Movies like Sparkle (2023)
The best movies like Sparkle (2023) are Cowboys (2020), Light of My Life (2019) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). If Sparkle hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLove, Simon (2018)8.0/10 from 6,376 votes
- NewestLegend of the White Dragon (2026)Released 2026
Cowboys (2020)
Troy and his young transgender son Joe are on the run from his conservative mother in the Montana wilderness, with a detective in hot pursuit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLight of My Life (2019)
Years after a pandemic wipes out most of the female population, a father struggles to shield his daughter from a dangerous and predatory world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned, a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane, a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou's past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOld Dads (2023)
A cranky middle-aged dad and his two best friends find themselves out of step in a changing world of millennial CEOs and powerful preschool principals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Object of My Affection (1998)
A pregnant New York social worker begins to develop romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and decides she'd rather raise her child with him, much to the dismay of her overbearing boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeartstopper Forever (2026)
It's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFatherhood (2021)
A widowed new dad copes with doubts, fears, heartache and dirty diapers as he sets out to raise his daughter on his own. Inspired by a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDavid and Lisa (1962)
Teenager David Clemens develops a hysterical fear that he will die if he comes into physical contact with another person. Perturbed, David's overbearing mother places him in a home for mentally disturbed young people, but David remains withdrawn from the other patients and his psychiatrist. Over time, however, David grows interested in 15-year-old Lisa, who suffers from multiple personalities – one who can only speak in rhyme, and the other, a mute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMartian Child (2007)
A recently-widowed science fiction writer considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6-year-old abandoned and socially-rejected boy who says he's really from Mars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing of California (2007)
Charlie gets released from an insane asylum and moves in with Miranda, the young daughter he left behind. Charlie believes that there is treasure hidden beneath the local Costco, so he puts together a plan to unearth the loot. By convincing Miranda to quit her job at McDonald's and instead work at the wholesale store, he is able to obtain a key. Although Miranda is skeptical, she helps her father with his irrational quest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnly the Lonely (1991)
Danny Muldoon, a Chicago policeman, still lives with his overbearing mother Rose. He meets and falls in love with Theresa Luna, whose father owns the local funeral parlour. Naturally, his mother objects to the relationship, and Danny and Theresa must either overcome her objections or give up the romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegend of the White Dragon (2026)
Forced to hide in the shadows, fugitive hero Erik Reed must clear his name to reunite with his family. Standing in his way is a mysterious villain obsessed with destroying the White Dragon for good.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red (2023)
The Avengers gather to celebrate their latest victory, but their celebration is quickly interrupted by the mysterious disappearance of Black Widow's father, Red Guardian. As the Avengers investigate, they discover that Red Guardian isn't the only one missing when they meet a dangerous new foe quite unlike anything they've ever encountered before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTortilla Soup (2001)
A Mexican-American master chef and father to three daughters has lost his taste for food but not for life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBionicle 3: Web of Shadows (2005)
The Toa Metru return to their glorious city of Metru Nui to finally accomplish their mission, only to find the city in ruins, overrun by the dreaded Visorak horde. Captured by their new enemy and transformed into hideous Toa Hordika, our heroes must find a figure out of myth to be cured of their mutations and fulfill their destiny before the beast within overtakes them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLove, Simon (2018)
Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it's a little more complicated. He hasn't told his family or friends that he's gay, and he doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he's fallen for online.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLeviticus (2026)
Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most: each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisR.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead (2025)
When his brother disappears and everyone forgets he existed, Sam must unravel the mystery before Finn is gone forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sparkle?
The closest matches to Sparkle are Cowboys (2020), Light of My Life (2019) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sparkle?
Start with Cowboys (2020), the closest match to Sparkle.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sparkle?
Love, Simon (2018), rated 8.0/10 by 6,376 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sparkle?
Legend of the White Dragon (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Sparkle?
Yes: Cowboys (2020), Light of My Life (2019) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
How are movies similar to Sparkle chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sparkle, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.