Movies like Chicago Blues (1972)
The best movies like Chicago Blues (1972) are Cadillac Records (2008), Bessie (2015) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). If Chicago Blues hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Blues Brothers (1980)7.7/10 from 4,754 votes
- NewestMotor City (2026)Released 2026
Cadillac Records (2008)
The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBessie (2015)
The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMa Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bikeriders (2024)
After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSong Sung Blue (2025)
Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Blues Brothers (1980)
Just released from prison, Jake Blues puts his old band back together with his brother Elwood to save the Catholic home where they were raised.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOn the Town (1949)
Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaturday Night (2024)
At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInside Llewyn Davis (2013)
In Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, gifted but volatile folk musician Llewyn Davis struggles with money, relationships, and his uncertain future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPennies from Heaven (1981)
During the Great Depression, a sheet music salesman seeks to escape his dreary life through popular music and a love affair with an innocent schoolteacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMotor City (2026)
In 1970s Detroit, John Miller falls for a local gangster's girl and lands in prison for a crime he didn't commit. With his life ruined, Miller plots revenge against the man who took his girl away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
Chicago February 14th 1929. Al Capone finally establishes himself as the city's boss of organised crime. In a north-side garage his hoods, dressed as policemen, surprise and mow down with machine-guns the key members of Bugs Moran's rival gang. The film traces the history of the incident, and the lives affected and in some cases ended by it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCar Wash (1976)
This day-in-the-life cult comedy focuses on a group of friends working at Sully Boyar's Car Wash in the Los Angeles ghetto. The team meets dozens of eccentric customers -- including a smooth-talking preacher, a wacky cab driver and an ex-convict -- while cracking politically incorrect jokes to a constant soundtrack of disco and funk. Some of the workers find romance as the day moves along, but most are just happy to get through another shift.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrooklyn (1994)
From Spike Lee comes this vibrant semi-autobiographical portrait of a school-teacher, her stubborn jazz-musician husband and their five kids living in '70s Brooklyn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Trip to Bountiful (1985)
Carrie Watts is living the twilight of her life trapped in an apartment in 1940s Houston, Texas with a controlling daughter-in-law and a hen-pecked son. Her fondest wish – just once before she dies – is to revisit Bountiful, the small Texas town of her youth which she still refers to as "home."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrossroads (1986)
A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMan on Wire (2008)
On August 7th 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit stepped out on a high wire, illegally rigged between New York's World Trade Center twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour of performing on the wire, 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan, he was arrested. This fun and spellbinding documentary chronicles Philippe Petit's "highest" achievement.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy One and Only (2009)
A mother takes her two sons on an unusual road trip from New York to Pittsburgh, St. Louis and eventually Hollywood in her quest to find a man to take care of them all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Chicago Blues?
The closest matches to Chicago Blues are Cadillac Records (2008), Bessie (2015) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Chicago Blues?
Start with Cadillac Records (2008), the closest match to Chicago Blues.
What is the highest-rated movie like Chicago Blues?
The Blues Brothers (1980), rated 7.7/10 by 4,754 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Chicago Blues?
Motor City (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Chicago Blues?
Yes: Cadillac Records (2008), Bessie (2015) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020).
How are movies similar to Chicago Blues chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Chicago Blues, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.