Movies like 1994 (2025)
The best movies like 1994 (2025) are A (2017), The Mambo Kings (1992) and Too Late Blues (1961). If 1994 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 ratedTake the Lead (2006)6.9/10 from 768 votes
- NewestTaratata - Hommage spécial à Catherine Ringer (2026)Released 2026
A (2017)
A young alcoholic ambient musician locks himself in his apartment on a dangerous seven day bender as he attempts to finish his upcoming album.
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 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 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 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 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 thisTake the Lead (2006)
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulane.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorn to Be Blue (2015)
Jazz legend Chet Baker finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 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 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 thisMo' 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 thisSuburbia (1984)
When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeatwave (2022)
A woman's life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for her boss's wife. She must soon defend herself as she becomes entangled in a web of malice.
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 thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl in the Box (2016)
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWindrush: Movement of the People (2019)
Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Theatre’s performance of Sharon Watson’s Windrush: Movement of the People toured the UK to wide acclaim. Now captured on film and screening at LIFF 2019, the performance is the first contemporary dance work to explore the narrative of the arrival of SS Empire Windrush that brought the first Caribbean migrants to the UK. The work is a lively celebration of the rise of multicultural Britain and features an uplifting soundtrack from calypso, jazz, gospel and reggae with original music created by Christella Litras and features set and costume design by Eleanor Bull.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & drama
Ah Girl (2026)
In 1994 Singapore, a perceptive seven-year-old girl navigating the aftermath of her parents' marital dissolution faces a severe existential crisis when her erratic, estranged mother offers an unstable proposal for custody, permanently altering the child's perception of domestic normalcy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Coming SoonMovies like thisTaratata - Hommage spécial à Catherine Ringer (2026)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Death's Dice (TBA)
Stuck in his motel room, Billy's luck runs out as he tries to save his straining relationship with his daughter, stay one step ahead of the cops, and devise a plan to beat a notorious crime lord before a fate worse than death arrives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Photo for the Memories (1985)
A boy falls in love with the girl whose injuries he is responsible for...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Under Your Bed (2019)
Naoto was ignored by other people. During his school days, Chihiro was the first person who called his name. Naoto dreams of seeing her again and tries to find her. Finally, after 11 years, he locates her, but she is a totally different person now. Naoto becomes obsessed with her. Naoto sneaks into her house and stays under her bed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
La volta buona (2019)
Bartholomeo, sports attorney, lives on gimmicks and little tricks. Over the years he has wasted the many opportunities he has had, the vice of gambling has made him lose money and family and now he spends his days in the suburbs hoping to find the new Maradona. Always looking for a stroke of luck, one day he receives a phone call: in Uruguay there is a young boy, Pablito, who is a real phenomenon…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
I'm Livin' It (2020)
Once a star in his finance firm, Bowen now spends his nights in a 24-hour fast food joint, where he encounters others “roommates” who are in a similar predicament. Together these accidental roommates must strive to lift one another out of rock bottom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
90 Feet from Home (2019)
A former, troubled Major League Baseball player returns home to confront his abusive step-father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tournament 6: My City (2019)
Mr. Lee, a senior social worker, has been fed up with all sorts of social problems that cannot be resolved. He wants to resign after passing his expertise to the new comer, Candy. However, because of lack of manpower, he is asked to handle multiple special cases before he leaves, including mildly retarded Ha, Po with Down syndrome, schizophrenic Ming, Chung with serious autism and Keung with hyperactivity disorder. While Lee and Candy engage themselves in handling those difficult cases, Mrs. Lee, who has been suffering from serious mood disorder, commits suicide. Heavily blown, Lee abandons himself and decides to give up all cases. Two preachers from the church and two radio anchors are also involved indirectly into the resolving process. They have different levels of devotion and expectation on those cases. They hope to help those people in trouble to build up new understanding on the front-line social workers as well as on themselves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like 1994 and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like 1994?
The closest matches to 1994 are A (2017), The Mambo Kings (1992) and Too Late Blues (1961). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after 1994?
Start with A (2017), the closest match to 1994.
What is the highest-rated movie like 1994?
Take the Lead (2006), rated 6.9/10 by 768 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like 1994?
Taratata - Hommage spécial à Catherine Ringer (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like 1994?
Yes: A (2017), The Mambo Kings (1992) and Too Late Blues (1961).
How are movies similar to 1994 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside 1994, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.