Movies like Play Up the Band (1935)
The best movies like Play Up the Band (1935) are Bo Burnham: What. (2013), The Big Store (1941) and A Song Is Born (1948). If Play Up the Band hooked you with its comedy and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBo Burnham: What. (2013)7.8/10 from 284 votes
- NewestSound! Euphonium: The Final Movie, Part 2 (2026)Released 2026
Bo Burnham: What. (2013)
Left brain and right brain duke it out and then belt out a tune in comedian Bo Burnham's quick and clever one-man show. As intelligent as he is lanky, Burnham cynically pokes at pop entertainment while offering unadulterated showmanship of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Store (1941)
A detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department store, from the store's crooked manager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Song Is Born (1948)
The story of seven scholars in search of an expert to teach them about swing music. They seem to have found the perfect candidate in winsome nightclub singer Honey Swanson. But Honey's gangster boyfriend doesn't want to give her up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFootlight Parade (1933)
A fledgling producer finds himself at odds with his workers, financiers and his greedy ex-wife when he tries to produce live musicals for movie-going audiences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Day at the Races (1937)
Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's sanitarium by winning a big race with a finicky horse owned by Judy's boyfriend Gil. There are a few problems. Hackenbush, who was recently put in charge of the sanitarium, isn't really a doctor, he's a veterinarian.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove Happy (1949)
The Marx Brothers help young Broadway hopefuls when they get mixed up with gangsters due to a tin of sardines containing Romanoff diamonds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisAnimal 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 comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rocker (2008)
In the 1980s, a drummer is abandoned by his band just before they become rock superstars. Twenty years later, the drummer sees his second chance at stardom arise when he is asked to perform with his teenage nephew's high school rock band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cocoanuts (1929)
During the Florida land boom, the Marx Brothers run a hotel, auction off some land and thwart a jewel robbery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabes in Arms (1939)
Mickey Moran, son of two vaudeville veterans, decides to put up his own vaudeville show with his girlfriend Patsy Barton. But child actress Rosalie wants to make a comeback and replace Patsy both professionally and as Mickey's girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuck Privates (1941)
Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWayne's World (1992)
The adventures of two amiably aimless metal-head friends, Wayne and Garth. From Wayne's basement, the pair broadcast a talk-show called "Wayne's World" on local public access television. The show comes to the attention of a sleazy network executive who wants to produce a big-budget version of "Wayne's World"—and he also wants Wayne's girlfriend, a rock singer named Cassandra. Wayne and Garth have to battle the executive not only to save their show, but also Cassandra.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPepe (1960)
Mario "Cantinflas" Moreno is a hired hand, Pepe, employed on a ranch. A boozing Hollywood director buys a white stallion that belongs to Pepe's boss. Pepe, determined to get the horse back (as he considers it his family), decides to take off to Hollywood. There he meets film stars including Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra, Zsa Zsa Gabór, Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier and Jack Lemmon in drag as Daphne from Some Like It Hot. He is also surprised by things that were new in America at the time, such as automatic swinging doors. When he finally reaches the man who bought the horse, he is led to believe there is no hope of getting it back. However, the last scene shows both him and the stallion back at the ranch with several foals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSneakerella (2022)
When El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity for sneakers. With a little nudge from his best friend and a sprinkle of Fairy Godfather magic, El finds the courage to use his talent to pursue his dream of becoming a ‘legit’ sneaker designer in the industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisLeningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)
After years of fame and misfortune in Mexico, the members of the Leningrad Cowboys decide to return to their native village. Their former manager Vladimir, who now calls himself Moses lead them on their way home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThis Is Spinal Tap (1984)
"This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlue's Big City Adventure (2022)
When Josh gets the opportunity of a lifetime to audition for Rainbow Puppy’s Broadway musical, Josh and Blue skidoo to NYC for the very first time where they meet new friends and discover the magic of music, dance, and following one’s dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBye Bye Birdie (1963)
A singer goes to a small town for a performance before he is drafted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisFun with Dick and Jane (1977)
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)
The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to throw an unprecedented block party.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrassed Off (1996)
A Yorkshire coal mine is threatened with closure and the only hope is for the men to enter their Grimley Colliery Brass Band into a national competition. They believe they have no hope until Gloria appears carrying her Flugelhorn. At first mocked for being a woman, she soon becomes the only chance for the band to win.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSešli se na Vlachovce (1973)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Liz and the Blue Bird (2018)
In their last year of high school, two girls in the brass band club perform a song inspired by a fairy tale that parallels their friendship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSound! Euphonium: The Final Movie, Part 2 (2026)
Kitauji High School's brass band finally reaches nationals. However, the soloist rivalry between Kumiko and Mayu fractures the entire ensemble, forcing Kumiko to make a pivotal choice both as band president and a musician.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble Contest (2023)
Awaiting new club leader Kumiko is the Ensemble Contest, and the school's preliminary competition to determine the representative team to participate. Kumiko tries her best to make it to the preliminaries without incident, but the concert band club is so large that there seems to be no end to the problems. And as club leader, she finds herself busy consulting on all sorts of matters. While the other members are deciding on their teams, Kumiko herself hasn't even decided which she will join...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968)
The eleven members of the Bower family move to Dakota Territory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie, Part 1 (2026)
Now band president, Kumiko faces the dual hurdles of qualifying for nationals and deciding her future, as the arrival of Mayu, a skilled player from a prestigious school, creates tension between Kumiko’s responsibilities as president and her dream of performing at the top with Reina.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Sound! Euphonium The Movie: May the Melody Reach You! (2017)
Autumn is in the air as the Kitauji High School concert band prepares for the National Competition. The band hears troubling news that Asuka Tanaka, vice president of the club and one of the key euphonium players in the band, may quit! Asuka is beautiful and charismatic and everyone relies on her, but she also has a cool side and never reveals her true self. Kumiko doesn’t get along with Asuka initially, but her feelings change when she learns that Asuka may actually drop out. Asuka has feelings about the euphonium that she cannot tell anyone else…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Beat Kids (2005)
A new student ,Eiji is forced into playing the drums for the school band by his classmate, Nanao. From the first moment he holds a drumstick in his hands, the rhythm inside Eiji is awakened and he soon becomes captive to its sonic boom. The obsessive and demanding Nanao is soon swayed by Eiji's bright character and natural kindness. Under Nanao's leadership, the band starts making waves in local competitions. Despite their success, can they survive the pressures of school, relationships, and their dreams? In Beat Kids, Director Toshi Shioya weaves a passionate rock and roll coming of age story about a teenager who uses music to turn growing pains into something extraordinary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Play Up the Band?
The closest matches to Play Up the Band are Bo Burnham: What. (2013), The Big Store (1941) and A Song Is Born (1948). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Play Up the Band?
Start with Bo Burnham: What. (2013), the closest match to Play Up the Band.
What is the highest-rated movie like Play Up the Band?
Bo Burnham: What. (2013), rated 7.8/10 by 284 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Play Up the Band?
Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie, Part 2 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Play Up the Band?
Yes: Bo Burnham: What. (2013), The Big Store (1941) and A Song Is Born (1948).
How are movies similar to Play Up the Band chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Play Up the Band, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.