Movies like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014)
The best movies like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014) are The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019), Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011) and David Byrne's American Utopia (2020). If Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown hooked you with its music and documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSearching for Sugar Man (2012)7.9/10 from 1,087 votes
- NewestSelena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy (2025)Released 2025
The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011)
Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDavid Byrne's American Utopia (2020)
A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKeith Richards: Under the Influence (2015)
A portrait of Keith Richards that takes us on a journey to discover the genesis of his sound as a songwriter, guitarist and performer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarley (2012)
Bob Marley's universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Directed by Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert (2022)
On the 30th of January, 1969, the Beatles performed an unannounced concert from the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at Savile Row, within central London's office and fashion district. Experience the final and unforgettable iconic performance of The Beatles in a special 60-minute presentation, digitally remastered into the image and sound quality of IMAX DMR technology.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDua Lipa: Studio 2054 (2020)
Dua Lipa's kaleidoscopic rocket fuelled journey through time, space, mirrorballs, roller discos, bucket hats, belting beats, throbbing basslines and an absolute slam dunk of the best of times in global club culture throughout the decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhat Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
The film chronicles Nina Simone's journey from child piano prodigy to iconic musician and passionate activist, told in her own words.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLemmy (2010)
Over four decades, Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has registered an immeasurable impact on music history. Nearly 65, he remains the living embodiment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and this feature-length documentary tells his story, one of a hard-living rock icon who continues to enjoy the life of a man half his age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNas: Time Is Illmatic (2014)
Time Is Illmatic is a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of Nas' 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNeil Young: Heart of Gold (2006)
In March 2005, Neil Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Four days before he was scheduled for a lifesaving operation, he headed to Nashville, where he wrote and recorded the country folk album Prairie Wind with old friends and family members. After the successful operation and recovery period, he returned to Nashville that August to play at the famed Ryman Auditorium, once again gathering together friends and family for this special performance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhitney (2018)
Examines the life and career of singer Whitney Houston. Features never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive recordings, rare performances and interviews with the people who knew her best.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSupersonic (2016)
Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Repair Shop (2024)
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSearching for Sugar Man (2012)
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStanding in the Shadows of Motown (2002)
In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)
An in-depth look at the Canadian rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the '70s to their current heavy rock style.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSelena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy (2025)
Never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews celebrate the life and legacy of iconic Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla and her family band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLady Gaga Presents: The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden (2011)
Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden is a 2011 concert special documenting the February 21 and 22, 2011 shows of Lady Gaga's The Monster Ball Tour. It features concert footage as well as pre-concert and backstage content.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHeart of a Dog (2015)
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCincinnati's Rock 'N Roll Legends (1995)
An excellent comprehensive look at all the music that came out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati "Rock Legends" "James Brown" "King Records" "Pure Prairie League" "Lemon Pipers" "Syd Nathan" WEBN "Bootsy Collins" "Lonnie Mack" "The Who concert 1979" "Rick Derringer"
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Ladies Night Out (1983)
A live performance of The Peter Adonis Traveling Fantasy Show burlesque show, taped at the Broadway Theater in Pitman, New Jersey.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
A Son of Africa: The Autobiography of a Slave (1996)
A documentary following the life of Olaudah Equiano, based on his autobiography "The Interesting Narration of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Secret of Selling the Negro (1954)
Film commissioned by the Chicago-based publisher of Negro Digest, Ebony, Tan, and Jet to encourage advertisers to reach out to African American consumers. The Secret of Selling the Negro depicts the lives, activities, and consumer behavior of African American professionals, students, and housewives. A Business Screen reviewer noted that the film focused on the “bright positive” aspects of the “new Negro family.” The sponsor issued a companion booklet offering the “do’s and don’ts of selling to the Negro.”
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Functional Block Diagrams (TBA)
A synthesis of sound and movement; colourful characters dance and move in repetitive patterns to percussive and melodic elements. A combination of motion and music that is hypnotic and beautiful. At first it feels structured and orderly but as more elements are added becomes quixotically expressive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Melody Gardot: From Paris with Love (2020)
Melody Gardot performs her new album Sunset in the Blue, from the Radio France studios accompanied by a trio of musicians and 40 instrumentalists from the in-house orchestra.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Overnight (2003)
Alternately hilarious and horrifying, Overnight chronicles one man's misadventures of making a Hollywood movie. It starts out as a rags to riches story as Troy Duffy, a Boston-bred bartender, sells his first screenplay for The Boondock Saints.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Love Department (1935)
In this musical short, a love columnist can't find her own love connection.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
B-Girl (2009)
A young female breakdancer, Angel, moves to Los Angeles after an attack by an ex-boyfriend nearly ends her dance career forever. B-Girl follows Angel through recovery and acceptance of a new life as she busts a move into the male-centric world of underground hip hop.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?
The closest matches to Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown are The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019), Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011) and David Byrne's American Utopia (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?
Start with The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019), the closest match to Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown.
What is the highest-rated movie like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?
Searching for Sugar Man (2012), rated 7.9/10 by 1,087 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?
Selena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?
Yes: The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019), Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011) and David Byrne's American Utopia (2020).
How are movies similar to Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.