Movies like The African Lover (1985)
The best movies like The African Lover (1985) are Don't Bother to Knock (1952), A Bluebird in My Heart (2018) and True Romance (1993). If The African Lover hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTrue Romance (1993)7.5/10 from 3,246 votes
- NewestSpringsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)Released 2025
- In SpanishThe Holy Girl (2004)Also in Spanish
Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
An airline pilot pursues a live-in babysitter at his hotel and gradually realizes she is not as stable as perhaps she should be.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bluebird in My Heart (2018)
An ex-con's attempts to live a quiet life are derailed when the daughter of the woman sheltering him is the victim of a vicious attack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisTrue Romance (1993)
Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Holy Girl (2004)
Amalia is an adolescent girl who is caught in the throes of her emerging sexuality and her deeply held passion for her Catholic faith. These two drives mingle when the visiting Dr. Jano takes advantage of a crowd to get inappropriately close to the girl. Repulsed by him but inspired by an inner burning, Amalia decides it is her God-given mission to save the doctor from his behavior, and she begins to stalk Dr. Jano, becoming a most unusual voyeur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBullitt (1968)
Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
A federal agent searches for a potential killer among the bizarre residents of a dilapidated Los Angeles hotel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisMarried to the Mob (1988)
Angela de Marco is fed up with her gangster husband's line of work and wants no part of the crime world. When her husband is killed for having an affair with the mistress of mob boss Tony "The Tiger" Russo, Angela and her son depart for New York City to make a fresh start. Unfortunately, Tony has set his sights upon Angela -- and so has an undercover FBI agent looking to use her to bust Tony.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisValley of the Dolls (1967)
Lured by their dreams of fame and fortune, three ambitious young women enter the world of show business and discover how easy it is to sink into a celebrity nightmare of ego, alcohol and pills — the beloved "dolls."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Creole (1958)
Delinquent Danny Fisher flunks out of high school, quits his job as a nightclub busboy, and one night gets the chance to perform. Success is imminent and local crime boss Maxie Fields wants to hire him to perform at The Blue Shade. Danny declines, but Fields won't take no for an answer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCalifornia Suite (1978)
The misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPacto de Fuga (2020)
During the last years of Pinochet's military regime, a group of militants from the "Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front" plan a prison break of political prisoners, through a tunnel that will take them 18 months to dig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisResurrection (2022)
A woman's carefully constructed life is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past returns, forcing her to confront the monster she's evaded for two decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisJudy (2019)
Thirty years after starring in 'The Wizard of Oz', beloved actress and singer Judy Garland arrives in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub. While there, she reminisces with friends and fans and begins a whirlwind romance with musician Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPure Country 2: The Gift (2010)
Three angels bestow the gift of song to a young girl, who must follow a series of rules in order hold on to it during her rise to fame and fortune.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJackie Brown (1997)
Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShe Done Him Wrong (1933)
New York singer and nightclub owner Lady Lou has more male friends than can be imagined. One is a vicious escaped criminal on the way to see 'his' girl, unaware she hasn't exactly been faithful in his absence. Help is at hand in the form of young Captain Cummings, a local temperance league leader.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Grissom Gang (1971)
Violent crime caper set in 1930s Kansas in which a gang kidnap an heiress and attempt to recover a ransom. However, the scheme is jeopardised when the leader falls in love with their beautiful captive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The African Lover?
The closest matches to The African Lover are Don't Bother to Knock (1952), A Bluebird in My Heart (2018) and True Romance (1993). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The African Lover?
Start with Don't Bother to Knock (1952), the closest match to The African Lover.
What is the highest-rated movie like The African Lover?
True Romance (1993), rated 7.5/10 by 3,246 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The African Lover?
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like The African Lover?
Yes: The Holy Girl (2004) and Pacto de Fuga (2020).
How are movies similar to The African Lover chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The African Lover, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.