the "happily ever after" industrial complex. It’s grounded. It’s messy. You’ll laugh because you’ve probably said half the things they say when they’re three drinks deep at a reception for a cousin they don't even like.
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Why the "Opposites Attract" Trope Still Wins
We also have to look at The Hating Game. Based on Sally Thorne’s massive bestseller, this movie leans hard into the intellectual rivalry. Lucy and Joshua are executive assistants who despise each other. Or do they?
In The Other Zoey, we see Zoey debating Miles (the "intellectual" match) while actually vibing with Zach (the "jock" match). The Hating Game plays with that same "who is actually right for me?" energy. It asks if you want someone who matches your resume or someone who actually challenges your heart.
The Netflix Contemporaries
Netflix has basically become the factory for these types of movies. If you want something that feels visually and tonally similar, Look Both Ways is a solid bet. It stars Lili Reinhart and explores two different paths her life could take based on a single pregnancy test.
It’s got that shiny, modern aesthetic.
It deals with the "what ifs" of young adulthood.
It’s surprisingly emotional.
Then there's Love at First Sight (the one with Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy). It’s narrated by Jameela Jamil and uses statistics and probability to frame a story about two people meeting on a flight to London. Since Zoey Miller is obsessed with data and logic, the mathematical framing of Love at First Sight feels like it exists in the same universe. It’s a movie that acknowledges how rare a connection is while still being unashamedly romantic.
The Teen Angst and Transformation Angle
Sometimes, what people love about movies like The Other Zoey isn’t the mistaken identity part—it’s the "uncool girl navigates a world she doesn't belong in" part.
Enter The Duff.
Mae Whitman is a force of nature in this. It tackles the labels we put on ourselves in high school and college. While The Other Zoey is set in a university environment, it shares that DNA of a female lead who feels like an outsider looking in at the "popular" kids, only to realize they’re just as human (and sometimes as nerdy) as she is.
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Let's talk about 10 Things I Hate About You
Look, if you haven’t seen this, stop what you’re doing. It’s the gold standard.
- It’s a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
- Kat Stratford is the spiritual mother of Zoey Miller—brilliant, prickly, and entirely over everyone's BS.
- The soundtrack is 90s perfection.
- Heath Ledger sings on bleachers.
It’s one of those rare films that manages to be incredibly smart while still delivering the romantic payoff you crave. It doesn't talk down to its audience.
The "Fake Dating" Hall of Fame
Mistaken identity and fake dating are cousins. They both rely on a lie that slowly becomes the truth. If the deception in The Other Zoey was your favorite part, To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the obvious next step.
Lara Jean Covey’s life gets turned upside down when her secret love letters are mailed out. To save face, she enters a fake relationship with Peter Kavinsky. It’s wholesome. It’s iconic. It’s probably the reason rom-coms made such a huge comeback in the late 2010s.
But if you want something a bit more adult, try The Proposal. Sandra Bullock (again, she’s the queen of this) is a high-powered editor who forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she won't get deported to Canada. The chemistry is electric. The comedy is physical. And just like Zoey, the protagonist has to spend a weekend with a family she’s lying to, leading to some of the funniest scenes in the genre.
Why These Movies Matter (For Real)
We live in an era of "prestige TV" and $300 million superhero epics. Sometimes you just want a movie where the biggest problem is a girl being mistaken for another girl named Zoey. These films provide a specific kind of safety.
Critics often dismiss them as "formulaic."
They aren't wrong. But the formula exists because it works. There is something deeply satisfying about watching two people realize they’re wrong about each other. In The Other Zoey, Zoey thinks she knows exactly what she wants—someone who shares her exact interests and intellectual rigor. By the end, she realizes that compatibility isn't a checklist.
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It's a feeling.
That's the nuance that the best movies in this category capture. They start with a trope, but they finish with a human truth. Whether it's the 90s charm of You've Got Mail (where the identity "mistake" happens behind a computer screen) or the modern wit of Bottoms (which is a much more chaotic take on lying to get close to people), the core remains the same: we are all just trying to be seen, even if we start out pretending to be someone else.
A Quick Checklist for Your Next Watch
If you're still undecided, here's a quick way to pick based on what you liked about Zoey's story:
- The "Mistaken Identity" Fix: While You Were Sleeping or Monte Carlo.
- The "Smart Girl/Jock Guy" Dynamic: The Duff or She's All That.
- The "Logic vs. Emotion" Debate: Love at First Sight or Plus One.
- The "Cozy Family Lie" Vibe: The Family Stone (though this one is more of a dramedy).
Navigating the Rom-Com Renaissance
We are currently in a bit of a rom-com boom. For a few years, it felt like the genre was dead or relegated to low-budget Hallmark movies. But with films like Anyone But You and The Idea of You, it’s clear that audiences want these stories back on a bigger scale.
The Other Zoey fits perfectly into this new wave. It's self-aware. It knows you know the tropes. It winks at the camera without being annoying about it.
When you're looking for your next watch, don't just look for "romance." Look for "wit." The best movies like The Other Zoey are the ones that treat the audience as if they're as smart as the main character.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Movie Night
- Check the Streaming Rotation: Many of these (like To All the Boys or Look Both Ways) are permanent fixtures on Netflix. However, classics like While You Were Sleeping often hop between Disney+ and Hulu. Check a site like JustWatch before you get your heart set on one.
- Pair Your Viewing: If you want a "Double Feature," pair The Other Zoey with 10 Things I Hate About You. You get the modern college vibe followed by the definitive "cynical girl falls in love" masterpiece.
- Read the Source Material: If you liked the "vibe" of these movies, authors like Emily Henry (People We Meet on Vacation) or Ali Hazelwood (The Love Hypothesis) write exactly these kinds of stories with high-intellect leads and high-stakes misunderstandings.
- Go Retro: Don't be afraid of the 90s and early 2000s. The production value might look different, but the comedic timing in movies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is arguably better than most of what's coming out today.
Ultimately, the magic of these movies isn't the plot twist. It's the moment the lie falls away and the characters have to decide if what they found while pretending is worth keeping for real. Enjoy the binge.