Movies like Australian Rules (2002)
The best movies like Australian Rules (2002) are Lion (2016), Friday Night Lights (2004) and The Boys Are Back (2009). If Australian Rules hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLion (2016)8.0/10 from 7,123 votes
- NewestTo You in the Beyond (2026)Released 2026
Lion (2016)
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFriday Night Lights (2004)
A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles, is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town's dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines to instill in the other team members -- and, by proxy, the town itself -- a sense of self-respect and honor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boys Are Back (2009)
When the wife of sports-writer Joe Warr dies of cancer, he takes on the responsibility of raising their 6-year-old son, and his teenage son from a previous marriage. As Joe rejects the counsel of his mother-in-law and other parents, he develops his own philosophies on parenting.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWoodlawn (2015)
Love and unity in a school torn by racism and hate in the 1970s. A gifted high school football player must learn to embrace his talent and his faith as he battles racial tensions on and off the field.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWalkabout (1971)
Under the pretense of having a picnic, a geologist takes his teenage daughter and 6-year-old son into the Australian outback and attempts to shoot them. When he fails, he turns the gun on himself, and the two city-bred children must contend with harsh wilderness alone. They are saved by a chance encounter with an Aboriginal boy who shows them how to survive, and in the process underscores the disharmony between nature and modern life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhen the Game Stands Tall (2014)
A young coach turns a losing high school football program around to go undefeated for 12 consecutive seasons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
In 1931, three Aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a trek across the Outback.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Underdog (2021)
The true story of Kurt Warner, who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Power of One (1992)
PK, an English orphan terrorized for his family's political beliefs in Africa, turns to his only friend, a kindly world-wise prisoner, Geel Piet. Geel teaches him how to box with the motto “fight with your fists and lead with your heart”. As he grows to manhood, PK uses these words to take on the system and the injustices he sees around him - and finds that one person really can make a difference.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDad (1989)
A busy executive learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes closer to him than ever before. Estranged from his own son, the executive comes to realize what has been missing in his own life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy All American (2015)
Freddie Steinmark, an underdog on the gridiron, faces the toughest challenge of his life after leading his team to a championship season.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSkin (2009)
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoal! (2005)
Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer... However, living in the Barrios section of Los Angeles, he thinks it is only that—a dream. Until one day an extraordinary turn of events has him trying out for Premiership club Newcastle United.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInvincible (2006)
Inspired by the true story of Vince Papale, a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach of Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time – no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFahrenheit 451 (1966)
In the future, the government maintains control of public opinion by outlawing literature and maintaining a group of enforcers, known as “firemen,” to perform the necessary book burnings. Fireman Montag begins to question the morality of his vocation…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ride (2018)
The story of John Buultjens, who has dedicated his life to the sport of BMX.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRudy (1993)
Rudy grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of 5 people and has set his sights upon joining the team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOliver Twist (1948)
When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble, for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger and his criminal mentor, Fagin. When kindly Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes plots to kidnap the boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThis Sporting Life (1963)
In early 1960s Northern England, Frank Machin is mean, tough and ambitious enough to become an immediate star in the rugby league team run by local employer Weaver.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Blind Side (2009)
The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeath at Dawn (1960)
The prestigious composer Virgilio Delise, suspected of being involved in the death of his stepfather, unexpectedly runs away. Doria, an ambitious insurance detective, will stop at nothing to prove his guilt.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Les Lionceaux (1960)
Patrice's good looks have made him a consummate womanizer but they also helped him win the heart of Juliette, the daughter of Blanche Eroli, an influential Parisian clothes designer. The latter doesn't want him as a husband for Juliette and would prefer to see her married to Vincent, her right hand man. To this end she offers Patrice a juicy check if he agrees to leave Juliette. He accepts the deal and leaves for the Riviera, where he discovers love in the person of pretty Caroline. But Juliette, who does not love Vincent, traces Patrice as far as Nice. Soon afterwards her dead body is found lying on her former fiancé's bed...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
After her fiance is falsely imprisoned, a pregnant African-American woman sets out to clear his name and prove his innocence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Vourdalak (2023)
The Marquis d’Urfé finds refuge in the home of a strange family after becoming lost in a hostile forest while working as an emissary for the King of France.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBody of Lies (2008)
The CIA’s hunt is on for the mastermind of a wave of terrorist attacks. Roger Ferris is the agency’s man on the ground, moving from place to place, scrambling to stay ahead of ever-shifting events. An eye in the sky – a satellite link – watches Ferris. At the other end of that real-time link is the CIA’s Ed Hoffman, strategizing events from thousands of miles away. And as Ferris nears the target, he discovers trust can be just as dangerous as it is necessary for survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBloody Crayons (2017)
A group of friends goes to an island for a short film project when they are attacked by a mysterious killer after playing a game of bloody crayons.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Emma (1996)
Emma Woodhouse is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people’s affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other. Despite her interest in romance, Emma is clueless about her own feelings, and her relationship with gentle Mr. Knightley.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo You in the Beyond (2026)
Kazuki Tsukigase is a high school boy who carries a certain secret. In search of a place where no one knows him, he enrolls at Sakijima High School on a remote island. On Sakijima, there is a place known as the "Cove of Spiriting Away." One early summer day, Kazuki finds a girl lying unconscious in the cove. The girl—Nanao, 16 years old—later regains consciousness in the hospital, but her identity remains unknown. What is the meaning behind the word "1974" that she murmured?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
White Fang (1991)
Jack London's classic adventure story about the friendship developed between a Yukon gold hunter and the mixed dog-wolf he rescues from the hands of a man who mistreats him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Acid House (1998)
A surreal triptych adapted by "Trainspotting" author Irvine Welsh from his acclaimed collection of short stories. Combining a vicious sense of humor with hard-talking drama, the film reaches into the hearts and minds of the chemical generation, casting a dark and unholy light into the hidden corners of the human psyche.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Australian Rules?
The closest matches to Australian Rules are Lion (2016), Friday Night Lights (2004) and The Boys Are Back (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Australian Rules?
Start with Lion (2016), the closest match to Australian Rules.
What is the highest-rated movie like Australian Rules?
Lion (2016), rated 8.0/10 by 7,123 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Australian Rules?
To You in the Beyond (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Australian Rules?
Yes: Lion (2016), Friday Night Lights (2004) and The Boys Are Back (2009).
How are movies similar to Australian Rules chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Australian Rules, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.