Movies like Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
The best movies like Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) are Nashville (1975), Great Balls of Fire! (1989) and Sweet Dreams (1985). If Coal Miner's Daughter hooked you with its music and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBohemian Rhapsody (2018)7.9/10 from 18,225 votes
- NewestWhitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)Released 2022
Nashville (1975)
The intersecting stories of twenty-four characters—from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress—and their connection through the music business in Nashville, Tennessee.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGreat Balls of Fire! (1989)
The story of Jerry Lee Lewis, arguably the greatest and certainly one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s. His arrogance, remarkable talent, and unconventional lifestyle often brought him into conflict with others in the industry, and even earned him the scorn and condemnation of the public.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSweet Dreams (1985)
The story of Patsy Cline, the velvet-voiced country music singer who died in a tragic plane crash at the height of her fame.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNashville Girl (1976)
A Kentucky-born maiden realizes her dream of becoming a country music star. However, she discovers that her single-minded determination has caused her to lose things far more precious than fame or money when she gets involved with a group of corrupt music executives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
The Thing Called Love (1993)
A group of newcomers to the country music business seek love and stardom.
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 thisTender Mercies (1983)
Alcoholic former country singer Mac Sledge makes friends with a young widow and her son. The friendship enables him to find inspiration to resume his career.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
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 thisWhat's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
Singer Tina Turner rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWheeler (2017)
The story of an aspiring musician from Kaufman, Texas who travels to Nashville with the lifelong dream of trying his hand at country music. By embodying the title character under prosthetic make up, actor Stephen Dorff successfully infiltrates Music City and takes his character on an authentic singer / songwriter journey. With the help of key allies on the ground, "Wheeler" converses with real people in real locations, with every musical number performed live. The line between reality and fiction blurs as Wheeler chases his dream in this touching tribute to old school country legends.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Ray (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 thisBlaze (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: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Prairie Home Companion (2006)
A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHonkytonk Man (1982)
During the Great Depression, a young boy leaves his family's Oklahoma farm to travel with his country musician uncle who is trying out for the Grand Ole Opry.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
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 thisCountry Strong (2010)
Soon after the rising young singer-songwriter Beau Williams gets involved with a fallen, emotionally unstable country star Kelly Canter, the pair embark on a career resurrection tour helmed by her husband/manager James and featuring a beauty queen-turned-singer Chiles Stanton. Between concerts, romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBound for Glory (1976)
A biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, discovering the suffering and strength of America's working class.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Buddy Holly Story (1978)
A chronicle of the rise and brief career of rock 'n' roll star Buddy Holly, who aspires to play music the way he wants it to sound. Holly and his band, the Crickets, are first invited to record in Nashville, where they encounter creative differences with the producing staff. Later they play a major booking at the Apollo Theater, scheduled there under the mistaken assumption that they're a black band. Holly's career eventually goes solo -- until the tragic day the music dies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRespect (2021)
The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSelena (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: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisWhitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCadillac 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: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGet 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: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisSparkle (1976)
Three sisters start out singing in their church choir in Harlem in the late 1950s and become a successful girl group in the 1960s.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Yellow Rose (2020)
Rose, a 17-year-old Filipino-American teenager from Texas, dreams of becoming a country music icon. She has to fend for herself when her mother is arrested by ICE, and must choose between following her dreams without her mother or leaving her passions behind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Pure Country: Pure Heart (2017)
For Ada and Piper Spencer, singing is as natural as breathing. Blessed with talent and determination, these sisters hope to fulfill their dream of performing on the stages of Nashville. But there's a family secret the girls never knew.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Frances (1982)
The true story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Coal Miner's Daughter?
The closest matches to Coal Miner's Daughter are Nashville (1975), Great Balls of Fire! (1989) and Sweet Dreams (1985). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Coal Miner's Daughter?
People who watched Coal Miner's Daughter most often go on to Nashville (1975), Great Balls of Fire! (1989) and Sweet Dreams (1985).
What is the highest-rated movie like Coal Miner's Daughter?
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), rated 7.9/10 by 18,225 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Coal Miner's Daughter?
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Coal Miner's Daughter?
Yes: Nashville (1975), Great Balls of Fire! (1989) and Sweet Dreams (1985).
How are movies similar to Coal Miner's Daughter chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Coal Miner's Daughter, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.