Movies like The Secret Heaven (2002)
The best movies like The Secret Heaven (2002) are Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Coda (2020) and Strung (2026). If The Secret Heaven hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Secret Heaven
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhiplash (2013)7.8/10 from 447 votes
- NewestStrung (2026)Released 2026
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
Deloris Van Cartier is again asked to don the nun's habit to help a run-down Catholic school, presided over by Mother Superior. And if trying to reach out to a class full of uninterested students wasn't bad enough, the sisters discover that the school is due to be closed by the unscrupulous chief of a local authority.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoda (2020)
A famous pianist at the twilight of his career meets a free-spirited music critic who soon becomes his rock as his mental state deteriorates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrung (2026)
A talented violinist's prestigious new role as a music tutor for an enigmatic, elite family spirals into a psychological battle for her safety and sanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
Young Bart Collins lives with his widowed mother Heloise. The major blight on Bart's existence is the hated piano lessons he is forced to endure under the tutelage of the autocratic Dr. Terwilliker. Bart feels that his mother has fallen under Terwilliker's sinister influence, and gripes to visiting plumber August Zabladowski, without much result. While grimly hammering away at his lessons, Bart dozes off and enters a fantastical musical dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTeen Spirit (2019)
A shy teenager living on the Isle of Wight dreams of pop stardom. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a singing competition that will test her integrity, talent, and ambition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLemonade Mouth (2011)
When five ragtag freshman first meet in detention, it seems they have nothing in common. But, through music, they form an unbreakable bond and discover they have the makings of the greatest high school garage band in history! In the face of incredible odds, Olivia, Stella, Wen, Mohini and Charlie find they can make a real difference when they learn to lean on each other and let go of everything holding back their dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCabin in the Sky (1943)
When compulsive gambler Little Joe Jackson dies in a drunken fight, he awakens in purgatory, where he learns that he will be sent back to Earth for six months to prove that he deserves to be in heaven. He awakens, remembering nothing and struggles to do right by his devout wife, Petunia, while an angel known as the General and the devil's son, Lucifer Jr., fight for his soul.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShine (1996)
Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Upon being fired, a desperate guy kidnaps a daughter of his former boss. Two angels are sent to Earth to check if love is possible in this case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNocturne (2020)
Inside the halls of an elite arts academy, a timid music student begins to outshine her more accomplished and outgoing twin sister when she discovers a mysterious notebook belonging to a recently deceased classmate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhat if... (2010)
Fifteen years ago, Ben Walker made a decision to leave his college sweetheart and ultimately his faith, in order to pursue a lucrative business opportunity. Now with a high-paying career and a trophy fiancé, he is visited by an angel, who gives him a glimpse into what his life would look like had he followed his calling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (2011)
In this modern telling of the classic tale, aspiring singer Katie Gibbs falls for the new boy at her performing arts high school. But Katie's wicked stepmother and stepsister are scheming to crush her dream before she can sing her way into his heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Heavenly Kid (1985)
After dying in a car crash, Bobby Fantana is forced to pay for his misdeeds by becoming someone's guardian angel. He reluctantly agrees to watch over awkward high schooler Lenny Barnes, teaching him how to be cool and confident. As Bobby teaches Lenny, the two form a close bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeaven Is for Real (2014)
After their young son, Colton, undergoes emergency surgery, small-town parents Todd and Sonja Burpo are overjoyed at the child's miraculous recovery. However, the Burpos are unprepared for what happens next... Colton says that during his surgery he went to heaven and back, and tells his parents things that he couldn't possibly know. Can Todd find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJosie and the Pussycats (2001)
Josie, Melody and Val are three small-town girl musicians determined to take their rock band out of their garage and straight to the top, while remaining true to their look, style and sound. They get a record deal which brings fame and fortune but soon realize they are pawns of two people who want to control the youth of America. They must clear their names, even if it means losing fame and fortune.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe First Omen (2024)
When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhiplash (2013)
A ferocious, bullying music teacher teaches a dedicated student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKiss Me, Stupid (1964)
While traveling home from Vegas, an amorous lounge singer named Dino gets conned by a local mechanic/songwriter into staying in town for the night. The mechanic's songwriting partner, Orville, offers Dino his home for overnight lodging and enlists a local waitress/call girl to pose as his wife in order to placate Dino's urges.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mephisto Waltz (1971)
A frustrated pianist himself, music journalist Myles Clarkson is thrilled to interview virtuoso Duncan Ely. Duncan, however, is terminally ill and not much interested in Myles until noticing that Myles' hands are ideally suited for piano. Suddenly, he can't get enough of his new friend, and Myles' wife, Paula, becomes suspicious of Duncan's intentions. Her suspicions grow when Duncan dies and Myles mysteriously becomes a virtuoso overnight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFingers (1978)
A wanna-be concert pianist spends his days making a living by collecting debts for his Mafioso father, a lifestyle that could eventually ruin his dreams of a musical career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Secret Heaven?
The closest matches to The Secret Heaven are Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Coda (2020) and Strung (2026). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Secret Heaven?
Start with Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), the closest match to The Secret Heaven.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Secret Heaven?
Whiplash (2013), rated 7.8/10 by 447 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Secret Heaven?
Strung (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Secret Heaven?
Yes: Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Coda (2020) and Strung (2026).
How are movies similar to The Secret Heaven chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Secret Heaven, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.