Movies like Musical Stairs (1977)
The best movies like Musical Stairs (1977) are 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006) and Moonage Daydream (2022). If Musical Stairs hooked you, 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 17,385 votes
- NewestA Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)Released 2025
20,000 Days on Earth (2014)
A semi-fictionalized documentary about a day in the life of Australian musician Nick Cave's persona.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006)
This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMoonage Daydream (2022)
A cinematic odyssey featuring never-before-seen footage exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhiplash (2013)
A ferocious, bullying music teacher teaches a dedicated student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sound of 007 (2022)
Pull back the curtain on the remarkable history of six decades of James Bond music, from Sean Connery’s Dr No through to Daniel Craig’s final outing in No Time to Die.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSelena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)
After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGorillaz: Reject False Icons (2019)
Focused on the life of the band and their collaborators over the 3 vital years in which they developed critically acclaimed albums, 'Humanz' and 'The Now Now', and undertook their most ambitious world tour to date.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwenty One Pilots: Livestream Experience (2021)
A one-night livestream concert performed by Twenty One Pilots on May 21, 2021, introducing their newest album "Scaled and Icy".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMaria by Callas (2017)
Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs, the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPiece by Piece (2024)
A unique cinematic experience that invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. Told through the lens of LEGO® animation, turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music's most innovative minds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThat's Entertainment! III (1994)
Some of MGM's musical stars review the studio's history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThat's Entertainment, Part II (1976)
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical numbers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMusic by John Williams (2024)
His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMichael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016)
Director Spike Lee chronicles Michael Jackson's early rise to fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)
Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas face a series of escalating obstacles as they struggle to make it from London to New York in time to spend Christmas with their families.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJustin Bieber's Believe (2013)
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Music Box (1932)
The Laurel & Hardy Moving Co. have a challenging job on their hands (and backs): hauling a player piano up a monumental flight of stairs to Prof. von Schwarzenhoffen's house. Their task is complicated by a sassy nursemaid and, unbeknownst to them, the impatient Prof. von Schwarzenhoffen himself. But the biggest problem is the force of gravity, which repeatedly pulls the piano back down to the bottom of the stairs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSelena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy (2025)
Never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews celebrate the life and legacy of iconic Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla and her family band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLa Mer (1991)
The passing time is displayed as a series of still frames, or a rapid sequence of moments, ever flowing like the waves that break on the shore, like a repeated chant with no beginning, middle or end.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Frozen Image (1965)
A poetic essay. An Algerian soldier wanders through Algiers and the countryside, whilst a voiceover of the soldier's mother laments his death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
BLACKland (2006)
The film is a stage play hybrid showcasing dark and absurd sketches based on contemporary Hungarian news of the 2000's with campy, senseless musical interludes in-between. Highly experimental in nature that - like Marmite - will split its' crowd into ones that'll love it and others that'll loathe it. There's no middle grounds here. The topics included are: The Hungarian Olympians' doping scandal, political terrorism, the national elections... and more.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Lullaby Story (2021)
A young model falls victim to a sadistic cult of sexual slavery, snuff tapes and black magic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Metropoles (1975)
This is an experimental film featuring an allegorical audiovisual symphony of image, text (excerpts from works by Proust and verses from Rilke’s poetry) and music through the use of archival photographs taken from Illustration Magazine. It focuses on the urban establishment and links the wave of Western colonization to the period right before the Great War (1914-1918).
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Beatles Electroniques (1968)
Part of a collection of restored early works by Nam June Paik, the haunting Beatles Electronique reveals Paik's engagement with manipulation of pop icons and electronic images. Snippets of footage from the feature film A Hard Day's Night and the "Rain" promotional film are countered with Paik's early electronic processing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
1/57: Experiment with Synthetic Sound (Test) (1957)
Mostly dark, rejecting images which are repeated. A stone wall, the chamber of a revolver which is, at first not recognizable, a close-up of a cactus. The duration of the takes emphasises the photographic character of the pictures, simultaneously with a crackling, brutal sound. (Hans Scheugl)
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Begotten (1991)
Begotten is the creation myth brought to life, the story of no less than the violent death of God and the (re)birth of nature on a barren earth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Musical Stairs?
The closest matches to Musical Stairs are 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006) and Moonage Daydream (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Musical Stairs?
Start with 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), the closest match to Musical Stairs.
What is the highest-rated movie like Musical Stairs?
Whiplash (2014), rated 8.4/10 by 17,385 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Musical Stairs?
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Musical Stairs?
Yes: 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006) and Moonage Daydream (2022).
How are movies similar to Musical Stairs chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Musical Stairs, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.