Movies like Surface Waves (2015)
The best movies like Surface Waves (2015) are Take the Lead (2006), Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026) and Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour (2024). If Surface Waves hooked you with its music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSelena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)8.4/10 from 624 votes
- NewestApple Music Live: Lady Gaga MAYHEM Requiem (2026)Released 2026
Take the Lead (2006)
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulane.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOlivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour (2024)
At a sold-out concert in her hometown of LA, Olivia Rodrigo pours her heart into an electrifying night of chart-topping hits and pop-rock power ballads.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoney 3: Dare to Dance (2016)
While attending college in Cape Town, Melea Martin feels constrained by the school's strict policies, and decides to set out on her own. Searching for a way to use her talents as a dancer and inspire the community around her, Melea rents a failing theater in order to put on a Hip-Hop Romeo and Juliet performance. But much like the Capulets and Montagues, conflicts between cast members threaten to bring the whole performance to a halt...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStep Up (2006)
Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLemonade (2016)
The second "visual album" (a collection of short films) by Beyoncé, this time around she takes a piercing look at racial issues and feminist concepts through a sexualized, satirical, and solemn tone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSelena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)
After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHalftime (2022)
Global superstar Jennifer Lopez reflects on her multifaceted career and the pressure of life in the spotlight in this intimate documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTupac: Resurrection (2003)
Home movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop MCs of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKaty Perry: Part of Me (2012)
Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStop Making Sense (1984)
A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWestern Stars (2019)
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAdele One Night Only (2021)
A primetime special with performances from the superstar including Adele’s first new material in six years plus her chart-topping hits. The special will also feature an exclusive interview with Adele by Oprah Winfrey from her rose garden, in Adele’s first televised wide-ranging conversation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
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
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMadonna: Truth or Dare (1991)
From the rains of Japan, through threats of arrest for 'public indecency' in Canada, and a birthday tribute to her father in Detroit, this documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition' concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the icon, from a prayer circle before each performance to bed games with the dance troupe afterwards.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwenty One Pilots: Livestream Experience (2021)
A one-night livestream concert performed by Twenty One Pilots on May 21, 2021, introducing their newest album "Scaled and Icy".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJustin Bieber's Believe (2013)
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisApple Music Live: Lady Gaga MAYHEM Requiem (2026)
For Apple Music Live, Gaga presents MAYHEM Requiem, a celebration and musical reimagining of MAYHEM.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSomething from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film's director and interviewer Ice-T. Taking us on a deeply personal journey Ice-T uncovers how this music of the street has grown to dominate the world. Along the way Ice-T meets a whole spectrum of Hip-Hop talent, from founders, to new faces, to the global superstars like Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He exposes the roots and history of Rap and then, through meeting many of its most famous protagonists, studies the living mechanism of the music to reveal 'The Art Of Rap'. This extraordinary film features unique performances from the entire cast, without resorting to archive material, to build a fresh and surprising take on the phenomenon that is Rap.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBODYCOUNT (2026)
During a quiet moment of closeness, a young couple’s playful banter takes a profound and sobering turn when a simple question about the past redefines the meaning of "counting" one's life experiences.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Le Bal (1983)
In a French nightclub, choreographed song and dance routines are performed, rather than a streamlined narrative. They tell the story of Parisian culture and politics from the 1920s—1980s. A disparate, anachronistic series of characters, including an ordinary waiter, a Nazi collaborator, resistance fighters, and 1960s student protestors gather to celebrate and satirize 20th century France's icons, demons, and social changes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFaux Lion (TBA)
When he sneaks into a Simb—a festival where men dressed as lions dance to the rhythm of the sabars—Assane, a quiet young boy, sets in motion more than a simple punishment. What he experiences sends him on an initiatory journey through fear, myth, and ancestral transmission.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Mad Dance Office (2026)
Kuk-hee, a by-the-book district office civil servant, has lived a flawless, tightly scheduled life. With a promotion imminent and her daughter's future secured, everything is going according to plan. Until it all unravels—her promotion is taken, her daughter disappears, and an unexpected emptiness sets in. Searching for balance again, Kuk-hee ends up in the last place she ever expected: a flamenco dance studio.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Untitled Dirty Dancing Sequel (TBA)
Baby takes us back to Kellerman’s Resort for a story of summer, young romance, and dancing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
My Depression (The Up and Down and Up of It) (2014)
Based on Elizabeth Swados’ picture book of the same name, this animated short film charts one woman's struggle with depression.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
The Very Eye of Night (1958)
Dancers, shown in photographic negative, perform a series of ballet moves, solos, pas de deux, larger groupings. The dancers glide and rotate untroubled by gravity against a slowly changing starfield background. Their movements are accompanied by music scored for a small ensemble of woodwind and percussion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNext to Normal (2025)
A mother struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. The PBS Great Performances recording of the West End transfer to Wyndham's Theatre (from The Donmar Warehouse) in 2024.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Core of a Nature (2023)
Experience a mystical journey through nature performed by a movement artist. Felix faces the whirling challenges of his inner turbulence with an emotionally charged dynamic, delicate strength, graceful dignity, as well as ecstatic devotion. Behold the fire dancer in the night.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Get Lite (2027)
Saunders, a headstrong Bronx teenager, is caught between his love of Litefeet subway dancing and his strict's insistence on becoming an engineer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Surface Waves?
The closest matches to Surface Waves are Take the Lead (2006), Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026) and Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Surface Waves?
Start with Take the Lead (2006), the closest match to Surface Waves.
What is the highest-rated movie like Surface Waves?
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022), rated 8.4/10 by 624 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Surface Waves?
Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga MAYHEM Requiem (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Surface Waves?
Yes: Take the Lead (2006), Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026) and Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour (2024).
How are movies similar to Surface Waves chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Surface Waves, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.