Movies like Absolute Beginners (1986)
The best movies like Absolute Beginners (1986) are A Star Is Born (1976), Young at Heart (1954) and Sweet Dreams (1985). If Absolute Beginners hooked you with its drama and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)8.3/10 from 203 votes
- NewestMarked Men: Rule + Shaw (2025)Released 2025
A Star Is Born (1976)
Has-been singing idol John Norman Howard falls in love with young, up-and-coming songstress Esther Hoffman in Frank Pierson's version of the classic love story updated to the rock and roll era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung at Heart (1954)
The lives and romances of three sisters in a musical family; the youngest daughter's life is complicated by the subsequent arrival of a charming composer and a cynical music arranger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSweet Dreams (1985)
The story of Patsy Cline, the velvet-voiced country music singer who died in a tragic plane crash at the height of her fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
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 · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPurple Rain (1984)
A victim of his own anger, the Kid is a Minneapolis musician on the rise with his band, the Revolution, escaping a tumultuous home life through music. While trying to avoid making the same mistakes as his truculent father, the Kid navigates the club scene and a rocky relationship with a captivating singer, Apollonia. But another musician, Morris, looks to steal the Kid's spotlight -- and his girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)
A disfigured musical genius, hidden away in the Paris Opera House, terrorises the opera company for the unwitting benefit of a young protégée whom he trains and loves. The 25th anniversary of the first public performance of Phantom of the Opera was celebrated with a grand performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMiss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Performance (2016)
The epic love story tells the tragic tale of young Vietnamese bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with American GI Chris — but their lives are torn apart by the fall of Saigon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisParis Blues (1961)
During the 1960s, two American jazz musicians living in Paris meet and fall in love with two American tourist girls and must decide between music and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQuadrophenia (1979)
Based on the 1973 rock opera album of the same name by The Who, this is the story of 60s teenager Jimmy. At work he slaves in a dead-end job. While after, he shops for tailored suits and rides his scooter as part of the London Mod scene.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoda (2020)
A famous pianist at the twilight of his career meets a free-spirited music critic who soon becomes his rock as his mental state deteriorates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDarling (1965)
Diana, a beautiful but shallow and easily distracted model and failed actress, toys with the affections of several men while attempting to gain fame and fortune in Swinging London.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRocketman (2019)
The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAshes in the Snow (2018)
The coming-of-age tale of 16-year-old Lina Vilkas who is deported to Siberia amid Stalin's reign of terror in the Baltic region during WWII. An aspiring artist, she secretly documents her harrowing journey with her drawings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoney: Rise Up and Dance (2018)
Street dancer Skyler comes out of the shadow of her trained dancer sister, Tosha, & joins a dance competition with the Honey dance studio; the prize is a college scholarship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaurus (2022)
A rising but troubled musician searches for the inspiration to record one last song, pushing himself deep into the void.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Edge of Love (2008)
When the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his flirtatious wife Caitlin sweep into war-torn London, the last thing they expect is to bump into Dylan's childhood sweetheart Vera. Despite her joy at seeing Dylan after so many years, Vera is swept off her feet by a dashing officer, William Killick, and finds herself torn between the open adoration of her new found beau and the wily charms of the exotic Welshman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinter Spring Summer or Fall (2024)
Remi and Barnes, two very different teenagers, meet by chance in the winter of their senior year, then spend four days together over the course of a year that will change their lives forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCircle of Friends (1995)
Three girlhood friends now at college share first loves, first kisses and first betrayals. At the center of it all is the best-looking boy on campus. Can a self-conscious dreamer hook the biggest fish in the pond?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarked Men: Rule + Shaw (2025)
Shaw Landon has loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule, a fiery-tempered rebel tattoo artist, doesn’t have time for a good girl pre-med student like Shaw — even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule must figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love…or each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSing Along (2013)
A sheltered boy with a dream of starring on Broadway survives day-to-day life by imagining the world as a musical.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Grease 2 (1982)
It's 1961, two years after the original Grease gang graduated, and there's a new crop of seniors and new members of the coolest cliques on campus, the Pink Ladies and T-Birds. Michael Carrington is the new kid in school - but he's been branded a brainiac. Can he fix up an old motorcycle, don a leather jacket, avoid a rumble with the leader of the T-Birds, and win the heart of Pink Lady Stephanie?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisSchultze Gets the Blues (2003)
Schultze is an accordion player and newly without work. When the local music club celebrates its 50th anniversary, his taste of music changes unexpectedly.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
O fajfce s myslivcem a jelenem (1967)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
The Mikado (2011)
In a small Japanese town, Ko-Ko is appointed to the unenviable position of executioner. Knowing he must successfully perform before the appearance of the Mikado in a month's time, Ko-Ko finds a suitable victim in Nanki-Poo, who is distraught over his unrequited love for the maiden Yum-Yum. Nanki-Poo agrees to sacrifice his life if he is allowed to spend his remaining days with Yum-Yum, who is betrothed to Ko-Ko. Opera Australia production filmed at The Arts Centre Melbourne.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
The Tree of Life (2011)
The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe DUFF (2015)
Bianca's universe turns upside down when she learns that her high school refers to her as a ‘DUFF' (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Hoping to erase that label, she enlists the help of a charming jock and her favorite teacher. Together they'll face the school's mean girl and remind everyone that we are all someone's DUFF… and that's totally fine.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Right Stuff (1983)
At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. However, the road to making history brings momentous challenges.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Edge (1997)
The plane carrying wealthy Charles Morse crashes down in the Alaskan wilderness. Together with the two other passengers, photographer Robert and assistant Stephen, Charles devises a plan to help them reach civilization. However, his biggest obstacle might not be the elements, or even the Kodiak bear stalking them -- it could be Robert, whom Charles suspects is having an affair with his wife and would not mind seeing him dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Absolute Beginners and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Absolute Beginners?
The closest matches to Absolute Beginners are A Star Is Born (1976), Young at Heart (1954) and Sweet Dreams (1985). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Absolute Beginners?
Start with A Star Is Born (1976), the closest match to Absolute Beginners.
What is the highest-rated movie like Absolute Beginners?
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011), rated 8.3/10 by 203 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Absolute Beginners?
Marked Men: Rule + Shaw (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Absolute Beginners?
Yes: A Star Is Born (1976), Young at Heart (1954) and Sweet Dreams (1985).
How are movies similar to Absolute Beginners chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Absolute Beginners, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.