Movies like The Bus Never Taken (2024)
The best movies like The Bus Never Taken (2024) are Mo' Better Blues (1990), Taurus (2022) and Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993). If The Bus Never Taken 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 ratedBattle of the Year (2013)6.8/10 from 369 votes
- NewestSolitary Dialogues (2026)Released 2026
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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaurus (2022)
A rising but troubled musician searches for the inspiration to record one last song, pushing himself deep into the void.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisToo Late Blues (1961)
Ghost is an ideological musician and leader of a jazz band who would rather play his blues in the park to the birds than compromise himself. His peripatetic performances lead him to cross paths with a singer, while his masculinity is thrown into question following a violent brawl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoda (2020)
A famous pianist at the twilight of his career meets a free-spirited music critic who soon becomes his rock as his mental state deteriorates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrace Unplugged (2013)
A talented young singer and aspiring songwriter’s Christian faith and family ties are tested when she defies her worship-pastor father and pursues pop-music stardom in GRACE UNPLUGGED, a moving and inspiring new film that explores the true meaning of success.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClika (2026)
Aspiring small-town musician Chito is determined to make it big. When a clip of him performing one of his songs goes viral, he seizes the opportunity and pushes to carve out a place for himself in the new wave of Mexican-American music... and ultimately gets caught in a game more dangerous than anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWild Style (1982)
Legendary New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones plays the part of Zoro, the city's hottest and most elusive graffiti writer. The actual story of the movie concerns the tension between Zoro's passion for his art and his personal life, particularly his strained relationship with fellow artist Rose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoney: Rise Up and Dance (2018)
Street dancer Skyler comes out of the shadow of her trained dancer sister, Tosha, & joins a dance competition with the Honey dance studio; the prize is a college scholarship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeats (2019)
An agoraphobic hip-hop prodigy and a disgraced former music manager cross paths in Chicago’s South Side and help each other face demons of their pasts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mambo Kings (1992)
The Mambo Kings tells the story of César and Nestor Castillo, brothers and aspiring musicians who flee from Cuba to America in search of the American Dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoneydripper (2007)
In 1950s Alabama, the owner of the Honeydripper juke joint finds his business dropping off and against his better judgment, hires a young electric guitarist in a last ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisScenes from the Suburbs (2011)
A resident of a suburban dystopia tries to reassemble his fragmented memories of life as a teen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Time for Dancing (2002)
Their love of dance, and their friendship, is challenged for two high school girls when one is diagnosed with cancer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeyond the Sea (2004)
Based on the life and career of legendary entertainer, Bobby Darin, the biopic moves back and forth between his childhood and adulthood, to tell the tale of his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNot Without Hope (2025)
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll Day and a Night (2020)
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue: The Unmade Film (2025)
When this scene is filmed, it’s six in the morning, after twilight. Soon, Hope comes back from the sea, and I’ll reveal the final scene.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Canciones para el fin del mundo (2025)
Luca, a lonely young man, has lost touch with his surroundings and with who he once was. Amid drinks, music, and dancing, he will come face to face with Daniel, with whom he will feel an instant connection. Through their conversations, he will revisit his memories while battling his own mind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
I Catch You (2021)
A short film where the voice confronts Mister Man
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dead Air (TBA)
At the funeral of his best friend, a struggling stand-up is confronted with giving a eulogy. Even worse, he has to confront the possibility of not being funny.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Iphigenia in Splott (2016)
"I wonder, just how long we are going to have to take it for? I wonder, what is going to happen when we can't take it any more?" Gary Owen's reworking of the classic Greek myth of Iphigenia is here moved to Cardiff. Effie, a typical discontented 'youth', finds herself in a situation that makes her rethink her entire life. This production, directed by Rachel O'Riordan, was captured by Digital Theatre, live at The North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford, UK. It received wide critical acclaim and features an extraordinary performance from Sophie Melville as Effie.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Rest is Flowers (2020)
Jimmy says his goodbyes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sea Wall (TBA)
A part-live/part-narrative feature incorporating performances of Simon Stephens' play starring Andrew Scott with a plot about the creation of theatre.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dad's Home (2018)
A man is reunited with his father who has been gone for more than 15 years.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Solitary Dialogues (2026)
Torn between confessing his love to Van and the fear of ruining their friendship, Aren drifts through the Parisian night. An encounter with Théo, a former lover, rekindles buried emotions and compels him to redefine the true meaning of love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Quo vadis, Meryem! (2025)
In the middle of the journey of her life, and after visiting her dying friend, Meryem start questioning her life and her love for her husband. The couple returns to the place where their story has began, to face the tragic event they've kept buried.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Bus Never Taken?
The closest matches to The Bus Never Taken are Mo' Better Blues (1990), Taurus (2022) and Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Bus Never Taken?
Start with Mo' Better Blues (1990), the closest match to The Bus Never Taken.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Bus Never Taken?
Battle of the Year (2013), rated 6.8/10 by 369 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Bus Never Taken?
Solitary Dialogues (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Bus Never Taken?
Yes: Mo' Better Blues (1990), Taurus (2022) and Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993).
How are movies similar to The Bus Never Taken chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Bus Never Taken, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.