Movies like Honeysuckle Rose (1980)
The best movies like Honeysuckle Rose (1980) are Tender Mercies (1983), Pure Country (1992) and Songwriter (1984). If Honeysuckle Rose 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 ratedCrossroads (1986)7.4/10 from 504 votes
- NewestRuth & Boaz (2025)Released 2025
Tender 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 thisSongwriter (1984)
Doc Jenkins may be one of country music's most beloved stars, but his private life is a wreck. He's split up with his longtime partner, Blackie Buck, a country outlaw with a heart of gold. Doc's singer-wife, Honey Carder, has thrown him out of the house. And now he's gotten involved with a sleazy music manager, Rodeo Rocky, who's out to steal his material. Teaming up with Blackie, Doc takes drastic measures to win back his family and reclaim his songs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
The 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 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 thisCrossroads (1986)
A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBronco Billy (1980)
An idealistic, modern-day cowboy struggles to keep his Wild West show afloat in the face of hard luck and waning interest.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981)
An aspiring country singer and his feisty younger sister/manager struggle to reach their dreams of Nashville stardom-as long as she can keep her brother out of trouble with the ladies and the law-in this drama "inspired by," but not really connected to, the hit '70s ballad.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Elvis and Me (1988)
Priscilla remembers her life and her relationship with Elvis Presley since she was 14 years old. When she moves to Graceland, she feels like a princess. But her lover, the world-famous musician Elvis Presley, is rarely at home and increasingly resorts to drugs. Nevertheless, she decides to marry Elvis. After a while, the fairy tale slowly turns into a nightmare and the two seem to become estranged.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
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 & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoliday in Your Heart (1997)
LeAnn Rimes plays herself from her childhood in Nashville to her performing around the country as a country-western singer, until she has to make a choice: Does she perform at the Grand Ole Opry, following her dreams? Or does she not go to the concert, and stay at her dying grandmother's bedside? The made-for-tv film is based in part on LeAnn's autobiographical novel.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Honkytonk 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 thisThe Competition (1980)
The movie centers on a piano competition whose winner is assured of success. It is Paul's last chance to compete, but newcomer Heidi may be a better pianist. Can romance be far away? Will she take a dive despite the pressure to win from her teacher, Greta, or will she condemn Paul to obscurity?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
The Idolmaker (1980)
Based on the life of rock promoter/producer Bob Marucci, who discovered, among others, Frankie Avalon and Fabian.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
A Star Is Born (1976)
Has-been singing idol John Norman Howard falls in love with young, up-and-coming songstress Esther Hoffman in Frank Pierson's version of the classic love story updated to the rock and roll era.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrazy Heart (2009)
When reporter Jean Craddock interviews Bad Blake—an alcoholic, seen-better-days country music legend—they connect, and the hard-living crooner sees a possible saving grace in a life with Jean and her young son.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTake Me Home: The John Denver Story (2000)
John Denver achieved fame, fortune, and acclaim for his iconic country-pop music, but his sunny personality masked private pain and dark secrets that his celebrity could never heal.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Wheeler (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
Candy Mountain (1988)
A mediocre musician goes on the road in search of the world's greatest guitar maker.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Destination Anywhere (1997)
This film captures the essence of Jon Bon Jovi, the lead singer of one of the prime players in the legion of pop-metal bands that took '80s radio by storm. Most of the film is a short narrative loosely based on the songs from his 1997 solo album Destination Anywhere, and features Jon Bon Jovi and Demi Moore as a young couple struggling with alcoholism and the death of their young child.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Payday (1973)
Country singer Maury Dann lives life in the fast lane, counting on his rakish charm and raw talent to excuse his reckless behavior. Touring on the road in the rural south with his dedicated manager, his loyal driver and his long-suffering girlfriend, Maury seduces groupies, brawls and breaks the law, brashly relying on his team to cover for him. Heedlessly alienating all those who care for him, Maury blindly keeps the pedal to the metal.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story (1983)
TV movie based on the singer's life, under his mother's thumb, competing with the ghost of one of the most famous singers in C&W music history, and aspiring to rise above it all.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Nashville 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
Pure Country 2: The Gift (2010)
Three angels bestow the gift of song to a young girl, who must follow a series of rules in order hold on to it during her rise to fame and fortune.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCenter Stage: Turn It Up (2008)
All self-taught dancer Kate Parker has ever wanted to do was perform with the American Academy of Ballet. But when she doesnt make it after auditioning, she learns that it takes more than precision and perfection to succeed in the dance world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRuth & Boaz (2025)
A talented singer leaves the Atlanta music scene and starts over in small-town Tennessee, where she finds love and new purpose but can't escape the past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSave the Last Dance (2001)
After the death of her mother, Sara moves to the South Side of Chicago to live with her father and gets transferred to a majority-black school. Her life takes a turn for the better when befriends Chenille and her brother Derek, who helps her with her dancing skills.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFootloose (2011)
Ren MacCormack is transplanted from Boston to the small southern town of Bomont where loud music and dancing are prohibited. Not one to bow to the status quo, Ren challenges the ban, revitalizing the town and falling in love with the minister’s troubled daughter Ariel in the process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Honeysuckle Rose?
The closest matches to Honeysuckle Rose are Tender Mercies (1983), Pure Country (1992) and Songwriter (1984). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Honeysuckle Rose?
People who watched Honeysuckle Rose most often go on to Tender Mercies (1983), Pure Country (1992) and Songwriter (1984).
What is the highest-rated movie like Honeysuckle Rose?
Crossroads (1986), rated 7.4/10 by 504 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Honeysuckle Rose?
Ruth & Boaz (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Honeysuckle Rose?
Yes: Tender Mercies (1983), Pure Country (1992) and Songwriter (1984).
How are movies similar to Honeysuckle Rose chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Honeysuckle Rose, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.