Movies like New Wave Lovers (1981)
The best movies like New Wave Lovers (1981) are The After Party (2018), Soul Men (2008) and Get Crazy (1983). If New Wave Lovers hooked you with its comedy and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBo Burnham: Make Happy (2016)8.0/10 from 459 votes
- NewestSpinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)Released 2025
The After Party (2018)
When an aspiring rapper goes viral for the wrong reasons, he thinks his career is sunk. But a wild party gives him one more chance to make it right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSoul Men (2008)
Two former backup soul singers, Louis and Floyd, have not spoken to each other in 20 years, and reluctantly agree to travel across the country together to a reunion concert to honor their recently-deceased lead singer. Cleo, a beautiful young woman who is believed to be Floyd's daughter, accompanies them as a new singer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGet Crazy (1983)
Mega-promoter Colin Beverly plans to sabotage the New Year's 1983 concert of small-time operator Max Wolfe. Wolfe's assistants Neil Allen and Willie Loman find romance while trying to save the drugs, violence, and rock and roll from Beverly's schemes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBo Burnham: What. (2013)
Left brain and right brain duke it out and then belt out a tune in comedian Bo Burnham's quick and clever one-man show. As intelligent as he is lanky, Burnham cynically pokes at pop entertainment while offering unadulterated showmanship of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBo Burnham: Make Happy (2016)
Combining his trademark wit and self-deprecating humor with original music, Bo Burnham offers up his unique twist on life in this stand-up special about life, death, sexuality, hypocrisy, mental illness and Pringles cans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Festival (2018)
After Nick's girlfriend dumps him, his best mate Shane has the perfect antidote to his break-up blues: three days at an epic music festival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisAdam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018)
Adam Sandler takes his comical musical musings back out on the road, from comedy clubs to concert halls to one very unsuspecting subway station.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Mighty Wind (2003)
Three eclectic, never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager to put on an reunion concert in his honor, at the request of his son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCB4 (1993)
A "rockumentary", covering the rise to fame of MC Gusto, Stab Master Arson, and Dead Mike: members of the rap group "CB4". We soon learn that these three are not what they seem and don't appear to know as much about rap music as they claim... but a lack of musical ability in an artist never hurts sales, does it? You've just got to play the part of a rap star...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBo Burnham: Words, Words, Words (2010)
Bo Burnham is back with a new one-man show full of his patented songs and wordplay, as well as haikus, dramatic readings, blasphemy, and so much more in his first hour-long special, shot live in his home town of Boston.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWalk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Night at the Opera (1935)
The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBo Burnham: The Inside Outtakes (2022)
Exactly one year after the release of the one man show, "Bo Burnham: Inside" (made in one room, by one person, throughout the pandemic,) comes a series of unseen outtakes, deleted scenes, alternative versions of songs, and new songs unused from the special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
In Venice Beach, naive Midwesterner JB bonds with local slacker KG and they form the rock band Tenacious D. Setting out to become the world's greatest band is no easy feat, so they set out to steal what could be the answer to their prayers... a magical guitar pick housed in a rock-and-roll museum some 300 miles away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)
The now estranged bandmates of Spinal Tap are forced to reunite for one final concert, hoping it will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing of Jazz (1930)
A large-scale revue musical built around Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, presenting a series of musical performances, sketches, and staged tableaux in early two-color Technicolor, emblematic of Hollywood’s early sound-era “all-star” musical productions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEddie Murphy Raw (1987)
Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDylan Moran: Like, Totally (2006)
Dylan Moran returns with an all-new stand-up show. Unpredictable, startling, bizarre, elegiac, but above all brilliant and hilariously funny, Moran is a master of comedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGoltzius & the Pelican Company (2012)
Hendrik Goltzius, a late-16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints, seduces the Margrave of Alsace into paying for a printing press to make and publish illustrated books.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChris Rock: Selective Outrage (2023)
Chris Rock delivers an electric stand-up set on non-racist yoga pants, spoiling his kids, the Kardashians and his thoughts on the Will Smith fiasco.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLe Donk & Scor-zay-zee (2009)
