Movies like Limelight (2018)
The best movies like Limelight (2018) are Hands of Stone (2016), El Chicano (2019) and Hardball (2001). If Limelight hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMarcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022)7.6/10 from 757 votes
- NewestNinavau (2025)Released 2025
Hands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEl Chicano (2019)
A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHardball (2001)
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGigi & Nate (2022)
A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisImperial Dreams (2014)
A 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cut (2025)
A retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal weight-cutting program.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisGirl in the Box (2016)
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWon't Back Down (2012)
Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Carpetbaggers (1964)
Jonas Cord is a disagreeable young tycoon who's building planes, directing films, and catting around on the corporate make in 1930s Hollywood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPimp (2018)
An urban love story set on the hard streets of the Bronx. A struggling female pimp, named Wednesday, grows up learning the game from her dad. Once he's gone she's left to look out for her prostitute mother and girlfriend Nikki.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHurry Sundown (1967)
A ruthless Southern opportunist tries to buy his cousin's land, and when thwarted, brings several tragedies to the lives of his loved ones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Visit (1964)
Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Carla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sound of Silence (2019)
A successful "house tuner" in New York City, who calibrates the sound in people's homes in order to adjust their moods, meets a client with a problem he can't solve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRogue Agent (2022)
Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSkin (2009)
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dog Trick (2002)
Simon dreams of finding his one true love. Until then, he spends most of his time watching sloppy tearjerkers on video. He also shies away from the shallow young women that he and his friends Micke and Mario meet at bars. But Micke suggests one thing that is a guaranteed babe-magnet: taking a dog out for walks. It's an instant success for Simon, he meets the delightful Mia who immediately takes a liking to him. But things are not always what they may look like.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Untitled Richard Simmons Biopic (TBA)
An extraordinary man full of fame, glitz and an assiduous promoter of fitness and wellness. Richard Simmons from fitness guru to 1980s household name, with his energetic aerobic workouts and colorful personality on TV shows and films.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022)
Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. When a documentarian discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, his resulting short film brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDare (2009)
When a pompous actor tells good girl Alexa that she hasn't lived, she embarks on a bold journey that takes her to mysterious bad boy Johnny. Envious, her shy best friend Ben also dares to pursue Johnny.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHoller (2021)
In a forgotten pocket of Southern Ohio where American manufacturing and opportunity are drying up, a determined young woman finds a ticket out when she is accepted to college. Alongside her older brother, Ruth Avery joins a dangerous scrap metal crew in order to pay her way. Together, they spend one brutal winter working the scrap yards during the day and stealing valuable metal from the once thriving factories by night. With her goal in sight, Ruth finds that the ultimate cost of an education for a girl like her may be more than she bargained for, and she soon finds herself torn between a promising future and the family she would leave behind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunder Road (2018)
A police officer faces a personal meltdown following a divorce and the death of his mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLike Winds, Like Weeds (2025)
The younger sister, who has been separated from her husband for many years, avoids the past and is far away from her hometown Cangshan. While doing household chores in Shanghai, she also takes care of her mother who is suffering from dementia and her rebellious son who has been in love for a long time. After experiencing the difficulties of living in a foreign land, she chose to return to her hometown Cangshan, only to find that her hometown had changed its name. A mother who avoids the present; An elderly person who has forgotten the past; A child who questions the future. A survival story of three grandparents and grandchildren in a foreign land, a difficult journey to pursue spiritual freedom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Palm Trees and Power Lines (2023)
Seventeen-year-old Lea spends her summer break tanning in her backyard, and drifting between tiptoeing around her needy mother, and aimlessly trailing her best friend and boys from school. This monotony is interrupted by a chance encounter with Tom, a seductive man twice her age who promises an alternative to Lea's unsatisfying adolescent life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNinavau (2025)
Ninavau, a Kadazan based in West Malaysia, returns home to East Malaysia, Sabah for her sister’s wedding. Her family, deeply rooted in tradition and community values, sees her as a source of pride and a symbol of continuity. However, Ninavau carries with her a personal transformation that she has yet to share.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Nothing, Except Everything (TBA)
A graduating high schooler navigates a world of seemingly inevitable chaos by finding order in the number 7. Planned feature film based on the short with the same name.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Limelight?
The closest matches to Limelight are Hands of Stone (2016), El Chicano (2019) and Hardball (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Limelight?
Start with Hands of Stone (2016), the closest match to Limelight.
What is the highest-rated movie like Limelight?
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022), rated 7.6/10 by 757 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Limelight?
Ninavau (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Limelight?
Yes: Hands of Stone (2016), El Chicano (2019) and Hardball (2001).
How are movies similar to Limelight chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Limelight, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.