Movies like Giselle (1965)
The best movies like Giselle (1965) are The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942). If Giselle hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedLimelight (1952)7.9/10 from 626 votes
- NewestThe American (2023)Released 2023
- In SpanishTony Manero (2008)Also in Spanish
The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant Maria Vargas dancing in a Madrid nightclub. Goaded by his producer, the director convinces Maria to screen test for, and then star in, his next big picture. But as the producer's possessive nature and the realities of stardom weigh on Maria, she seeks a genuine lover with whom she can escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
In pre-revolution Cuba, Katey Miller is about to defy everyone's expectations. Instead of a parent-approved suitor, Katey is drawn to the sexy waiter, Javier, who spends his nights dancing in Havana's nightclubs. As she secretly learns to dance with Javier, she learns the meanings of love, sensuality and independence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou Were Never Lovelier (1942)
An Argentine heiress thinks a penniless American dancer is her secret admirer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoney 2 (2011)
After a brush with the law, Maria has returned to her gritty Bronx roots to rebuild her life with nothing but a talent for street dance and a burning ambition to prove herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMao’s Last Dancer (2009)
At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he falls in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Goodbye Girl (1977)
After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFeel the Beat (2020)
After failing to make it on Broadway, April returns to her hometown and reluctantly begins training a misfit group of young dancers for a competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTony Manero (2008)
A man is obsessed with John Travolta's disco dancing character from "Saturday Night Fever".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTake the Lead (2006)
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulane.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiki: Love to Love (2016)
Through five stories, the movie addresses sex and love: Paco and Ana are a marriage looking for reactivate the passion of their sexual relations, long time unsatisfied; Jose Luis tries to recover the affections of his wife Paloma, sit down on a wheelchair after an accident which has limited her mobility; Mª Candelaria and Antonio are a marriage trying by all way to be parents, but she has the trouble that no get an orgasm when make love with him; Álex try to satisfy Natalia's fantasies, while she starts to doubt if he finally will ask her in marriage; and finally, Sandra is a single woman in a permanent searching for a man to fall in love. All them love, fear, live and explore their diverse sexual paraphilias and the different sides of sexuality, trying to find the road to happiness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrictly Ballroom (1992)
Brave new steps put Scott's career in jeopardy. With a new partner and determination, can he still succeed?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChico & Rita (2010)
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDancing on Glass (2022)
When immense pressure threatens a ballerina in a new lead role, she and another dancer escape into a friendship that isolates them from the real world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Band Wagon (1953)
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe American (2023)
American ballet dancer Joy Womack is accepted into Moscow's infamously tough Bolshoi Ballet Academy, with the dream of becoming a great ballerina.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStep Up 2: The Streets (2008)
When rebellious street dancer Andie West lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the school's hottest dancer, Chase Collins, to form a crew of fellow outcasts to compete in Baltimore's underground dance battle The Streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStep Up (2006)
Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe White Crow (2018)
The story of Rudolf Nureyev, whose escape to the West stunned the world at the height of the Cold War. With his magnetic presence, Nureyev emerged as ballet’s most famous star, a wild and beautiful dancer limited by the world of 1950s Leningrad. His flirtation with Western artists and ideas led him into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the KGB.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeaceful Warrior (2006)
A chance encounter with a stranger changes the life of a college gymnast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLimelight (1952)
A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Giselle?
The closest matches to Giselle are The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Giselle?
Start with The Barefoot Contessa (1954), the closest match to Giselle.
What is the highest-rated movie like Giselle?
Limelight (1952), rated 7.9/10 by 626 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Giselle?
The American (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Giselle?
Yes: Tony Manero (2008), Kiki: Love to Love (2016) and Chico & Rita (2010).
How are movies similar to Giselle chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Giselle, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















