6 Best Double Life and Secret Identity Drama Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 19, 2026

Living as someone else is daring, comic and often precarious. Catch Me If You Can follows a young con artist impersonating professionals, The Great Impostor has a restless con man posing as a surgeon, a monk and a prison warden, and Sommersby has a Civil War returnee whose wife starts to suspect he’s not who he says. Mrs. Doubtfire, Yentl and Tootsie play with identity in different ways.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 96% Metacritic 75

A brilliant young con artist forges cheques and impersonates professionals while an FBI agent doggedly pursues him.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 21m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 2 Oscars16 wins & 46 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Great Impostor (1960)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A restless con man successfully poses as a surgeon, a monk and a prison warden on nothing but nerve.

Directed by Robert Mulligan · 1h 52m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 71% Metacritic 54

A father disguises himself as an elderly nanny just to stay close to his own kids.

Directed by Chris Columbus · 2h 05m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar11 wins & 10 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, Hulu, FXNow · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sommersby (1993)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A man returning from the Civil War is welcomed home by his wife, though she begins to suspect he is not who he claims.

Directed by Jon Amiel · 1h 49m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Yentl (1983)

IMDb ★ 6.6 RT 69% Metacritic 68

A woman disguises herself as a man to study the Torah in a world that forbids it to her.

Directed by Barbra Streisand · 2h 12m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar6 wins & 17 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Tootsie (1982)

TMDB ★ 7.2

An unemployable actor lands his biggest role yet by disguising himself as a woman.

Directed by Sydney Pollack · 1h 56m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Double Life and Secret Identity Drama Movies

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

The Great Impostor (1960)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Sommersby (1993)

Yentl (1983)

Tootsie (1982)

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