Movies like Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James (2021)
The best movies like Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James (2021) are Muscle Shoals (2013), Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) and Quincy (2018). If Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James hooked you with its documentary and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAmy (2015)7.6/10 from 1,344 votes
- NewestWe Want the Funk! (2025)Released 2025
Muscle Shoals (2013)
In a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming, yet incredibly talented, locals came together and spawned some of the greatest music of all time: “Mustang Sally,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Wild Horses,” and many more. During the most incendiary periods of racial hostility, white folks and black folks came together to create music that would last for generations and gave birth to the incomparable “Muscle Shoals sound.”
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMiles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019)
An immersive look at the eventful life and brilliant artistic career of visionary American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991).
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisQuincy (2018)
An intimate look into the life of icon Quincy Jones. A unique force in music and popular culture for 70 years, Jones has transcended racial and cultural boundaries; his story is inextricably woven into the fabric of America. Jones came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor before working on pop music and film scores. He moved easily between musical genres, producing major pop hits of the early 1960s and serving as an arranger and conductor for several collaborations in the same time period.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJanis Ian: Breaking Silence (2025)
In 1965, Janis Ian, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey, wrote “Society’s Child” about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released a year later, the song launched Ian's career, but its subject matter ignited controversy, even resulting in death threats. The fallout plunged Ian into an emotional tailspin–and yet a few years later she emerged from the ashes with an even bigger hit, “At Seventeen.” Over six decades, Janis Ian gained ten Grammy nominations in eight different categories, saw her song “Stars” recorded by such luminaries as Nina Simone and Cher, and overcame homophobia, misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw audiences around the globe. Featuring Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Jean Smart, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, and Tom Paxton, among other icons.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
The film chronicles Nina Simone's journey from child piano prodigy to iconic musician and passionate activist, told in her own words.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClassic Albums: Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2018)
The true story of how Amy Winehouse’s best known and most celebrated body of work came into being. Featuring previously unseen footage of Amy, new interviews with producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, and the musicians who worked with Amy on the album, offering fresh insights into Amy’s remarkable gifts as a singer, songwriter, musician and performer
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Ol' Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys (2024)
The untold story of the man and the musician who made an immense cultural impact across just a few short years. Having gained exclusive rights to a never-before-seen personal archive shot by his wife alongside access to his closest friends and family, the doc is described by the filmmakers as a culture-defining special that humanizes ODB as a man, a father and a husband like never before. It explores how Russell Tyrone Jones created Ol' Dirty Bastard, a Hip Hop alter ego superhero that would ultimately consume him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Finding the Funk (2014)
Finding the Funk is a road trip in search of the past, present and future of Funk music. Starting with Funk's roots in Jazz and the James Brown bands of the '60s we travel to the Bay Area to celebrate Sly & the Family Stone, then to Dayton the birthplace of so many of Funk's originators, then onto Detroit where from the ashes of Motown, P-Funk's Mothership arose, and then to LA where a new crop of musicians are creating their own Funk history. On our journey into Funk, we talk to legends Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Nona Hendryx, Maceo Parker, Bernie Worrell, and Steve Arrington and their descendants Mike D, D'Angelo, Sheila E, Shock G and Sade's Stuart Matthewman. Narrated by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson of the Roots.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind (2019)
From the song he refuses to perform to his admiration for Drake, a songwriting legend reflects on his lyrics and longevity with candour and humour. At 80 years young (and currently recording another album), Gordon Lightfoot continues to entertain and enlighten. Personal archive materials and studio sessions paint an intimate picture of an artist in his element, candidly revisiting his idealistic years in Yorkville's coffeehouses, up through stadium tours and the hedonistic '70s.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
American Hot Wax (1978)
This is the story loosely based on Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who introduced rock'n'roll to teenage American radio audiences in the 1950s. Freed was a source of great controversy: criticized by conservatives for corrupting youth with the "devil's music"; hated by racists for promoting African American music for white consumption; persecuted by law enforcement officials and finally brought down by the "payola" scandals.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Sound City (2013)
The history of Sound City and their huge recording device; exploring how digital change has allowed 'people that have no place' in music to become stars. It follows former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighter David Grohl as he attempts to resurrect the studio back to former glories.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGet On Up (2014)
