Movies like Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story (2025)

Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B (2014)

The story of R&B singer and actress Aaliyah; namely, the highs and lows of her career, her romantic pursuits, and the events leading up to her death in 2001 at the age of 22.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

Cadillac Records (2008)

The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & music

All Eyez on Me (2017)

All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row Records. Against insurmountable odds, Tupac rose to become a cultural icon whose career and persona both continue to grow long after his passing.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & music

Confirmation (2016)

Judge Clarence Thomas' nomination to the United States' Supreme Court is called into question when former colleague, Anita Hill, testifies that he had sexually harassed her.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

Oslo (2021)

The true story of negotiations between implacable enemies — the secret back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis, Palestinians and one Norwegian couple that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

I Called Him Morgan (2016)

Part jazz history, part true-crime tale, Kasper Collin’s new documentary employs extensive archival footage and new interviews to tell the tragic story of the magnificently talented trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen, who murdered him in a New York bar in 1972.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

Blaze (2018)

Inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw country movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. The film weaves together three periods in Blaze's life, exploring his love affair with Sybil Rosen; his last, dark night on Earth; and the impact his songs and his death had on his fans, friends, and foes.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

Bessie (2015)

The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

Selena (1997)

In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

Lemonade (2016)

The second "visual album" (a collection of short films) by Beyoncé, this time around she takes a piercing look at racial issues and feminist concepts through a sexualized, satirical, and solemn tone.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

Against the Wall (1994)

In 1971, a warden at Attica Penitentiary is caught up in a hostage crisis when inmates take over the prison to demand better living conditions.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (2018)

Comedians and writers Steve Martin and Martin Short perform a live comedy set with music by The Steep Canyon Rangers and jazz pianist, Jeff Babko, at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

Notorious (2009)

"Notorious" is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers of all time: The Notorious B.I.G. Follow his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectations - redefining our notion of "The American Dream."

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

Get On Up (2014)

A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

Miles Ahead (2016)

An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)

The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers as the female Christ.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & music

Recount (2008)

In 2000, the election of the U.S. Presidential boiled down to a few precious votes in the state of Florida — and a recount that would add "hanging chad" to every American's vocabulary.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

Chevalier (2023)

The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Joseph Bologne rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette and her court.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé (2019)

This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

Hairspray Live! (2016)

A teenage girl living in Baltimore in the early 1960s dreams of appearing on a popular TV dance show.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

Judy (2019)

Thirty years after starring in 'The Wizard of Oz', beloved actress and singer Judy Garland arrives in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub. While there, she reminisces with friends and fans and begins a whirlwind romance with musician Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & music

Barbara ou ma plus belle histoire d'amour (1973)

In the early 70s, Barbara discovered herself backstage on her French tour. The artist plays with intimacy and camera glances. Between concerts, she talks to herself and the men in her life.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music

Gandhi, My Father (2007)

Unable to live in his father's gigantic shadow, Mahatma Gandhi's eldest son, Harilal, gets distraught and resorts to alcoholism.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

Historia de un director idiota (2010)

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

Gie (2005)

Indonesian activist Soe Hok Gie experiences a political awakening during the tumultuous regimes of Soeharto and Soekarno.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

Muñiz, The Argentinian In The Algerian Revolution (2020)

Roberto Muniz, nicknamed "Mahmoud the Argentinian," was a revolutionary fighter who joined the National Liberation Army in 1959 to support the Algerian cause in the war of independence against France. He joined a clandestine group that manufactured weapons and ammunition to be transported to Algeria to support the revolution that began in 1954. After the war, the Algerian government invited the mujahid to stay, an offer he accepted to begin a new life as an employee of Sonnelgaz and a member of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA), accompanied by his wife Alfonsa, a textile union activist who came from Argentina to join this North African adventure.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

Nostradamus IV (1944)

This Carey Wilson Miniature takes a further look at prophecies by 16th century seer Nostradamus.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

Lili Elbe (2023)

The painter Lili Elbe was the first person to have gender confirmation surgery in the 1930s. The homonymous opera is a glimpse into the life of Lili Elbe and her wife Gerda Wegener (also a famous painter) through Lili's transition at a time when such surgery was still completely uncharted territory.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music

Gypsy (1962)

Gypsy's mother Rose dreams of a life in show business for her daughters, but Louise becomes a huge burlesque star. Stage musical loosely based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music

Big George Foreman (2023)

Fueled by an impoverished childhood, George Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit. But when he sees his community struggling spiritually and financially, Foreman returns to the ring and makes history by reclaiming his title, becoming the oldest and most improbable World Heavyweight Boxing Champion ever.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history