Movies like L.A.
The best movies like L.A. are The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), The Heavenly Kid (1985) and Angels in the Outfield (1994). If L.A. hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
L.A.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)7.9/10 from 445 votes
- NewestSpringsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)Released 2025
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Told in flashback form, the film traces the rise and fall of a tough, ambitious Hollywood producer, Jonathan Shields, as seen through the eyes of various acquaintances, including a writer, James Lee Bartlow; a star, Georgia Lorrison; and a director, Fred Amiel. He is a hard-driving, ambitious man who ruthlessly uses everyone on the way to becoming one of Hollywood's top movie makers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Heavenly Kid (1985)
After dying in a car crash, Bobby Fantana is forced to pay for his misdeeds by becoming someone's guardian angel. He reluctantly agrees to watch over awkward high schooler Lenny Barnes, teaching him how to be cool and confident. As Bobby teaches Lenny, the two form a close bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngels in the Outfield (1994)
Roger is a foster child whose irresponsible father promises to get his act together when Roger's favourite baseball team, the California Angels, wins the pennant. The problem is that the Angels are in last place, so Roger prays for help to turn the team around. Sure enough, his prayers are answered in the form of angel Al.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPortal to Hell (2025)
After a debt-collector finds a portal to hell in a washing machine at his local laundromat, he’s propositioned into feeding it sinners to save his neighbor’s soul, maybe even at the expense of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack to Black (2024)
The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Upon being fired, a desperate guy kidnaps a daughter of his former boss. Two angels are sent to Earth to check if love is possible in this case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Joker is Wild (1957)
A Prohibition-era nightclub crooner has his career is cut short when his throat is slashed by a mob boss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStardust Memories (1980)
While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwimming with Sharks (1994)
Guy is a young film executive who's willing to do whatever it takes to make it in Hollywood. He begins working for famed producer Buddy Ackerman, a domineering, manipulative, coldhearted boss. When Guy also finds out that his cynical girlfriend, Dawn, has been using sex as a career move, he reaches his limit. Guy decides to exact revenge on Buddy by kidnapping him and subjecting him to cruel and unusual punishment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisTwo of a Kind (1983)
God has had enough of the bad behavior and attitude of humankind, and has decided to start it all over. It is up to a struggling inventor and a bank teller, both with very amateur criminal minds, to save the world by falling in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpringsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)
Bruce Springsteen, a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll Eyez on Me (2017)
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row Records. Against insurmountable odds, Tupac rose to become a cultural icon whose career and persona both continue to grow long after his passing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElectric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHelp! (1965)
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Disaster Artist (2017)
An aspiring actor in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau, the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Devil's Advocate (1997)
Aspiring Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax accepts a job at a New York law firm. With the stakes getting higher every case, Kevin quickly learns that his boss has something far more evil planned.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe F**k-It List (2020)
After a prank blows up a studious high school senior's life, he shares a list of certain things he wishes he'd done differently — and maybe still can.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGood Advice (2001)
An investment banker loses everything and must discover what's really important in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like L.A.?
The closest matches to L.A. are The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), The Heavenly Kid (1985) and Angels in the Outfield (1994). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after L.A.?
Start with The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), the closest match to L.A..
What is the highest-rated movie like L.A.?
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991), rated 7.9/10 by 445 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like L.A.?
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like L.A.?
Yes: The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), The Heavenly Kid (1985) and Angels in the Outfield (1994).
How are movies similar to L.A. chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside L.A., then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.