Movies like Smile (2017)
The best movies like Smile (2017) are Howard (2018), Beat Street (1984) and Britney: For the Record (2008). If Smile hooked you with its music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGhosts (1997)8.1/10 from 305 votes
- NewestOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)Released 2026
Howard (2018)
Though legendary lyricist Howard Ashman died far too young, his impact on Broadway, movies, and the culture at large were incalculable. Told entirely through rare archival footage and interviews with Ashman’s family, friends, associates, and longtime partner Bill Lauch, Howard is an intimate tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent and a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeat Street (1984)
An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBritney: For the Record (2008)
An introspective documentary which chronicles pop music queen Britney Spears' return to the spotlight after her much-publicized professional and personal struggles. Honest, raw and revealing, the one-hour special shares some of Spears' most intimate moments in the span of 60 days, and gives fans an inside look at Britney in the recording studio and on set filming the music videos for one of music's most triumphant comebacks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBreakin' (1984)
A struggling young dancer joins forces with two breakdancers and together they become a street sensation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011)
Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnima (2019)
In a short musical film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Thom Yorke of Radiohead stars in a mind-bending visual piece. Best played loud.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)
The story of the triumphs and hurdles of brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb, otherwise known as the Bee Gees. The iconic trio, who found early fame in the 1960s, went on to write over 1,000 songs and have 20 No. 1 hits throughout their career, transcending more than five decades of changing tastes and styles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGlee: The Concert Movie (2011)
A concert documentary shot during the Glee Live! In Concert! summer 2011 tour, featuring song performances and fans' life stories and how the show influenced them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) (2022)
Grammy® winner singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo takes a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her debut album “SOUR,” to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album and shares her feelings as a young woman navigating a specific time in her life. Through new live arrangements of her songs, intimate interviews and never-before-seen footage from the making of the album, audiences will follow Olivia along on a cinematic journey exploring the story of “SOUR.”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHappier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles (2021)
Fresh off the heels of her brand-new album, "Happier Than Ever," this cinematic concert experience features an intimate performance of every song in the album's sequential order – for the first and only time – from the stage of the legendary Hollywood Bowl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLet It Shine (2012)
A teenage rapper must use his musical talent to help a friend and win the girl of his dreams while overcoming self-doubt and the expectations of his strict religious parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvicii: True Stories (2017)
Documentary about the arena-packing Swedish DJ, chronicling his explosive rise to fame and surprising decision to retire from live performances in 2016.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWestern Stars (2019)
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMichael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
A compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStep Up (2006)
Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhosts (1997)
In the town of Normal Valley, an eccentric magician named Maestro entertains the local children every day in his spooky mansion. One stormy night, the town's mayor leads a group of angry citizens to the mansion in an attempt to run Maestro out of town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStep Up 2: The Streets (2008)
When rebellious street dancer Andie West lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the school's hottest dancer, Chase Collins, to form a crew of fellow outcasts to compete in Baltimore's underground dance battle The Streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDrumline (2002)
A talented street drummer from Harlem enrolls in a Southern university, expecting to lead its marching band's drumline to victory. He initially flounders in his new world, before realizing that it takes more than talent to reach the top.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisParamore: Austin City Limits Music Festival 2022 (2022)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Tobe Nwigwe - MonuMINTal: The Movie (2021)
Experience The MonuMINTal Tour exclusive playback stream video on demand. This tour was a culmination of all the monuMINTal moMINTs that led up to this experience. From new life, be-it babies, new opportunities, be-it the movie Transformers, collaborating with Beyonce, the NBA, and being nominated for Emmys. It's a collection of all of the moMINTs that have brought us to this specific moMINT in time. This was the only time that we were outside with our cousins since 2019 and this is the exclusive movie to forever commemorate this monuMINTal moMINT!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Pen Jakke - Live i Trondheim November 2000 (TBA)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
bbno$ Australia Tour Documentary (2026)
Documentary of bbno$’s concert tour through Australia and New Zealand
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
BAD I+II (1992)
A collection of music videos by Big Audio Dynamite. Featuring videos for The Bottom Line, E=MC^2, Medicine Show, C'mon Every Beatbox, V-Thirteen, Sightsee M.C!, Just Play Music, James Brown, Contact, Rush, and The Globe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Back to the Closet (2025)
After accidentally coming out of the closet, Deena must undo her mistake through the only logical method: time travel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Antilopen Gang - Der große Punkrock Schwindel (2025)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Freddie Mercury the Video Collection (2000)
Freddie Mercury lives again in this compilation of his best solo material. Included are the live and studio versions of 'Barcelona', Freddie's smash hit rendition of 'The Great Pretender' and 'Living On My Own'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Days of Happiness (2023)
Emma, a talented conductor and rising star on the Montreal scene, has a complicated relationship with her father and agent Patrick. She has to face up to her emotions and decide whether she wants to successfully combine her career with her love affair with Naëlle, a recently separated cellist and mother of a young son.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Like Smile and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Smile?
The closest matches to Smile are Howard (2018), Beat Street (1984) and Britney: For the Record (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Smile?
Start with Howard (2018), the closest match to Smile.
What is the highest-rated movie like Smile?
Ghosts (1997), rated 8.1/10 by 305 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Smile?
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Smile?
Yes: Howard (2018), Beat Street (1984) and Britney: For the Record (2008).
How are movies similar to Smile chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Smile, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.