Movies like A Simple Man (1987)
The best movies like A Simple Man (1987) are David Bowie: Five Years (2013), Drumline: A New Beat (2014) and Let It Shine (2012). If A Simple Man hooked you with its music and tv movie, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLet It Shine (2012)7.0/10 from 331 votes
- NewestSpongeBob SquarePants: Kreepaway Kamp (2024)Released 2024
David Bowie: Five Years (2013)
Featuring a wealth of previously unseen archive, this film looks at how Bowie continually evolved: from Ziggy Stardust to the Soul Star of Young Americans, to the ‘Thin White Duke’. It explores his regeneration in Berlin with the critically acclaimed album Heroes, his triumph with Scary Monsters and his global success with Let’s Dance. With interviews with all his closest collaborators, David Bowie - Five Years presents a unique account of why Bowie has become an ‘icon of our times’.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrumline: A New Beat (2014)
A girl from New York attends a college in Atlanta to join their once-famous marching band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLet It Shine (2012)
A teenage rapper must use his musical talent to help a friend and win the girl of his dreams while overcoming self-doubt and the expectations of his strict religious parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpin (2021)
Rhea discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her. Her life revolves around her eclectic group of friends, her after-school coding club, her family’s Indian restaurant and her tight-knit, multigenerational family. Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max, and her long-lost fervor for music is re-ignited. Rhea discovers that she has a natural gift for creating beats and producing music but must find the courage to follow her true inner talent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
The story of the rise and fall of the Pre-Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAaliyah: The Princess of R&B (2014)
The story of R&B singer and actress Aaliyah; namely, the highs and lows of her career, her romantic pursuits, and the events leading up to her death in 2001 at the age of 22.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisiParty with Victorious (2011)
Carly discovers her boyfriend Steven Carson has been cheating on her with Tori Vega, so the gang flies out to Los Angeles where they meet Tori and the gang from Hollywood Arts. They attend a party hosted by Kenan Thompson where Carly and Tori realize Steven was dating them both and therefore cheating on them at the same time, so they plot payback on him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSneakerella (2022)
When El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity for sneakers. With a little nudge from his best friend and a sprinkle of Fairy Godfather magic, El finds the courage to use his talent to pursue his dream of becoming a ‘legit’ sneaker designer in the industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Hunchback (1997)
Based on Victor Hugo's famed novel, the story of Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer of Notre Dame, and his unrequited love for the gypsy girl, Esmeralda.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisHome by Spring (2018)
When an ambitious event planner gets an opportunity she can’t refuse, she goes undercover as her boss and returns to her rural hometown. With the help of her family and the man she left behind, she pulls off the perfect spring retreat, but will she discover home is where her heart is?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Girl in the Café (2005)
Lawrence, an aging, lonely civil servant falls for Gina, an enigmatic young woman. When he takes her to the G8 Summit in Reykjavik, however, their bond is tested by Lawrence's professional obligations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Good Witch (2008)
A mysterious woman comes in to town and inhabits the local haunted mansion, making everyone wonder if she's a witch or "The Grey Lady".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDisappearing Acts (2000)
A struggling construction worker and an aspiring musician find themselves falling in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeauty and the Billionaire (2022)
Addison travels with a picky billionaire as an assistant in her brother's place so he doesn't lose his job. She clashes with the billionaire until both start to see more in each other than they thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBroadway Melody of 1940 (1940)
Johnny Brett and King Shaw are an unsuccessful dance team in New York. A producer discovers Brett as the new partner for Clare Bennett, but Brett, who thinks he is one of the people they lent money to, gives him the name of his partner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFramed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery (2017)
In the small resort town of Lighthouse Cove, everyone knows that the best man for the job is a woman. And that woman is Shannon Hughes, owner of a construction company and an expert in Victorian home restoration and renovation. Through her renovations she will find clues to uncover the house’s secret past and in turn become an unlikely sleuth to help crack these unsolved mysteries
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpongeBob SquarePants: Kreepaway Kamp (2024)
While at Kamp Koral for a reunion, SpongeBob and the gang are stalked by a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows as campers start disappearing one by one!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClear History (2013)
Nathan Flomm, in order to avoid the humiliation of having missed out on a hugely successful business, assumes a new identity on Martha's Vineyard. He plots revenge when his former business partner moves to the same town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDavid Blaine: Real or Magic (2013)
David Blaine's signature brand of street magic mystifies the most recognisable celebrities in the world, such as Jamie Foxx, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Ricky Gervais, Katy Perry, Woody Allen, and Robert DeNiro, to name a few. He goes to the homes of Kanye West and Harrison Ford, Will Smith and Olivia Wilde. He pays a visit to Stephen Hawking at his office in Cambridge University. Blaine also travels the world, astonishing people from all walks of life with never-before seen, inconceivable magic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Simple Man?
The closest matches to A Simple Man are David Bowie: Five Years (2013), Drumline: A New Beat (2014) and Let It Shine (2012). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Simple Man?
Start with David Bowie: Five Years (2013), the closest match to A Simple Man.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Simple Man?
Let It Shine (2012), rated 7.0/10 by 331 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Simple Man?
SpongeBob SquarePants: Kreepaway Kamp (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Simple Man?
Yes: David Bowie: Five Years (2013), Drumline: A New Beat (2014) and Let It Shine (2012).
How are movies similar to A Simple Man chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Simple Man, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.