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014)
James Brown changed the face of American music forever. Abandoned by his parents at an early age, James Brown was a self-made man who became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, not just through his music, but also as a social activist. Charting his journey from rhythm and blues to funk, MR. DYNAMITE: THE RISE OF JAMES BROWN features rare and previously unseen footage, photographs and interviews, chronicling the musical ascension of “the hardest working man in show business,” from his first hit, “Please, Please, Please,” in 1956, to his iconic performances at the Apollo Theater, the T.A.M.I. Show, the Paris Olympia and more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Winding Stream (2014)
The story of the American music dynasty, the Carters and Cashes, and their decades-long influence on popular music.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Amy (2015)
A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (2020)
This rockumentary-style presidential portrait shows how Jimmy Carter reinvigorated a post-Watergate America—with the music of the counterculture, including the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Buffett.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock (2017)
A reckless joyride into the darkest corners of popular music that delves deep into the mind of Mick Rock, the genius photographer who immortalized the seventies and the rise to rock stardom of many legendary musicians.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Meet Me in the Bathroom (2022)
Set against the backdrop of 9/11, the story of how a new generation kickstarted a musical rebirth for New York City that reverberated around the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex (2023)
The complex and revolutionary music and lyrics of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, the glam rock powerhouse behind “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” and other iconic songs. Featuring archival performances and interviews with Elton John, Ringo Starr, and David Bowie, plus filmed musical interpretations by artists such as Nick Cave, John Cameron Mitchell, Joan Jett, Macy Gray, U2, and Father John Misty.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019)
Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWe Want the Funk! (2025)
Stanley Nelson's syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, from early roots to 1970s urban funk and beyond.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
ReMastered: Tricky Dick & The Man in Black (2018)
This documentary chronicles Johnny Cash's 1970 visit to the White House, where Cash's emerging liberal ideals clashed with Richard Nixon's policies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMachine Gun Kelly's Life In Pink (2022)
An in-depth look at the dramatic highs and lows of an artist chasing music's top spot while tackling noise from the outside world, stardom, fatherhood and more. From creating his platinum-selling, Billboard No. 1 album “Tickets to My Downfall,” to his most recent No. 1 studio album, “Mainstream Sellout,” this is an all-access pass, that goes beyond the headlines, into the chaotic world of Machine Gun Kelly.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
Johnny Cash: American Rebel (2015)
Johnny Cash: American Rebel is built around 12 essential Johnny Cash tracks spanning four decades that each deliver the passion, musicality and messages against war, injustice, racism and prejudice, including “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Jackson,” “San Quentin,” “Man in Black,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Ring of Fire” and “Hurt.” Each song illustrates a chapter in his life, as well the story of an ever-changing America from the 1950s to modern day, as told through interviews, archival concert footage, photographs and personal artifacts from the Cash family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
David Crosby: Remember My Name (2019)
You thought you knew him. Meet David Crosby now in this portrait of a man with everything but an easy retirement on his mind. With unflinching honesty, self-examination, regret, fear, exuberance and an unshakable belief in family and the transformative nature of music, Crosby shares his often challenging journey.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
The Man from Mo'Wax (2016)
An energetic and phenomenal presentation charting the life and career of DJ icon, music producer, and global trip-hop mogul James Lavelle.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & music
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 · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSupersonic (2016)
Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Called Him Morgan (2016)
Part jazz history, part true-crime tale, Kasper Collin’s new documentary employs extensive archival footage and new interviews to tell the tragic story of the magnificently talented trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen, who murdered him in a New York bar in 1972.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMatangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018)
Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James?
The closest matches to Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James are Muscle Shoals (2013), Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) and Quincy (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James?
People who watched Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James most often go on to Muscle Shoals (2013), Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) and Quincy (2018).
What is the highest-rated movie like Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James?
Amy (2015), rated 7.6/10 by 1,344 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James?
We Want the Funk! (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James?
Yes: Muscle Shoals (2013), Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) and Quincy (2018).
How are movies similar to Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.