Movies like Payday (1973)
The best movies like Payday (1973) are Battle of the Year (2013), Clika (2026) and A (2017). If Payday hooked you with its drama and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWalk the Line (2005)7.5/10 from 3,260 votes
- NewestClika (2026)Released 2026
Battle 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 · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClika (2026)
Aspiring small-town musician Chito is determined to make it big. When a clip of him performing one of his songs goes viral, he seizes the opportunity and pushes to carve out a place for himself in the new wave of Mexican-American music... and ultimately gets caught in a game more dangerous than anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisA (2017)
A young alcoholic ambient musician locks himself in his apartment on a dangerous seven day bender as he attempts to finish his upcoming album.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaurus (2022)
A rising but troubled musician searches for the inspiration to record one last song, pushing himself deep into the void.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlaze (2018)
Inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw country movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. The film weaves together three periods in Blaze's life, exploring his love affair with Sybil Rosen; his last, dark night on Earth; and the impact his songs and his death had on his fans, friends, and foes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoda (2020)
A famous pianist at the twilight of his career meets a free-spirited music critic who soon becomes his rock as his mental state deteriorates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMo' Better Blues (1990)
Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoney: Rise Up and Dance (2018)
Street dancer Skyler comes out of the shadow of her trained dancer sister, Tosha, & joins a dance competition with the Honey dance studio; the prize is a college scholarship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCadillac Records (2008)
The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJailhouse Rock (1957)
Young convict Vince Everett, serving time for manslaughter, discovers his musical talent in prison and becomes a rock and roll star after his release, navigating fame and relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorn to Be Blue (2015)
Jazz legend Chet Baker finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Five Heartbeats (1991)
In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Write Love on Her Arms (2015)
The story follows 19-year-old Renee who has always loved fairy tales: the idea of a princess, a hero and a happily ever after. But Renee’s life is that of a darker tale: she’s a young woman battling addiction, depression and self-injury. In a creative blend of artistic fantasy balanced with harsh reality, the movie follows Renee on her courageous journey towards recovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrossroads (1986)
A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
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 · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuburbia (1984)
When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou Got Served (2004)
At Mr. Rad's Warehouse, the best hip-hop crews in Los Angeles compete for money and respect. But when a suburban crew crashes the party, stealing their dancers — and their moves — two warring friends have to pull together to represent the street.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & 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 thisJawbone (2017)
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner Bill corner man Eddie and promoter Joe. Back in training, years after anyone thought he was a contender, he risks his life, as he tries to stand tall and regain his place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nest (2020)
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSapphire 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 drama & music
From Nashville With Music (1969)
From Nashville With Music is another slim plot that gives an excuse for Nashville country stars to perform. The stars are Leo G. Carroll, Marilyn Maxwell, Jose Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Marty Robbins (singing "El Paso"), Buddy Allen, Bill Anderson, Don Gibson, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Cousin Jody, Buck Owens, Bonnie Owens, Charley Pride, Susan Raye, Carl Smith, Wynn Stewart and Tammy Wynette. (from http://archive.tennessean.com/article/20070511/SPECIAL0907/705110501/1969-Movie-From-Nashville-Music)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Crazy Heart (2009)
When reporter Jean Craddock interviews Bad Blake—an alcoholic, seen-better-days country music legend—they connect, and the hard-living crooner sees a possible saving grace in a life with Jean and her young son.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeaven Tonight (1990)
The film covers the conflict between a father and his son both being musicians. The father is the leader of a band making rock-music from the 60s but his son becomes a star of techno-pop music.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Walk the Line (2005)
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ballad of Travis Hunter (TBA)
A struggling country music singer returns home after years spent on the road for one last chance to correct wrongs made and reunite with loved ones he abandoned.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
The Thing Called Love (1993)
A group of newcomers to the country music business seek love and stardom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDolly Parton: Here I Am (2019)
Dolly Parton leads a moving, musical journey in this documentary that details the people and places who have helped shape her iconic career.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWaylon Jennings - The Lost Outlaw Performance (1978)
On the evening of August 12, 1978, Waylon Jennings and The Waylons performed on the concert stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. The master recordings of this concert were never released and had been locked in the vaults of RCA Records, long forgotten since 1978. The songs embodied in this performance capture Waylon Jennings and his band at the height of the country music "Outlaw" period, ample evidence of the extraordinary and individualistic writing and singing talents of Waylon Jennings. Now presented for the first time in its entirety, exactly as it was recorded on August 12, 1978.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Le 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 music
Like Payday and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Payday?
The closest matches to Payday are Battle of the Year (2013), Clika (2026) and A (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Payday?
Start with Battle of the Year (2013), the closest match to Payday.
What is the highest-rated movie like Payday?
Walk the Line (2005), rated 7.5/10 by 3,260 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Payday?
Clika (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Payday?
Yes: Battle of the Year (2013), Clika (2026) and A (2017).
How are movies similar to Payday chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Payday, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.