Movies like So What (1988)
The best movies like So What (1988) are Coda (2020), BECK (2010) and Taurus (2022). If So What 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 ratedMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (2014)8.1/10 from 216 votes
- NewestClika (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseBECK (2010)Also in Japanese
Coda (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 thisBECK (2010)
Yukio is your average high school student who spends his days going to class and avoiding bullies. That is until he meets Ryusuke, a guitar prodigy. Together with Taira, Chiba, and Saku they form the rock band BECK. As their popularity increases so does the danger as Ryusuke's past catches up with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
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 Colors Within (2024)
Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the 'colors' of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful color of all. Although she doesn't play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practice at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLiz and the Blue Bird (2018)
In their last year of high school, two girls in the brass band club perform a song inspired by a fairy tale that parallels their friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTeen Spirit (2019)
A shy teenager living on the Isle of Wight dreams of pop stardom. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a singing competition that will test her integrity, talent, and ambition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFame (1980)
A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrace Unplugged (2013)
A talented young singer and aspiring songwriter’s Christian faith and family ties are tested when she defies her worship-pastor father and pursues pop-music stardom in GRACE UNPLUGGED, a moving and inspiring new film that explores the true meaning of success.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeyond the Sea (2004)
Based on the life and career of legendary entertainer, Bobby Darin, the biopic moves back and forth between his childhood and adulthood, to tell the tale of his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClika (2026)
Aspiring small-town musician Chito is determined to make it big. When a clip of him performing one of his songs goes viral, he seizes the opportunity and pushes to carve out a place for himself in the new wave of Mexican-American music... and ultimately gets caught in a game more dangerous than anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisToo Late Blues (1961)
Ghost is an ideological musician and leader of a jazz band who would rather play his blues in the park to the birds than compromise himself. His peripatetic performances lead him to cross paths with a singer, while his masculinity is thrown into question following a violent brawl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
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 thisA (2017)
A young alcoholic ambient musician locks himself in his apartment on a dangerous seven day bender as he attempts to finish his upcoming album.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (2014)
Music rules and rainbows rock as Twilight Sparkle and pals compete for the top spot in the Canterlot High "Mane Event" talent show. The girls must rock their way to the top, and outshine rival Adagio Dazzle and her band The Dazzlings, to restore harmony back to Canterlot High.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMonster High: Boo York, Boo York (2015)
It's fright lights, big city when the Monster High ghouls head to Boo York! Cleo de Nile is invited to attend a gancy gala celebrating the return of the magical comet and, of course, she brings along her beast friends. But their trip isn't all fun and frightseeing because Nefera, Cleo's sister, uses the comet's power for her own spooktacularly sneaky plans. Can the monsters unwrap the mystery of the comet in time to stop Nefera? Find out in Booy York, Boo York, the first-ever Monster High musical, featuring eight original songs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHappyend (2024)
In a near-future Japanese city bracing for a devastating earthquake, a group of teenage friends navigate personal struggles and fractured bonds amid rising tension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSound! Euphonium the Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day (2019)
The next piece begins! Kumiko is now in her second year at Kitauji High School, and with a new year comes new problems. As if making it to Nationals wasn't hard enough, Kumiko is tasked with mentoring the concert band's troublesome first years – each with their own distinct personality and problems to solve. With Kumiko busy juggling both the concert band and her new role as senpai, how does her relationship with Shuuichi fit into the picture?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGrease Live (2016)
After enjoying a holiday romance, high school students Danny and Sandy are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High, where she must contend with cynical Rizzo and the Pink Ladies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Friendship Games (2015)
Canterlot High meets its rival school, Crystal Prep Academy, in a competition that’s a long-standing tradition – The Friendship Games. Sunset Shimmer is tasked with keeping magic out of the games to avoid the appearance of impropriety while she and her friends compete against Crystal Prep’s top students led by someone with an equal amount of interest in Equestrian magic – this world’s TWILIGHT SPARKLE.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisConcert of 1936 (1978)
In 1936, two female artists (a singer and a pianist) visit the city of Lushnja, which was very conservative.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & drama
Country's Family Reunion: Volume One (2005)
Featuring everything from Old-Time Gospel to Honky Tonk and Bluegrass, the beloved performance show Country’s Family Reunion started all the way back in 1996, Country music legends gathered in an informal setting to sing nostalgic songs, share their stories, and provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into their histories. The reunions soon became a favorite cable television show that ran for over two decades.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Country's Family Reunion 1: Volume Two (2005)
The original Country's Family Reunion taping that started it all! The first time our country's family reunion folk ever sat together to share stories and songs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Emerson, Lake and Palmer: The Live Broadcasts (2006)
This is the Holy Grail for progressive rock fans. Emerson Lake and Palmer are captured here at the very beginning of a legendary career. Filmed at the time when the band had only just recorded their ground breaking first album, ELP had to use all of their huge individual creative talents to create a full show. That's what makes this film so special. Extensive improvisation virtuoso playing by Keith Emerson, inventive percussion from Carl Palmer and a bravura performance at the mike by the young Greg Lake make this an essential addition to the collection of any fan of the progressive rock era. TRACK LIST 1. The Barbarian 2. Rondo/Bach Improvisations 3. Drum Solo 4. Nutrocker 5. Take A Pebble 6. Knife Edge
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Beach Logs Kill (2024)
At a high school football game the star quarterback promises her lucky number to the deserving girl teammate. During the game things go wrong. An awkward girl in detention tries to prove herself worthy of quarterback's regard and legacy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
INFINITE CONCERT 'COMEBACK AGAIN' (2023)
♾️COMEBACK AGAIN 'That Summer' of 2023!♾️ The six men have returned, "Hello, this is Infinite"
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Brian Wilson - Live at Baloise Session (2016)
50 years after the release of the Pet Sounds album with the Beach Boys, this is Brian Wilson at la Baloise Session.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Toppers In Concert 2019 (2019)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Dangerous 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: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like So What?
The closest matches to So What are Coda (2020), BECK (2010) and Taurus (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after So What?
Start with Coda (2020), the closest match to So What.
What is the highest-rated movie like So What?
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (2014), rated 8.1/10 by 216 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like So What?
Clika (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like So What?
Yes: BECK (2010), The Colors Within (2024) and Liz and the Blue Bird (2018).
How are movies similar to So What chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside So What, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.