Movies like Shoe Shine Boy (1943)
The best movies like Shoe Shine Boy (1943) are Too Late Blues (1961), Whiplash (2013) and Taurus (2022). If Shoe Shine Boy 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 ratedWhiplash (2014)8.4/10 from 17,382 votes
- NewestClika (2026)Released 2026
Too 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 thisWhiplash (2013)
A ferocious, bullying music teacher teaches a dedicated student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisMo' Better Blues (1990)
Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Late Quartet (2012)
When the beloved cellist of a world-renowned string quartet is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, the group's future suddenly hangs in the balance as suppressed emotions, competing egos and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration. As they are about to play their 25th anniversary concert — quite possibly their last — only their intimate bond and the power of music can preserve their legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoneydripper (2007)
In 1950s Alabama, the owner of the Honeydripper juke joint finds his business dropping off and against his better judgment, hires a young electric guitarist in a last ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhiplash (2014)
Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Mambo Kings (1992)
The Mambo Kings tells the story of César and Nestor Castillo, brothers and aspiring musicians who flee from Cuba to America in search of the American Dream.
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 thisBackbeat (1994)
Chronicles the early days of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. The film focuses primarily on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe, John Lennon, and Sutcliffe's girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorn to Be Blue (2015)
Jazz legend Chet Baker finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.
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 thisShadows (1960)
The relationship between Lelia, a light-skinned black woman, and Tony, a white man is put in jeopardy when Tony meets Lelia’s darker-skinned jazz singer brother, Hugh, and discovers that her racial heritage is not what he thought it was.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young One (1960)
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Pawnbroker (1965)
A Jewish pawnbroker, a victim of Nazi persecution, loses all faith in his fellow man until he realizes too late the tragedy of his actions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLook Back in Anger (1959)
A disillusioned, angry university graduate comes to terms with his grudge against middle-class life and values.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFoxtrot Six (2019)
Escalating climate change is turning the world economy upside down. With crops dying and food price spiking, FOOD has replaced oil as the world's most valuable commodity. Among the very few lands still left fertile, Indonesia is quickly rising as the next economic superpower, when its government is suddenly and ruthlessly overtaken by a popular rogue political party. In just three days, six former Marines must work together, find their long-lost brotherhood, stop a nationwide government- sanctioned genocide, and save millions of lives, for one last shot at redemption. Or die trying.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUncut Gems (2019)
A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisThe Accountant (2016)
As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGeneral Gramophone (1978)
Halit Berati, a virtuoso clarinet player, is invited by the Italians to record his music, which is to be sold along Italian records.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & drama
River Road (2021)
A rock musician and a free-spirited woman start an intense relationship which soon spirals into a world of drug addiction and crime.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)
A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader — Eddie Wilson — may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlues in the Night (1941)
A struggling band find themselves attached to a fugitive and drawn into a series of old feuds and love affairs, as they try to stay together and find musical success.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Art Blakey: The Jazz Messenger (1988)
A portrait of inspirational jazz drummer and teacher Art Blakey with Dizzy Gillespie, many pupils including Wayne Shorter, the Marsalis brothers, and a surprising new generation of musicians and dancers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Trilok Gurtu Trio at Nord Sea Jazz Festival (2004)
The musical traditions of the eastern and western worlds are bridged through the improvisations of Bombay, India-born percussionist/vocalist Trilok Gurtu. Gurtu’s mastery of post-bop jazz has not gone unnoticed. Downbeat magazine named him “best percussionist” in three critic and popularity polls and proclaimed, “musically, the world is his stage”. Jazz magazine, Straight No Chaser took a similar view, writing, “this music has a transcendental quality and removes any obstacles that lie between western and eastern improvised music.” Gurtu’s eclectic approach has enabled him to collaborate with most of the world’s greatest musicians. Tracklist 01. Jhuleal 02. Peace of five elements 03. Africa con India 04. Pasana’s Love 05. Dance with my lover 06. God rhythm
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Joe Zawinul & WDR Big Band - Leverkusener Jazztage (2005)
Zawinul is onstage with the WDR Big Band from Germany and a special international rhythm section. The music is a tribute to the pioneering 1970s fusion collective Weather Report, originally with Wayne Shorter on sax, Zawinul on keys, and later Jaco Pastorius on bass (among other personnel). Zawinul and the WDR play "Brown Street" and "Carnavalito." Arranger Vince Mendoza re-imagines this colorful, small-group music for Europe's longest-lived jazz orchestra. And they can play!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Al Jarreau at AVO Session Basel (2004)
Tracklist: 1. Route 66 2. Medley: - Save Me - My Old Friend - Trouble In Paradise 3. Distracted 4. Wait For The Magic 5. Mornin' 6. Take Five 7. Lost And Found 8. Midnight Sun 9. Medley: - Step By Step - Breakin' Away - I Will Be Here For You (Nitakungodea Milele) 10. Boogie Down
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Jimmy McGary: The Best Jazz You Never Heard (2019)
Tenor saxophonist Jimmy McGary was a major presence in the Cincinnati music scene from the 1950s until his death in the early ’90s. With music rooted in Bebop with a progressive slant, the Jazz legend was a session player for King Records and released his first album as a bandleader — The First Time (with a quartet that included pianist Pat Kelly) — in 1979. McGary’s spirit and legacy have lived on well after his passing and well beyond Cincinnati, as evidenced in this new documentary film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
A hard-nosed, hard-living Marine gunnery sergeant clashes with his superiors and his ex-wife as he takes command of a spoiled recon platoon with a bad attitude.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shoe Shine Boy?
The closest matches to Shoe Shine Boy are Too Late Blues (1961), Whiplash (2013) and Taurus (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shoe Shine Boy?
Start with Too Late Blues (1961), the closest match to Shoe Shine Boy.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shoe Shine Boy?
Whiplash (2014), rated 8.4/10 by 17,382 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shoe Shine Boy?
Clika (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Shoe Shine Boy?
Yes: Too Late Blues (1961), Whiplash (2013) and Taurus (2022).
How are movies similar to Shoe Shine Boy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shoe Shine Boy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.