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Movies like I Want My MTV

The best movies like I Want My MTV are Respect (2021), Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert (2010) and All Eyez on Me (2017). If I Want My MTV hooked you with its history and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Respect (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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert (2010)

    This concert, recorded to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the landmark musical Les Miserables, gathers the casts of the show's 2010 original production at the Queen's Theatre, the 1985 original production by the London company, and the 2010 production at the Barbican together for one performance. Together with talents like Michael Ball, Hadley Fraser, and John Owen-Jones, the performers present the play's musical numbers in a semi-theatrical style, fully costumed and with all the emotion of the musical's heyday.

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

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  3. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. 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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999)

    What was a cunning plan from Lord Edmund Blackadder V to fake a time machine on his gullibly incompetent friends, turns out to be the real thing and hurls him and his imbecile underling, Baldrick, through the course of human history.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)

    Bruce Springsteen, a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. The Luckiest Man in America (2025)

    1984; Michael Larson, an unemployed ice-cream truck driver from Ohio, steps onto the game show "Press Your Luck" harboring a secret: the key to endless amounts of money. But his winning streak is threatened when the executives in the control room start to uncover his real motivations.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. Spin (2021)

    Rhea discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her. Her life revolves around her eclectic group of friends, her after-school coding club, her family’s Indian restaurant and her tight-knit, multigenerational family. Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max, and her long-lost fervor for music is re-ignited. Rhea discovers that she has a natural gift for creating beats and producing music but must find the courage to follow her true inner talent.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Game Change (2012)

    During the Republican run of the 2008 Presidential election, candidate John McCain picks a relative unknown, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, to be his running mate. As the campaign kicks into high gear, her lack of experience, in both political and media savvy, becomes a drain upon McCain and his strategists.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Richard Jewell (2019)

    Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime by sloppy FBI work and sensational media coverage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)

    The story of the rise and fall of the Pre-Fab Four.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Goltzius & the Pelican Company (2012)

    Hendrik Goltzius, a late-16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints, seduces the Margrave of Alsace into paying for a printing press to make and publish illustrated books.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)

    John Mulaney and his kid pals tackle existential topics for all ages with catchy songs, comedy sketches and special guests in a nostalgic variety special.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Clika (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

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  18. The Wiz Live! (2015)

    Winner of 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Wiz was a massive Broadway hit which spawned a dismal feature film starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Executive Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have assembled a Tony-winning creative team, the imaginative Cirque du Soleil Theatrical and a diverse cast of showstoppers designed to create an eye-popping new take on the musical unlike anything ever seen.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. The Dirt (2019)

    The story of Mötley Crüe and their rise from the Sunset Strip club scene of the early 1980s to superstardom.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Animal Crackers (1930)

    The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. Raazi (2018)

    An Indian spy is married to a Pakistani military officer during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  22. 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

  23. Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)

    Tsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  24. Giant (2026)

    Follows Prince Naseem Hamed from his humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership, Naz’s unorthodox style, cocky persona, and sheer dominance in the ring propelled them to the top of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of ’80s and 90’s Britain.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  25. When Liberty Burns (2020)

    An in-depth analysis on the 40th Anniversary of the life and untimely death of Arthur Lee McDuffie at the hands of Miami Dade police officers.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

  26. Ivanhoe (1982)

    Ivanhoe, a worthy and noble knight, the champion of justice returns to England after the holy wars, and finds England under the reign of Prince John and his henchmen and finds himself being involved in the power-struggle for the throne of England.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. 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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  28. Shout at the Devil (1976)

    During World War One an English adventurer, an American elephant poacher and the latter's attractive young daughter, set out to destroy a German battle-cruiser which is awaiting repairs in an inlet just off Zanzibar. The story is based on a novel by Wilbur Smith, which in turn is very loosely based on events involving the light cruiser SMS Königsberg, which was sunk after taking refuge in Rufigi delta in 1915.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  29. Beloved (1998)

    After Paul D. finds his old slave friend Sethe in Ohio and moves in with her and her daughter Denver, a strange girl comes along by the name of "Beloved". Sethe and Denver take her in and then strange things start to happen...

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

  30. October Sky (1999)

    The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history

    Worth the HypeMovies like this

Like I Want My MTV and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like I Want My MTV?

The closest matches to I Want My MTV are Respect (2021), Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert (2010) and All Eyez on Me (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after I Want My MTV?

Start with Respect (2021), the closest match to I Want My MTV.

What is the highest-rated movie like I Want My MTV?

October Sky (1999), rated 7.7/10 by 1,530 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like I Want My MTV?

Clika (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like I Want My MTV?

Yes: Respect (2021), Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert (2010) and All Eyez on Me (2017).

How are movies similar to I Want My MTV chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside I Want My MTV, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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