Movies like The Best (1998)
The best movies like The Best (1998) are Music of the Heart (1999), Shout (1991) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995). If The Best hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhiplash (2014)8.4/10 from 17,377 votes
- NewestDon't Say Good Luck (2026)Released 2026
Music of the Heart (1999)
After Roberta Guaspari separates from her husband, she receives encouragement from her mother to take up a job of a music teacher at the Central Park East School in East Harlem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShout (1991)
A new music teacher in a 1955 West Texas home for wayward boys brings new vision and hope for many of the interned boys.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMr. Holland's Opus (1995)
In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his true calling: writing a historic opus. As the decades roll by with the composition unwritten but generations of students inspired through his teaching, Holland must redefine his life's purpose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMolly Maxwell (2013)
At Phoenix Progressive School, students take notes lying on parlor couches and are encouraged to explore their gifts through electives like break-dancing and graphic-novel writing. In the midst of all this liberal pedagogy and budding talent, Molly Maxwell feels unexceptional, until she falls for her attractive English teacher, Ben.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClass of 1984 (1982)
Andy is a new teacher at an inner city high school that is unlike any he has seen before. There are metal detectors at the front door and the place is basically run by a tough kid named Peter Stegman. Soon, Andy and Stegman become enemies and Stegman will stop at nothing to protect his turf and drug dealing business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDismissed (2017)
A straight-edged teacher finds trouble when an honors student is willing to do anything to get an A.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStand and Deliver (1988)
Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a Hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSummer School (1987)
A high-school gym teacher has big plans for the summer, but is forced to cancel them to teach a "bonehead" English class for misfit goof-off students. Fortunately, his unconventional brand of teaching fun field trips begins to connect with them, and even inspires ardor in some.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHamlet 2 (2008)
Failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama-teacher Dana Marschz rallies his Tucson students as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBrave the Dark (2025)
When Mr. Deen discovers one of his students has been living out of his car and thrown into jail, he decides to bail him out. Determined to curb Nate’s self-destructive behavior, Deen quickly discovers a host of dark secrets slowly tearing Nate apart. What began as a good deed becomes a desperate fight to save Nate from his own demons. As Nate spirals deeper into despair, Deen must decide how far he’s willing to go to save a kid on the brink of losing everything—even himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWords on Bathroom Walls (2020)
Diagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who inspires him to open his heart and not be defined by his condition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhiplash (2014)
Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLemonade Mouth (2011)
When five ragtag freshman first meet in detention, it seems they have nothing in common. But, through music, they form an unbreakable bond and discover they have the makings of the greatest high school garage band in history! In the face of incredible odds, Olivia, Stella, Wen, Mohini and Charlie find they can make a real difference when they learn to lean on each other and let go of everything holding back their dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDon't Say Good Luck (2026)
Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical—until she's suddenly facing more drama at home than on the stage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Sir, with Love (1967)
A British Guianese engineer starts a job as a high school teacher in London’s East End, where his uninterested and delinquent pupils are in desperate need of attention and care.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDangerous Minds (1995)
Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns to the classroom, she does so armed with a no-nonsense attitude informed by her military training and a fearless determination to better the lives of her students -- no matter what the cost.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFist Fight (2017)
When one school teacher gets the other fired, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrung (2026)
A talented violinist's prestigious new role as a music tutor for an enigmatic, elite family spirals into a psychological battle for her safety and sanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Soloist (2009)
A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove & Mercy (2015)
In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Best?
The closest matches to The Best are Music of the Heart (1999), Shout (1991) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Best?
Start with Music of the Heart (1999), the closest match to The Best.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Best?
Whiplash (2014), rated 8.4/10 by 17,377 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Best?
Don't Say Good Luck (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like The Best?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to The Best chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Best, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.