Movies like Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (1935)
The best movies like Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (1935) are Battle of the Year (2013), Clika (2026) and Honey: Rise Up and Dance (2018). If Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life 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 ratedCadillac Records (2008)7.1/10 from 496 votes
- NewestClika (2026)Released 2026
Battle 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 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 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 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 thisTeen Spirit (2019)
A shy teenager living on the Isle of Wight dreams of pop stardom. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a singing competition that will test her integrity, talent, and ambition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
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 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 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Late Quartet (2012)
When the beloved cellist of a world-renowned string quartet is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, the group's future suddenly hangs in the balance as suppressed emotions, competing egos and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration. As they are about to play their 25th anniversary concert — quite possibly their last — only their intimate bond and the power of music can preserve their legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGood Vibrations (2012)
The story of music legend Terri Hooley, a key figure in Belfast's punk rock scene. Hooley founded the Good Vibrations store from which a record label sprung, representing bands such as The Undertones, Rudi and The Outcasts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
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 thisYou Got Served (2004)
At Mr. Rad's Warehouse, the best hip-hop crews in Los Angeles compete for money and respect. But when a suburban crew crashes the party, stealing their dancers — and their moves — two warring friends have to pull together to represent the street.
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 thisPatti Cake$ (2017)
Straight out of Jersey comes Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, an aspiring rapper fighting through a world of strip malls and strip clubs on an unlikely quest for glory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJailhouse Rock (1957)
Young convict Vince Everett, serving time for manslaughter, discovers his musical talent in prison and becomes a rock and roll star after his release, navigating fame and relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
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 thisXOXO (2016)
XOXO follows six strangers whose lives collide in one frenetic, dream-chasing, hopelessly romantic night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMake Mine Music (1946)
In the tradition of Fantasia, Make Mine Music is a glorious collection of musically charged animated shorts featuring such fun-filled favorites as "Peter and the Wolf", narrated by the beloved voice behind Winnie the Pooh. In addition you'll enjoy such classic cartoon hits as "Casey at the Bat," "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" and "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisJazzman (2019)
A documentary about a life dedicated to jazz, as told by Velibor Pedevski, who has been living among a dynamic New York crowd for over a quarter of a century. Pedevski brings a unique perspective on the historical events surrounding the creative phenomenon of jazz. One of the most prestigious and important of all American cultural exports, jazz has conquered the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Norman Granz’ Jazz in Montreaux presents Ella and Basie '79—"The Perfect Match" (1979)
The two musical masters swing out.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Jazz Icons: Oscar Peterson Live in '63, '64 & '65 (2008)
Oscar Peterson is accompanied by the stellar duo of bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen for each concert performance. This is the classic Oscar Peterson Trio, considered by many to be the best Oscar Peterson Band ever. Oscar and the trio collaborate with trumpeters Clark Terry (Finland'65) and Roy Eldridge (Sweden'63) and re-create some of the excitement and fun of the Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) tours. Among the many highlights in this collection are the Oscar and vocalist-trumpeter Clark Terry collaboration on the ever-popular Mumbles ,and for the first time on commercial video, an Oscar Peterson Trio rendition of Tonight from his award-winning West Side Story album.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Suburban Girl (2007)
Publishing assistant Brett Eisenberg wants to be a big-time editor. However, she lacks self-confidence, a problem that isn't helped by her new, overbearing boss. Brett soon enters into a relationship with Archie, an older man who has plenty of his own issues, including alcoholism, diabetes and a difficult relationship with his daughter. Intent on helping Archie get past his problems, she turns to her dying father for advice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisCrimson Unveiled (TBA)
Haunted by guilt and recurring dreams of a mesmerizing jazz singer, Paul, a grieving widower, is drawn into a mysterious cinema where he must confront the passion he’s long suppressed and choose whether to remain trapped in regret or be reborn in truth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Spaceways (1968)
A music documentary made with Sun Ra.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Shadows (1960)
The relationship between Lelia, a light-skinned black woman, and Tony, a white man is put in jeopardy when Tony meets Lelia’s darker-skinned jazz singer brother, Hugh, and discovers that her racial heritage is not what he thought it was.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Film About Kids and Music. Sant Andreu Jazz Band (2013)
A Film About Kids and Music is a project arising from a music class. Conducted by Joan Chamorro, the big band brings together children between 6 and 18 years old, around a classic jazz repertoire with lots of swing, which gained the public’s attention and sold-out some of the most important music auditoriums in Spain.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
A Song For My Father (TBA)
A Song For My Father is a six-minute poetic documentary that examines grief and the complicated relationship we develop with the things that once connected us to the people we’ve lost. After the sudden death of their musician father, filmmaker Shona Buschlen and her younger brother Eddie, a jazz trumpet player, return to a performance space where their father once played. In the early stages of grief, music becomes difficult to hear, no longer comforting but a reminder of absence. Over time, these feelings begin to shift. Through archival recordings of their father’s bass and live trumpet improvisations by Eddie, the film creates a call and answer across time, tracing how sound becomes a way to sit with grief rather than escape it. Blending voiceover, childhood footage, and sound-driven editing, A Song For My Father explores grief not as something to be resolved, but as something lived with, where healing comes from allowing yourself to feel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Cecil Taylor: All The Notes (2005)
Cecil Taylor was the grand master of free jazz piano. "All the Notes" captures in breezy fashion the unconventional stance of this media-shy modern musical genius, regarded as one of the true giants of post-war music. Seated at his beloved and battered piano in his Brooklyn brownstone the maestro holds court with frequent stentorian pronouncements on life, art and music.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life?
The closest matches to Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life are Battle of the Year (2013), Clika (2026) and Honey: Rise Up and Dance (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life?
Start with Battle of the Year (2013), the closest match to Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life.
What is the highest-rated movie like Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life?
Cadillac Records (2008), rated 7.1/10 by 496 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life?
Clika (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life?
Yes: Battle of the Year (2013), Clika (2026) and Honey: Rise Up and Dance (2018).
How are movies similar to Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.