An improvised comedy, shot over five days by Shane Meadows, devised with and starring Paddy Considine. Rock roadie and failed musician, Le Donk has lived, loved and learned. Along the way he's lost a girlfriend but he has found a new sidekick in up-and-coming rap prodigy Scor-zay-zee. With Meadows' fly-on-the-wall crew in tow, Donk sets out to make Scor-zay-zee a star...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Blondie : Greatest Hits - Sound & Vision (2005)
1. In the Flesh - 2. X Offender - 3. Denis – 4. Detroit 442 – 5. (I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear - 6 . Picture This - 7 . Hanging on the Telephone - 8. Heart of Glass - 9. Dreaming - 10. The Hardest Part - 11. Union City Blue - 12. Atomic - 13. The Tide Is High - 14. Rapture - 15. Island of Lost Souls - 16. Maria - 17. Good Boys
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)
In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWell How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of Talking Heads (2017)
A brief history of Talking Heads (and how they got here!)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Sapphire Girls (2003)
Once, Ruby, Crystal and Jade were on top of the world. Now they're desperate for a comeback. When a mysterious millionaire offers them a world tour, they jump at the chance. But there are a few strings attached, and soon these sexy sirens are in hot water. With the help of an undercover agent, they're about to prove that you don't toy with the Sapphire Girls.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Urgh! A Music War (1981)
Urgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1982 featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk acts, filmed in 1980. Among the artists featured in the movie are Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Magazine, The Go-Go's, Toyah Willcox, The Fleshtones, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, X, XTC, Devo, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, Dead Kennedys, Gary Numan, Klaus Nomi, Wall of Voodoo, Pere Ubu, Steel Pulse, Surf Punks, 999, UB40, Echo & the Bunnymen and The Police. These were many of the most popular groups on the New Wave scene; in keeping with the spirit of the scene, the film also features several less famous acts, and one completely obscure group, Invisible Sex, in what appears to be their only public performance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
American Pop (1981)
The history of American popular music runs parallel with the history of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, with each male descendant possessing different musical abilities.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaving Dreams (2017)
A naive girl with dreams of stardom, marries a powerful man, who abuses her while running a foundation that protects abused women.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Slave Trade: How Prince Remade the Music Business (2014)
In the mid-1990s reports emerged that Prince had fallen into dispute with his record company. Having signed what was ostensibly a new, 100 million dollar contract just a couple of years before, Prince was now demanding - not unreasonably to most commentators - control of his masters and the freedom to release what he wanted when he wanted. After a bitter war of words, during which the star scrawled Slave across his cheek whenever he appeared in public and routinely dissed his label, the parties finally settled and Prince henceforth was free to take full control of his music and the way it was sold to consumers. Prince approached this task with devastating foresight as he routinely created new marketing concepts which, with time, became the norm across the music world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
New Order: A Collection (2005)
This collection features all of New Order's groundbreaking videos, including 'Bizarre Love', 'Triangle', 'Blue Monday' and 'True Faith' plus alternate versions and brand new videos for 'Temptation' and 'Ceremony' created just for this compilation. It also includes the latest video from their current album - the title track 'Waiting for the Sirens Call'. Tracklist: 'Ceremony', 'Confusion', 'The Perfect Kiss', 'Shellshock', 'State of the Nation', 'Temptation', 'Bizarre Love Triangle', 'True Faith', 'Touched By the Hand of God', 'Blue Monday', 'Fine Time', 'Round & Round', 'Run', 'World in Motion', 'Regret', 'Ruined in a Day', 'World', 'Spooky', '1963', 'Crystal', '60 Miles an Hour', 'Here To Stay', 'Krafty', 'Jetstream' and 'Waiting for the Sirens' Call'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like New Wave Lovers?
The closest matches to New Wave Lovers are The After Party (2018), Soul Men (2008) and Get Crazy (1983). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after New Wave Lovers?
Start with The After Party (2018), the closest match to New Wave Lovers.
What is the highest-rated movie like New Wave Lovers?
Bo Burnham: Make Happy (2016), rated 8.0/10 by 459 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like New Wave Lovers?
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like New Wave Lovers?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to New Wave Lovers chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside New Wave Lovers, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.