Best movies like Beautiful Boy
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
After he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son Nic, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 93000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: disturbing, sentimental, rough, captivating, social, sad, psychological, touching, intellectual, serious
Best tv shows and movies like Beautiful Boy (2018):
Similar in 77%
The Best of All Worlds (2017)
Plot Summary:
Based on true events, seven year old Adrian is growing up in the underground drug scene of Salzburg, usually famous for culture and classical music. His mother Helga is torn between her drug addiction and her love for her son. Despite of this Adrian has a happy childhood, the best of all worlds. But it is tested to the limit when the authorities and child welfare services find out about Helga's addiction.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Austria, Germany
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 76%
A Million Little Pieces (2018)
Plot Summary:
A young drug-addled writer approaching the bottom of his descent submits to two months of agonizing detox at a treatment center in Minnesota.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, sentimental, captivating, social
Similar in 82%
6 Balloons (2018)
Plot Summary:
Over the course of one night, a woman drives across LA with her heroin addict brother in search of a detox center, with his two year old daughter in tow.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, melancholic, sentimental, rough, captivating
Similar in 75%
Being Charlie (2015)
Plot Summary:
Charlie is a troublesome 18-year-old who breaks out of a youth drug treatment clinic, but when he returns home to Los Angeles, he's given an intervention by his parents and forced to go to an adult rehab. There, he meets a beautiful but troubled girl, Eva, and is forced to battle with drugs, elusive love and divided parents.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, melancholic, sentimental, sincere, thought provoking, sad, freeze frame, exciting
Similar in 84%
Ben Is Back (2018)
Plot Summary:
19 year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: tense, social, rough, suspense, suspenseful, inspirational, spiritual, serious, entertaining, non fiction
Similar in 78%
Low Down (2014)
Plot Summary:
The daughter of jazz pianist Joe Albany witnesses her beloved father's struggle -- and failure -- to kick his heroin habit.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, psychological, historical drama, aesthetic, touching, independent film, crying, freeze frame
Similar in 83%
Less Than Zero (1987)
Plot Summary:
A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: stylized, erotic, inspirational, retro, sad, art house, cerebral, cult classic, visually stunning, erotic drama
Similar in 84%
Stronger (2017)
Plot Summary:
A victim of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 helps the police track down the killers while struggling to recover from devastating trauma.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: inspirational, touching, emotional, suspenseful, disturbing, suspense, compassionate, feel good, sad, patriotic
Similar in 84%
The Glass Castle (2017)
Plot Summary:
A young girl is raised in a dysfunctional family constantly on the run from the FBI. Living in poverty, she comes of age guided by her drunkard, ingenious father who distracts her with magical stories to keep her mind off the family's dire state, and her selfish, nonconformist mother who has no intention of raising a family, along with her younger brother and sister, and her other older sister. Together, they fend for each other as they mature in an unorthodox journey that is their family life.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: sentimental, thought provoking, emotional, sad, psychological, captivating, exciting, road movie, mind bending, dramatic
Similar in 90%
Self Medicated (2005)
Plot Summary:
Based on true events. On the edges of Las Vegas, 17-year-old Andrew's life is spiraling out of control. Unable to cope with the loss of his father, Andrew's descent into drugs and violence is gaining momentum, and the once promising young man is now headed for self-destruction. Andrew's mother, helpless to control her son and fighting an addiction of her own, refuses to watch idly as her only child destroys himself. As a last resort, she hires a private company to forcibly kidnap and confine him in a locked-down and corrupt psychiatric hospital. As Andrew is subjected to the secret physical and emotional abuses of the program something inside him is re-awakened. He must somehow get free to save what's left of his life, but to do that, he knows he must first face his own demons head-on.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 926
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, teen, contemplative, gloomy, independent film, semi autobiographical
Similar in 84%
The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Plot Summary:
This movie is a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out in Needle Park in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless girl who finds in her relationship with Bobby the stability she craves.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: depressing, disturbing, bleak, rough, serious, controversial, grim, cult classic, realistic, dark
Similar in 83%
Christiane F. (1981)
Plot Summary:
This movie portrays the drug scene in Berlin in the 70s, following tape recordings of Christiane F. 14 years old Christiane lives with her mother and little sister in a typical multi-storey apartment building in Berlin. She's fascinated by the 'Sound', a new disco with most modern equipment. Although she's legally too young, she asks a friend to take her. There she meets Detlef, who's in a clique where everybody's on drugs. Step by step she gets drawn deeper into the scene.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: West Germany
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, bleak, depressing, harsh, serious, realistic, gloomy, brutal, atmospheric
Similar in 82%
This Boy's Life (1993)
Plot Summary:
In 1957, a son and mother flee the East and an abusive boyfriend to find a new life, and end up in Seattle, where the mother meets a polite garage mechanic. The boy continually gets into trouble by hanging out with the wrong crowd. The mom marries the mechanic, but they soon find out that he's an abusive and unreasoning alcoholic, and they struggle to maintain hope in an impossible situation as the boy grows up with plans to escape the small town by any means possible. Based on a true story by Tobias Wolff.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 57000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: depressing, touching, emotional, realistic, epic, retro, uplifting, sad, period piece, thinking
Similar in 77%
Dangerous Minds (1995)
Plot Summary:
Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns to the classroom, she does so armed with a no-nonsense attitude informed by her military training and a fearless determination to better the lives of her students -- no matter what the cost.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, sentimental, hood, sincere, rough, sexy, political, social, hispanic
Similar in 79%
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Plot Summary:
In this biographical film, glamorous yet lonely star Joan Crawford takes in two orphans, and at first their unconventional family seems happy. But after Joan's attempts at romantic fulfillment go sour and she is fired from her contract with MGM studios, her callous and abusive behavior towards her daughter Christina becomes even more pronounced. Christina leaves home and takes her first acting role, only to find her mother's presence still overshadowing her.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, factual, talky, intense, psychological, tense, serious, rough, emotional
Similar in 82%
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Plot Summary:
Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: emotional, rough, serious, realistic, bleak, teen, disturbing, depressing, brutal, talky
Similar in 75%
Lenny (1974)
Plot Summary:
The story of acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce, whose groundbreaking, no-holds-barred style and social commentary was often deemed by the Establisment as too obscene for the public.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: black and white, psychological, atmospheric, serious, realistic, rough, clever, bleak, semi documentary, art house
Similar in 88%
Prozac Nation (2001)
Plot Summary:
Elizabeth is on the verge of losing her grip on life after she leaves her emotionally fraught home to start college. Quickly, her life takes a turn for the worse: She clashes with her roommate and decides her boyfriend, Rafe, is her sole salvation. Her psychiatrist prescribes Prozac … but is that her only choice?.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: Germany, Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, depressing, emotional, melancholic, teen, intense, realistic, sad, disturbing, erotic
Similar in 87%
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
Plot Summary:
A single mother, with dreams of becoming a writer, has a son at the age of 15 in 1965, and goes through a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: emotional, melancholic, sentimental, touching, sad, teen, realistic, humorous, feel good, heartbreaking
Similar in 79%
Lion (2016)
Plot Summary:
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 247000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Australia, UK, USA, India
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, motivational, sentimental, inspirational, dramatic, feel good, heartbreaking, suspense, compassionate
Similar in 78%
Mask (1985)
Plot Summary:
A boy with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempts to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: uplifting, captivating, sentimental, touching, emotional, depressing, sad, compassionate, sincere, realistic
Similar in 81%
Gia (1998)
Plot Summary:
Gia Carangi travels to New York City with dreams of becoming a fashion model. Within minutes of arriving, she meets Wilhelmina Cooper, a wise and high-powered agent who takes Gia under her wing. With Cooper's help and her own natural instincts, Gia quickly shoots to the top of the modeling world. When Cooper dies of lung cancer, however, Gia turns to drugs – and both she and her career begin to spiral out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, melancholic, erotic, sexy, rough, sad, serious, touching, bleak, thought provoking
Similar in 86%
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Plot Summary:
Larry Flynt is the hedonistically obnoxious, but indomitable, publisher of Hustler magazine. The film recounts his struggle to make an honest living publishing his girlie magazine and how it changes into a battle to protect the freedom of speech for all people.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 100000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: controversial, sexual, factual, semi serious, captivating, witty, dramatic, erotic, non fiction, dark comedy
Similar in 86%
Blow (2001)
Plot Summary:
A boy named George Jung grows up in a struggling family in the 1950's. His mother nags at her husband as he is trying to make a living for the family. It is finally revealed that George's father cannot make a living and the family goes bankrupt. George does not want the same thing to happen to him, and his friend Tuna, in the 1960's, suggests that he deal marijuana. He is a big hit in California in the 1960's, yet he goes to jail, where he finds out about the wonders of cocaine. As a result, when released, he gets rich by bringing cocaine to America. However, he soon pays the price.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 272000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: depressing, touching, emotional, serious, epic, atmospheric, captivating, entertaining, dramatic, realistic
Similar in 81%
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Plot Summary:
Loosely based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, a drug-taking, women-loving, homophobic man who in 1986 was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and given thirty days to live.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 511000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: psychological, heartbreaking, compassionate, depressing, motivational, inspirational, clever, emotional, dramatic, cerebral
Similar in 83%
Awakenings (1990)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer too, as the exuberant patient reveals life's simple but unutterably sweet pleasures to the introverted doctor.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 155000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: inspirational, motivational, sentimental, sincere, uplifting, psychological, touching, serious, cerebral, emotional
Similar in 81%
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 110000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, emotional, depressing, psychological, sincere, breathtaking, visual, motivational, sentimental
Similar in 88%
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Plot Summary:
The hopes and dreams of four ambitious people are shattered when their drug addictions begin spiraling out of control. A look into addiction and how it overcomes the mind and body.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 883000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, bleak, depressing, emotional, atmospheric, surreal, heartbreaking, realistic, mind bending
Similar in 76%
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Plot Summary:
Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line between normal and crazy. Susanna soon realizes how hard it is to get out once she has been committed, and she ultimately has to choose between the world of people who belong inside or the difficult world of reality outside.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 206000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: psychological, depressing, serious, crying, captivating, heartbreaking, touching, teen, gothic, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Puncture (2011)
Plot Summary:
A David and Goliath law drama about a drug-addicted lawyer who takes on a health supply corporation while battling his own personal demons.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: independent film, suspense, thought provoking, suspenseful, psychological, serious, realistic, inspirational, enigmatic, emotional