Movies like The Desilu Story (2003)
The best movies like The Desilu Story (2003) are The Joker is Wild (1957), Original Sin (2001) and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004). If The Desilu Story hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFlamin' Hot (2023)8.0/10 from 888 votes
- NewestSaturday Night (2024)Released 2024
The Joker is Wild (1957)
A Prohibition-era nightclub crooner has his career is cut short when his throat is slashed by a mob boss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOriginal Sin (2001)
A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
In pre-revolution Cuba, Katey Miller is about to defy everyone's expectations. Instead of a parent-approved suitor, Katey is drawn to the sexy waiter, Javier, who spends his nights dancing in Havana's nightclubs. As she secretly learns to dance with Javier, she learns the meanings of love, sensuality and independence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSweet and Lowdown (1999)
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Long Game (2024)
In a segregated Texas, five Mexican-American teenage caddies were prohibited from playing at the country club where they worked. Against all odds, they formed their own team, built a one-hole course in the fields, and won the 1957 Texas State championship. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJobs (2013)
The story of Steve Jobs' ascension from college dropout into one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
The story of Valerie Solanas, a '60s radical who preached misandry in her "SCUM" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but he repeatedly ignored her. So she shot him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlamin' Hot (2023)
The inspiring true story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin' Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Lost City (2005)
In Havana, Cuba in the late 1950's, a wealthy family, one of whose sons is a prominent nightclub owner, is caught in the violent transition from the oppressive regime of Batista to the Marxist government of Fidel Castro. Castro's regime ultimately leads the nightclub owner to flee to New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaturday Night (2024)
At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOn the Basis of Sex (2018)
Young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of sex discrimination.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeing the Ricardos (2021)
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Heights (2021)
The story of Usnavi, a bodega owner who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic or staying in Washington Heights.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGotti (1996)
John Gotti, the head of a small New York mafia crew breaks a few of the old family rules. He rises to become the head of the Gambino family and the most well-known mafia boss in America. Life is good, but suspicion creeps in, and greed, rule-breaking and his high public profile all threaten to topple him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDolemite Is My Name (2019)
The story of Rudy Ray Moore, who created the iconic big screen pimp character Dolemite in the 1970s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll Eyez on Me (2017)
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row Records. Against insurmountable odds, Tupac rose to become a cultural icon whose career and persona both continue to grow long after his passing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Glenn Miller Story (1954)
A vibrant tribute to one of America's legendary bandleaders, charting Glenn Miller's rise from obscurity and poverty to fame and wealth in the early 1940s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEl Cantante (2006)
The rise and fall of salsa singer, Héctor Lavoe (1946-1993), as told from the perspective of his wife Puchi, who looks back from 2002.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShampoo (1975)
On Election Day, 1968, irresponsible hairdresser and ladies' man George Roundy is too busy cutting hair and dealing with his girlfriends and mistress Felicia Karpf, whose husband Lester is having an affair with his ex-girlfriend Jackie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWoody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
An intense portrait of the iconic filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen: his life, family and friends; his writing and directing habits, and his relationship with performers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like The Desilu Story and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Desilu Story?
The closest matches to The Desilu Story are The Joker is Wild (1957), Original Sin (2001) and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Desilu Story?
Start with The Joker is Wild (1957), the closest match to The Desilu Story.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Desilu Story?
Flamin' Hot (2023), rated 8.0/10 by 888 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Desilu Story?
Saturday Night (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Desilu Story?
Yes: The Joker is Wild (1957), Original Sin (2001) and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004).
How are movies similar to The Desilu Story chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Desilu Story, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.