Movies like The Rainmaker (1956)
The best movies like The Rainmaker (1956) are The Big Street (1942), Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Of Human Bondage (1934). If The Rainmaker hooked you with its romance and western, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGiant (1956)7.6/10 from 787 votes
- NewestThe Unholy Trinity (2025)Released 2025
The Big Street (1942)
After her abusive gangster boyfriend pushes her down a flight of stairs, self-absorbed nightclub torch singer Gloria Lyons becomes paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Despite her bitter treatment of him, busboy Little Pinks selflessly takes her in and cares for her as she alienates others.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
A fragile Kansas girl's unrequited and forbidden love for a handsome young man from the town's most powerful family drives her to heartbreak and madness.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOf Human Bondage (1934)
A young man finds himself attracted to a cold and unfeeling waitress who may ultimately destroy them both.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Valley of Decision (1945)
Mary Rafferty comes from a poor family of steel mill workers in 19th Century Pittsburgh. Her family objects when she goes to work as a maid for the wealthy Scott family which controls the mill. Mary catches the attention of handsome scion Paul Scott, but their romance is complicated by Paul's engagement to someone else and a bitter strike among the mill workers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
The Big Land (1957)
Back home in Texas following the Civil War, former Confederate officer Chad Morgan (Alan Ladd) leads a cattle drive to Missouri, assuring fellow ranchers that their stock will bring $10 a head at auction. Instead, ruthless cattle baron Brog (Anthony Caruso) has scared off all competition and offers much less.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & western
The Baron of Arizona (1950)
The U.S. government recognizes land grants made when the West was under Spanish rule. This inspires James Reavis to forge a chain of historical evidence that makes a foundling girl the Baroness of Arizona. Reavis marries the girl and presses his claim to the entire Arizona territory.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisColorado Territory (1949)
After escaping from jail, outlaw Wes McQueen is convinced by his old partner in crime to do one last heist.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Lusty Men (1952)
Retired rodeo champion Jeff McCloud agrees to mentor novice rodeo contestant Wes Merritt against the wishes of Merritt's wife who fears the dangers of this rough sport.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGiant (1956)
Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome and Get It (1936)
An ambitious lumberjack abandons his saloon girl lover so that he can marry into wealth, but years later becomes infatuated with the woman's daughter.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Misfits (1961)
While filing for a divorce, beautiful ex-stripper Roslyn Taber ends up meeting aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland and former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli. The two men instantly become infatuated with Roslyn and, on a whim, the three decide to move into Guido's half-finished desert home together. When grizzled ex-rodeo rider Perce Howland arrives, the unlikely foursome strike up a business capturing wild horses.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisImitation of Life (1959)
In 1940s New York, a white widow who dreams of being on Broadway has a chance encounter with a black single mother, who becomes her maid.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRiver of No Return (1954)
An itinerant farmer and his young son help a heart-of-gold saloon singer search for her estranged husband.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Back, Little Sheba (1953)
A mismatched couple's marital problems come to the surface when the husband develops an interest in their pretty boarder.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMany Rivers to Cross (1955)
Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker star as a Kentucky backwoodsman and the woman who will NOT let anything interfere with her plans to marry him in this humorous romantic adventure through the American Frontier of 1798.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western & romance
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
Gigolo and drifter Chance Wayne returns to his hometown as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra Del Lago, whom he hopes to use to help him break into the movies. Chance runs into trouble when he finds his ex-girlfriend, the daughter of the local politician Tom "Boss" Finley, who more or less forced him to leave his daughter and the town many years ago.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHonky Tonk (1941)
Fast-talking con-man and grifter Candy Johnson rises to be the corrupt boss of Yellow Creek, but his wife's alcoholic father tries to set things right.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western & romance
The Big Country (1958)
Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWritten on the Wind (1956)
Mitch Wayne is a geologist working for the Hadleys, an oil-rich Texas family. While the patriarch, Jasper, works hard to establish the family business, his irresponsible son, Kyle, is an alcoholic playboy, and his daughter, Marylee, is the town tramp. Mitch harbors a secret love for Kyle's unsatisfied wife, Lucy -- a fact that leaves him exposed when the jealous Marylee accuses him of murder.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBullfighter and the Lady (1951)
Adventuresome Johnny Regan attends a bullfight while vacationing in Mexico City. Enthralled by the crowd and the inherent risk in the sport, Johnny seeks out Manolo, the star bullfighter who performed at the event. The two strike a bargain for Manolo to teach Johnny bullfighting, but Johnny's risky behavior in the ring raises concern as his first fight approaches.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
The Gunfighter (1950)
The fastest gun in the West tries to escape his reputation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTexas (1941)
Two Virginians are heading for a new life in Texas when they witness a stagecoach being held up. They decide to rob the robbers and make off with the loot. To escape a posse, they split up and don't see each other again for a long time. When they do meet up again, they find themselves on different sides of the law. This leads to the increasing estrangement of the two men, who once thought of themselves as brothers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & western
Duel in the Sun (1946)
Beautiful half-breed Pearl Chavez becomes the ward of her dead father's first love and finds herself torn between her sons, one good and the other bad.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lawless Breed (1952)
After being released from prison, ex-gunfighter John Wesley Hardin hopes to have his autobiography published in order to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both western
Saratoga Trunk (1945)
An opportunistic Texas gambler and the exiled Creole daughter of an aristocratic family join forces to achieve justice from the society that has ostracized them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & western
Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965)
Henry Thomas tries to overcome the horrors of his childhood and start a new life with his wife and kid. However, his abusive step-mother and his dependence on alcohol threaten to ruin his future.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Man Called Sledge (1970)
James Garner is Luther Sledge, the leader of a pack of rebels who are planning to steal a stash of gold. But after the thieves actually manage to get away with the bounty, they soon discover that the enemy lies within their midst. As they begin to bicker over who should get the biggest cut, the stage is set for a deadly showdown. Claude Akins and John Marley co-star in this Italian Western directed by Vic Morrow.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)
Aging sidekick Lefty Brown has ridden with Eddie Johnson his entire life. But when a rustler kills Eddie, Lefty is forced from his partner’s shadow and must confront the ugly realities of frontier justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Unholy Trinity (2025)
Set against the turbulent backdrop of 1870s Montana, in the moments before the execution of Isaac Broadway, he gives his estranged son, Henry, an impossible task: murder the man who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. Intent on fulfilling his promise, Henry travels to the remote town of Trinity, where an unexpected turn of events traps him in town and leaves him caught between Gabriel Dove, the town’s upstanding new sheriff, and a mysterious figure named St. Christopher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerror on the Prairie (2022)
A pioneering family fights back against a gang of vicious outlaws that is terrorizing them on their newly-built farm on the plains of Montana.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Rainmaker?
The closest matches to The Rainmaker are The Big Street (1942), Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Of Human Bondage (1934). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Rainmaker?
People who watched The Rainmaker most often go on to The Big Street (1942), Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Of Human Bondage (1934).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Rainmaker?
Giant (1956), rated 7.6/10 by 787 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Rainmaker?
The Unholy Trinity (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Rainmaker?
Yes: The Big Street (1942), Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Of Human Bondage (1934).
How are movies similar to The Rainmaker chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Rainmaker, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.