Movies like Once Upon a Rainbow (1982)
The best movies like Once Upon a Rainbow (1982) are All About Ah-Long (1989), Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018) and Eleanor the Great (2025). If Once Upon a Rainbow hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedInfernal Affairs (2002)7.8/10 from 1,974 votes
- NewestOmaha (2025)Released 2025
All About Ah-Long (1989)
Ah-Long, a father living a low-class lifestyle, while trying to raise his son, Porky. The strong bond between father and son is tested when a chance encounter from Ah-Long's ex-girlfriend changes the course of their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaster Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018)
Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Visit (1964)
Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Carla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGame of Death (1978)
A martial arts movie star must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHardball (2001)
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInfernal Affairs (2002)
Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHungry Hearts (2015)
The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young One (1960)
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTigertail (2020)
A man reflects on the lost love of his youth and his long-ago journey from Taiwan to America as he begins to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989)
Before the events of A Better Tomorrow (1986), Mark 'Gor' Lee heads to Saigon during the Vietnam War to bring home his uncle and cousin, but his task becomes complicated when a well-known criminal tries to help him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisThe Beautiful Country (2004)
After reuniting with his mother in Ho Chi Minh City, a family tragedy causes Binh to flee from Viet Nam to America. Landing in New York, Binh begins a road trip to Texas, where his American father is said to live.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpecial ID (2013)
A career-long undercover Hong Kong cop is sent to Mainland China when his former protégé becomes the primary suspect in a murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019)
A financial tycoon, once a triad member, tries to eradicate the drug market while an old accomplice aims to be Hong Kong's first drug lord.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Dance (2024)
Despite the pandemic sending most industries into recession, debt-ridden wedding planner Dominic (Dayo WONG) gets a miraculous chance to turn things around when a funeral planner retires and passes the baton to him. His creative gimmicks for funerals help his business find unexpected success, but Dominic’s biggest obstacle is winning the approval of respected and sternly traditional Taoist priest, Master Man (Michael HUI). After some unordinary funerals, Dominic gradually understands Master Man’s code of ethics and the meaning behind each farewell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOmaha (2025)
A young girl and her brother are awoken by their father and loaded into the car on an early morning in 2008. As they road trip across the American West, she discovers the truth about their seemingly spontaneous journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIp Man 3 (2015)
When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEros (2004)
A three-part anthology about love and sexuality: a menage-a-trois between a couple and a young woman on the coast of Tuscany; an advertising executive under enormous pressure at work, who, during visits to his psychiatrist, is pulled to delve into the possible reasons why his stress seems to manifest itself in a recurring erotic dream; a story of unrequited love about a beautiful, 1960s high-end call girl in an impossible affair with her young tailor.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisFAQIR (2019)
A once adventurous teenager is forced to confront the trauma of being kidnapped as he reconnects with his long lost love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Boat People (1982)
A Japanese photojournalist revisits Vietnam after the liberation to document the nation, and begins following and documenting the young children from a poor Vietnamese family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFather and Son (1981)
A young man dreamed of a career in comics and movies. But his father would rather gave up all he had in order to let him receive formal education.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Homecoming (1984)
Coral, a Hong Kong woman tortured by city life, went back to her home town to visit her two old friends. They all found that some precious things in life which disappear through the years could never be recovered.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Secret (1979)
A tangled murder mystery unfolds amid a complex love triangle. As conflicting witness accounts emerge, the truth about the victim and key suspects is revealed, leading investigators down a dark and twisty path where nothing is as it seems.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Till Death Do Us Part (1998)
The once happily married couple turned adversaries when husband Alex comes home and informs his wife Bo Bo that he is leaving her for another woman. Furthermore, he gained custody of their only daughter. The series of incidents drives Bo Bo into a deep depression and she arrives at Alex's house-warming party uninvited. Doom draws near as the story comes to a startling conclusion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
She Mad: Bitch Zone (2020)
At a weeklong camp for teenage girls, a counselor leads the campers through a series of exercises that blend the language of female empowerment and body positivity with the kind of radical transparency that makes for good reality TV. The exercises culminate in a bizarre group confessional.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Basol (TBA)
Two Brothers who lost their parents at a young age navigate through their dreadful lives. As they both confront the trials of life, will they be able to restore their bond as brothers and heal each other in order to save their lives from life`s turmoils.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Predecessor (1988)
A film about the life and work of 19th-century Georgian writer Egnate Ninoshvili. Biographical moments from the writer's life are closely intertwined with the plots and characters of his own works.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Once Upon a Rainbow?
The closest matches to Once Upon a Rainbow are All About Ah-Long (1989), Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018) and Eleanor the Great (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Once Upon a Rainbow?
Start with All About Ah-Long (1989), the closest match to Once Upon a Rainbow.
What is the highest-rated movie like Once Upon a Rainbow?
Infernal Affairs (2002), rated 7.8/10 by 1,974 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Once Upon a Rainbow?
Omaha (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Once Upon a Rainbow chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Once Upon a Rainbow, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.