Movies like Idols (2026)
The best movies like Idols (2026) are Flesh and the Devil (1926), Life in a Year (2020) and I Want You (2012). If Idols hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLife in a Year (2020)8.2/10 from 2,027 votes
- NewestMain Vaapas Aaunga (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishI Want You (2012)Also in Spanish
Flesh and the Devil (1926)
When lifelong best friends Leo and Ulrich return home after completing their military training, Leo meets the stunning Felicitas at a railway station and is mesmerized by her beauty. A scandal follows, for which Leo is sent away. Returning home three years later, he discovers that much has changed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLife in a Year (2020)
A 17 year old finds out that his girlfriend is dying, so he sets out to give her an entire life, in the last year she has left.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisI Want You (2012)
After two years away, Hache returns to Barcelona seeking a fresh start. Falling for Gin while facing unresolved feelings for Babi, he must confront love, loss, and who he's becoming.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNot Easily Broken (2009)
A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)
Clare and Aidan make a pact to break up before college — no regrets, no broken hearts. But will one epic goodbye date offer them a last chance at love?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharlie St. Cloud (2010)
Accomplished sailor Charlie St. Cloud has the adoration of his mother Claire and his little brother Sam, as well as a college scholarship that will lead him far from his sleepy Pacific Northwest hometown. But his bright future is cut short when tragedy strikes and takes his dreams with it. After high school classmate Tess returns home unexpectedly, Charlie grows torn between honoring a promise he made four years earlier and moving forward with newfound love. As he finds the courage to let go of the past for good, Charlie discovers the soul most worth saving is his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEndless Love (2014)
A privileged girl and a charismatic boy's instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Heart Knows (2025)
After a heart transplant, Manuel feels a personality shift and explores his donor's life, leading him to meet the widowed Vale and her community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Best of Me (2014)
A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntamed Heart (1993)
Caroline, a young waitress who seems to have bad taste in men, is on her way home one night when thugs attempt to rape her. Adam, the mysterious busboy who works at the same diner, helps fight off the assailants, and she begins a relationship with him -- but not all their fellow Minnesotans are happy for them. Meanwhile, the couple face their own difficulties when Caroline finds about Adam's past, including his unique health condition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNine Lives (2005)
Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Lovers (2016)
Carlos is a professionally frustrated screenwriter, and Irene is not sure what she wants to do with her life. When Irene meets Carlos at a coffee shop, she approaches him and, although she doesn't know him, proposes to play a game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfter (2019)
Tessa Young is a dedicated student, dutiful daughter and loyal girlfriend to her high school sweetheart. Entering her first semester of college, Tessa's guarded world opens up when she meets Hardin Scott, a mysterious and brooding rebel who makes her question all she thought she knew about herself -- and what she wants out of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Capture the Castle (2003)
In 1930s England, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her eccentric family struggle to survive in a decaying English castle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe Live in Time (2024)
An up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together, in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI'm in Love with a Church Girl (2013)
Miles Montego has it all - cars, boats, good looks, mansion, money, women, but more importantly, he has a past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Wild One (1953)
The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club ride into the small California town of Wrightsville, eager to raise hell. Brooding gang leader Johnny Strabler takes a liking to Kathie, the daughter of the local lawman, as another club rolls into town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
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 · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisDirt (2018)
In search of a lifeline for his struggling off road racing team, a man takes on a young car thief looking for a second chance, but as their worlds collide, they must struggle to forge a successful alliance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBefore I Fall (2017)
Samantha Kingston has everything. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, she wakes up with no future at all. Trapped into reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her life really was.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMain Vaapas Aaunga (2026)
Haunted by a childhood romance and recollections of love lost during the 1947 Partition of India, 95-year-old Ishar Singh Grewal shares his story with his grandson Nirvair, the past unfolding through memories of migration, longing, and a romance that endures across generations.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
One Night (2021)
A single night tells the story of Lucía (Emilia Attias), a 36-year-old woman who has just separated from her partner, and on a failed trip to New York she meets Horacio (Naim Sibara), a man who seems to have lived all his life. in order. These strangers will spend the last night of the year together and during the evening, they will reach an agreement in which both of them must open their hearts with the truth without any lies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
So the Lovers Could Come Out Again (TBA)
Perched in a tower high above Beirut where they monitor the world below through their sniper lenses, two soldiers in the Lebanese civil war find love in their watchful seclusion. The film sketches a humanistic portrayal of two men in love at war and the fragile and violent circumstances that allow them to stay together.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings (2024)
Let BOYS ON FILM move, inspire and uplift you with this stunning collection of 11 new gay short films, marking the final physical edition of the series. The 11 short films are: We Collide (2023); Firsts (2022); Sea Sparkles [Noctilucas] (2022); Aloof [מנגד] (2020); The Rev (2021); Prelude [Preludio] (2019); Beautiful Stranger (2021); You Like That (2023); Thursday, Friday, Saturday [Jeudi, vendredi, samedi] (2021); The Unknown Man [L'homme inconnu] (2021); S.A.M. (2020).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Enfrentados: Ébano (TBA)
Marfil Cortés, kidnapped and released, is forced to work as a bodyguard by her father. Despite initial clashes, they develop an irremediable attraction. Returning to Spain, they face increasing threats and must navigate a world where no one is who they say they are.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
The River Why (2010)
A young man abandons his family for a solitary life of fly-fishing. His goal was to find his own way in the fishing world and thereby find himself and love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Walk to Remember (TBA)
A rebellious high school senior falls for a quiet, faith-driven girl after being forced to participate in a school play, discovering the transformative power of love, forgiveness and the beauty of living each day with purpose.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (2025)
Many have heard of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary artist from the 70s and 80s. But some may not know that his mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was also a legend in her own right, as a women's rights activist unabashedly pushing for equality in Nigeria at a time when people weren't having those conversations. "Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti" the film emerges as a new vivid exploration of Ransome-Kuti's journey. From growing up and learning about the importance of education, to her groundbreaking step in becoming the first girl to attend Abeokuta Grammar School at just 13, going to London and then becoming emboldened to return to Nigeria to step into her role as an educator and organizer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
This Is What Happy Looks Like (TBA)
Teenage movie star Graham Larkin mistakenly emails small-town girl Ellie O’Neill about his pet pig, sparking a witty and anonymous online correspondence. When Graham discovers Ellie’s hometown is ideal for his latest film, he aims to transition their connection from virtual to real life. However, the challenge arises as Graham, a renowned celebrity, tries to navigate a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie, who is determined to avoid media attention at any cost.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Finding Together (2021)
Eddie and Byron began their relationship just before COVID-19, but quarantine forces them to face distance, work stress, and the big question: will living together work? A tender and honest LGBTQ+ story, perfect for those who believe in love... even in the toughest times.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Like Idols and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Idols?
The closest matches to Idols are Flesh and the Devil (1926), Life in a Year (2020) and I Want You (2012). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Idols?
Start with Flesh and the Devil (1926), the closest match to Idols.
What is the highest-rated movie like Idols?
Life in a Year (2020), rated 8.2/10 by 2,027 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Idols?
Main Vaapas Aaunga (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Idols?
Yes: I Want You (2012), The Heart Knows (2025) and Our Lovers (2016).
How are movies similar to Idols chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Idols, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.