Movies like Chains (1982)
The best movies like Chains (1982) are Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (1989), The Boys in the Band (1970) and 21 & Over (2013). If Chains hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedmid90s (2018)7.5/10 from 1,900 votes
- Newest72 HOURS (2026)Released 2026
Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (1989)
In the sixties, Eddie and the Cruisers were the hottest band around. But the tragic death of its lead singer broke the band up...only Eddie is not dead. He works as a carpenter in Montreal, but his love of music forces him to create a new band which will have to struggle with its anonymity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boys in the Band (1970)
Harold is celebrating a birthday, and his friend Michael has drafted some other friends to help commemorate the event. As the evening progresses, an unexpected guest shows up, the alcohol flows, the knives come out, and dormant and unspoken emotions are unleashed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this21 & Over (2013)
Brilliant student Jeff Chang has the most important interview of his life tomorrow. But today is still his birthday, what starts off as a casual celebration with friends evolves into a night of debauchery that risks to derail his life plan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisEddie and the Cruisers (1983)
A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader — Eddie Wilson — may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this72 HOURS (2026)
To save his career, a 40-year-old ad exec joins a crew of twentysomethings for a wild Miami bachelor party after they mistakenly add him to a group chat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEddie Izzard: Definite Article (1996)
Eddie arrives on stage through a huge book which opens to reveal herself sitting at the top of a staircase. Then discusses Caesar dog food, 24 hour garages, Latin, and winds her way through James Bond gadgets, Einstein and Pavlov.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGloria Bell (2019)
Gloria is a free-spirited divorcée who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. After meeting Arnold on a night out, she finds herself thrust into an unexpected new romance, filled with both the joys of budding love and the complications of dating, identity, and family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMe Time (2022)
With his family away, a devoted stay-at-home dad enjoys his first me time in years by joining his hard-partying old friend on a wild birthday adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSLC Punk (1998)
Two former geeks become 1980s punks, then party and go to concerts while deciding what to do with their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGirl Asleep (2015)
The world is closing in on Greta Driscoll. On the cusp of turning fifteen, she can’t bear to leave her childhood; it contains all the things that give her comfort in an incomprehensible new world. She floats in a bubble of loserdom with her only friend, Elliott, until her parents throw her a surprise fifteenth birthday party and she’s flung into a parallel place—a world that’s weirdly erotic, a little bit violent, and thoroughly ludicrous. Only there can she find herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIncoming (2024)
Their first week of high school. The biggest party of the year. Mistakes will be made as four teenage boys navigate a night of mayhem and debauchery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)
The now estranged bandmates of Spinal Tap are forced to reunite for one final concert, hoping it will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrown Ups (2010)
After their high school basketball coach passes away, five good friends and former teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)
Aging sidekick Lefty Brown has ridden with Eddie Johnson his entire life. But when a rustler kills Eddie, Lefty is forced from his partner’s shadow and must confront the ugly realities of frontier justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFanboys (2009)
In 1999, Star Wars fanatics take a cross-country trip to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch so their dying friend can see a screening of The Phantom Menace before its release.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHouse Party (1990)
Young Kid has been invited to a party at his friend Play's house. But after a fight at school, Kid's father grounds him. None the less, Kid sneaks out when his father falls asleep. But Kid doesn't know that three of the thugs at school have decided to give him a lesson in behavior.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this24 Hour Party People (2002)
Manchester, 1976. Tony Wilson is an ambitious but frustrated local TV news reporter looking for a way to make his mark. After witnessing a life-changing concert by a band known as the Sex Pistols, he persuades his station to televise one of their performances, and soon Manchester's punk groups are clamoring for him to manage them. Riding the wave of a musical revolution, Wilson and his friends create the legendary Factory Records label and The Hacienda club.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thismid90s (2018)
In 1990s Los Angeles, a 13-year-old spends his summer navigating between a troubled home life and a crew of new friends he meets at a skate shop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWild Hogs (2007)
Restless and ready for an adventure, four suburban bikers leave the safety of their subdivision and head out on the open road. But complications ensue when they cross paths with an intimidating band of New Mexico bikers known as the Del Fuegos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisValley Girl (1983)
Julie, a girl from the valley, meets Randy, a punk from the city. They are from different worlds and find love. Somehow they need to stay together in spite of her trendy, shallow friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Chains?
The closest matches to Chains are Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (1989), The Boys in the Band (1970) and 21 & Over (2013). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Chains?
Start with Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (1989), the closest match to Chains.
What is the highest-rated movie like Chains?
mid90s (2018), rated 7.5/10 by 1,900 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Chains?
72 HOURS (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Chains?
Yes: Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (1989), The Boys in the Band (1970) and 21 & Over (2013).
How are movies similar to Chains chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Chains, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.