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Movies like Release (2006)

The best movies like Release (2006) are Footloose (1984), Strictly Ballroom (1992) and The Goodbye Girl (1977). If Release hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Footloose (1984)

    When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he's living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Strictly 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 this
  3. The 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 this
  4. Bravetown (2015)

    After an accidental drug overdose, a talented teenage DJ goes to live with his estranged father in a small Army town, where he gets to the bottom of his own pain and learns empathy for others.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. Shall We Dance? (2004)

    A bored estate lawyer spots a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and then over time discovers how much he loves dancing. His wife, meanwhile, has hired a private detective to find out why he has started coming home late smelling of perfume.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. The Jazz Singer (1927)

    A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer. This is the first full length feature film to use synchronized sound, and is the original film musical.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. The Greening of Whitney Brown (2011)

    Whitney, a spoiled pre-teen from Philadelphia, is forced to move to the country when her parents feel the squeeze of economic hard times. A fish out of water, far from her comfort zone, she befriends an amazing horse, and undertakes a misguided journey back to her old life, only to discover that her family is her home.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  8. Take 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 this
  9. Nothing in Common (1986)

    A successful advertising executive finds his freewheeling life crashing to a halt when his parents end their longtime marriage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  10. A Star Is Born (1954)

    A movie star helps a young singer-actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Ticket to Paradise (2022)

    Divorced couple Georgia and David find themselves on a shared mission: they team up and travel to Bali to stop their daughter Lily from making the same mistake they once made 25 years ago.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Staying Alive (1983)

    Five years later, Tony Manero's Saturday Night Fever still burns. Now he's struts toward his biggest challenger yet - making it as a dancer on the Broadway stage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  13. Honey 3: Dare to Dance (2016)

    While attending college in Cape Town, Melea Martin feels constrained by the school's strict policies, and decides to set out on her own. Searching for a way to use her talents as a dancer and inspire the community around her, Melea rents a failing theater in order to put on a Hip-Hop Romeo and Juliet performance. But much like the Capulets and Montagues, conflicts between cast members threaten to bring the whole performance to a halt...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. The Killing of Two Lovers (2021)

    In a rural Utah town, David, a father of four, grapples with his separation from wife Nikki as she pursues a new relationship.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. High Strung Free Dance (2018)

    Zander Raines, a dazzling and tempestuous young choreographer, gives the break of a lifetime to two hopeful artists when he casts a stunning contemporary dancer, Barlow, and innovative pianist, Charlie, in New York’s most-anticipated new Broadway show: Free Dance. But the move throws off the show’s delicate creative balance when Charlie falls hard for Barlow, while Zander embraces her as his muse.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Boyhood (2014)

    The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023)

    Mike Lane takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse… and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, once Mike discovers what she truly has in mind, will he—and the roster of hot new dancers he’ll have to whip into shape—be able to pull it off?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. I Never Sang for My Father (1970)

    A man living in the towering shadow of his aging father finds it difficult to start a new chapter in his life by marrying his girlfriend and moving to California.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Like Father (2018)

    When a workaholic young executive is left at the altar, she ends up on her Caribbean honeymoon cruise with the last person she ever expected: her estranged and equally workaholic father. The two depart as strangers, but over the course of a few hilarious adventures, a couple of umbrella-clad cocktails and a whole lot of soul-searching, they return with a renewed appreciation for family and life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. Dirty Dancing (1987)

    Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hoofer—and unexpectedly falling in love.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this

Like Release and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Release?

The closest matches to Release are Footloose (1984), Strictly Ballroom (1992) and The Goodbye Girl (1977). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Release?

Start with Footloose (1984), the closest match to Release.

What is the highest-rated movie like Release?

Boyhood (2014), rated 7.5/10 by 5,702 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Release?

Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Release?

Yes: Footloose (1984), Strictly Ballroom (1992) and The Goodbye Girl (1977).

How are movies similar to Release chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Release, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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