Movies like Purple Rain (1984)
The best movies like Purple Rain (1984) are Mo' Better Blues (1990), A Star Is Born (2018) and That Thing You Do! (1996). If Purple Rain hooked you with its drama and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPink Floyd: The Wall (1982)8.0/10 from 1,733 votes
- NewestMaestro (2023)Released 2023
- Same seriesGraffiti Bridge (1990)Purple Rain
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Star Is Born (2018)
Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer — until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThat Thing You Do! (1996)
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager. But behind the scenes, the group’s sudden fame tests their strength, their maturity and responsibility, and their ability to resist the temptations that money and notoriety always make possible.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Star Is Born (1976)
Has-been singing idol John Norman Howard falls in love with young, up-and-coming songstress Esther Hoffman in Frank Pierson's version of the classic love story updated to the rock and roll era.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWalk the Line (2005)
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFame (1980)
A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBreakin' (1984)
A struggling young dancer joins forces with two breakdancers and together they become a street sensation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLa Bamba (1987)
Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob, and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrossroads (1986)
A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGraffiti Bridge (1990)
It's got that Purple Rain feeling through and though. And it's got The Kid, too! For the first time since Purple Rain, Prince is back as The Kid. And where he goes, there's music! With Thieves in the Temple, New Power Generation, Elephants and Flowers and more red-hot Prince tunes from the Platinum-selling Graffiti Bridge soundtrack. What time is it? Party time! Morris Day and the Time play Release It, Shake! and more. And you'll also see and hear George Clinton, Tevin Campbell, Robin Power, Mavis Staples and other hot performers, too. Graffiti Bridge is where the movie meets the music. Cross over on it now.
Why it matches: Same series: Purple Rain · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like this8 Mile (2002)
For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNew York, New York (1977)
An egotistical saxophone player and a young singer meet on V-J Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long uphill climb.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRay (2004)
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRocketman (2019)
The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Doors (1991)
The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet – finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMichael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films (1993)
Michael Jackson's Dangerous album once again rocketed the global superstar to mega-platinum success! "Dangerous - The Short Films" captures the visual and musical highlights of his most recent string of hit singles. As well as extensive behind the scenes profiles of the making of Michael's state of the art short films.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFootloose (1984)
When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he's living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPure Country (1992)
Dusty Chandler is a super star in the country music world, but his shows have the style of a '70s rock concert. One day he takes a walk - out of his overdone concerts to find his real country roots. He's helped and hindered by friends and staff, but pushes on in his search for a real music style as well as a real romance.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStaying Alive (1983)
Five years later, Tony Manero's Saturday Night Fever still burns. Now he's struts toward his biggest challenger yet - making it as a dancer on the Broadway stage.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Rose (1979)
Rock-and-roll singer Mary Rose Foster's romantic relationships and mental health are continuously imperilled by the demands of life on the road.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDreamgirls (2006)
A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2011)
In this film, childhood friends come face to face with the demons of rock and roll (lust, drugs, and passion) on a cross-country road trip that compels them to face their past, present, and future. Rocker Spyder, whose debut album was a huge hit saw his follow-on album bomb, causing him to retreat to his small hometown and give up. Seven years later, 27-year-old Spyder reconnects with his long-lost best friend and writer of his debut album Eric, son of a late great punk rock guitar legend, who has long settled into the sedate life of a suburban middle school music teacher. The reunion forces the two to recall their youthful ambitions and re-examine the choices they've made.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Flashdance (1983)
Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInside Llewyn Davis (2013)
In Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, gifted but volatile folk musician Llewyn Davis struggles with money, relationships, and his uncertain future.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaturday Night Fever (1977)
Tony spends his Saturdays at a disco where his stylish moves raise his popularity among the patrons. But his life outside the disco is not easy and things change when he gets attracted to Stephanie.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTimes Square (1980)
When a 13-year-old girl befriends a defiant antisocial child of the streets, the mismatched runaways set off to the Big Apple to find their own adventure.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKrush Groove (1985)
Russell Walker is a young, successful manager of rap performers, handling acts for the Krush Groove label, including Run-DMC and The Fat Boys. When Run-D.M.C. has a hit record and Russell needs more money to press more copies, he borrows it from a street hustler and soon regrets his decision.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
A troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMaestro (2023)
A towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Purple Rain?
The closest matches to Purple Rain are Mo' Better Blues (1990), A Star Is Born (2018) and That Thing You Do! (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Purple Rain?
People who watched Purple Rain most often go on to Mo' Better Blues (1990), A Star Is Born (2018) and That Thing You Do! (1996).
What is the highest-rated movie like Purple Rain?
Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), rated 8.0/10 by 1,733 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Purple Rain?
Maestro (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Is Purple Rain part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to Purple Rain, which includes Graffiti Bridge (1990).
Are there English movies like Purple Rain?
Yes: Mo' Better Blues (1990), A Star Is Born (2018) and That Thing You Do! (1996).
How are movies similar to Purple Rain chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Purple Rain, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.