Movies like Whatever It Takes (1988)
The best movies like Whatever It Takes (1988) are A Star Is Born (1954), Rock of Ages (2012) and Like a Boss (2020). If Whatever It Takes hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedA Star Is Born (1954)7.1/10 from 344 votes
- NewestDon't Say Good Luck (2026)Released 2026
A Star Is Born (1954)
A movie star helps a young singer-actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRock of Ages (2012)
A small town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip, while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLike a Boss (2020)
Two female friends with very different ideals decide to start a beauty company together. One is more practical, while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung at Heart (1954)
The lives and romances of three sisters in a musical family; the youngest daughter's life is complicated by the subsequent arrival of a charming composer and a cynical music arranger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarry Me (2022)
After finding out about her fiancé's cheating ways, a pop superstar impulsively marries a total stranger. They must soon decide if two people from such different worlds can find true love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStarstruck (2010)
Pop star Christopher Wilde has fame, fortune and a big-budget Hollywood movie awaiting him. But after meeting Jessica Olson, a down-to-earth girl from the Midwest, he is faced with following his heart or doing what's best for his career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFind Me Falling (2024)
After a failed comeback album, a rock star retreats to a cliffside home on Cyprus, only to find his new life complicated by visitors — and an old flame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBowfinger (1999)
On the verge of bankruptcy and desperate for his big break, aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger concocts a crazy plan to make his ultimate dream movie. Rallying a ragtag team that includes a starry-eyed ingenue, a has-been diva and a film studio gofer, he sets out to shoot a blockbuster featuring the biggest star in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey -- only without letting Ramsey know he's in the picture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTeen Spirit (2019)
A shy teenager living on the Isle of Wight dreams of pop stardom. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a singing competition that will test her integrity, talent, and ambition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLike Sunday, Like Rain (2014)
A struggling musician becomes a 12-year-old musical prodigy's guardian for a summer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Star Is Born (1976)
Has-been singing idol John Norman Howard falls in love with young, up-and-coming songstress Esther Hoffman in Frank Pierson's version of the classic love story updated to the rock and roll era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpin (2021)
Rhea discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her. Her life revolves around her eclectic group of friends, her after-school coding club, her family’s Indian restaurant and her tight-knit, multigenerational family. Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max, and her long-lost fervor for music is re-ignited. Rhea discovers that she has a natural gift for creating beats and producing music but must find the courage to follow her true inner talent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh School Musical 2 (2007)
The East High Wildcats are gearing up for big fun as they land the coolest summer jobs imaginable. Troy, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor have scored sweet gigs at the Lava Springs Country Club owned by Sharpay and Ryan's family. Sharpay's first rule of business: Get Troy. As Troy experiences a life of privilege he's never known, will he give up the Wildcats and Gabriella to rise to the top?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLet It Shine (2012)
A teenage rapper must use his musical talent to help a friend and win the girl of his dreams while overcoming self-doubt and the expectations of his strict religious parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrumline: A New Beat (2014)
A girl from New York attends a college in Atlanta to join their once-famous marching band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHollywood Stargirl (2022)
When Stargirl's mother is hired as the costume designer on a movie, they relocate to L.A., where Stargirl quickly becomes involved with an eclectic assortment of characters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmpire Records (1995)
The employees of an independent music store learn about each other as they try to stop the store from being absorbed by a large chain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe Are Your Friends (2015)
Young Cole Carter dreams of hitting the big time as a Hollywood disc jockey, spending his days and nights hanging with buddies and working on the one track that will set the world on fire. Opportunity comes knocking when he meets James Reed, a charismatic DJ who takes the 23-year-old under his wing. Soon, his seemingly clear path to success gets complicated when he starts falling for his mentor's girlfriend, jeopardizing his new friendship and the future he seems destined to fulfill.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Say Good Luck (2026)
Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical—until she's suddenly facing more drama at home than on the stage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Whatever It Takes?
The closest matches to Whatever It Takes are A Star Is Born (1954), Rock of Ages (2012) and Like a Boss (2020). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Whatever It Takes?
Start with A Star Is Born (1954), the closest match to Whatever It Takes.
What is the highest-rated movie like Whatever It Takes?
A Star Is Born (1954), rated 7.1/10 by 344 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Whatever It Takes?
Don't Say Good Luck (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Whatever It Takes?
Yes: A Star Is Born (1954), Rock of Ages (2012) and Like a Boss (2020).
How are movies similar to Whatever It Takes chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Whatever It Takes, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.