Best movies like Chaplin
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
With the use of flashback, an elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, who urges him to be more vulnerable and emotionally honest with his memoirs while journeying through his poverty-stricken childhood, closest friendships, many marriages, merciless pursuit by J. Edgar Hoover, and ingenious invention of The Little Tramp. Highlighted works such as The Gold Rush and The Great Dictator illustrate significant turning points in Chaplin's prolific filmography. Also treated is Chaplin's exile from America and his eventual return to receive an honourary Academy Award in 1972.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France, Italy, Japan, USA
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sentimental, factual, light, intense, touching, serious, emotional, period piece, costume drama
Best tv shows and movies like Chaplin (1992):
Similar in 90%
The Three Stooges (2000)
Plot Summary:
A biography of the Three Stooges, in which their careers and rise to fame is shown throughout the eyes of their leader, Moe.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, slapstick, slapstick comedy
Similar in 80%
Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Mork & Mindy' (2005)
Plot Summary:
An inside look at the ABC sitcom which turned Robin Williams into a star in 1978.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 489
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, sentimental, sitcom
Similar in 81%
Lucy (2003)
Plot Summary:
MOW about the life of Lucille Ball, focusing on the loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 946
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: captivating, light, humorous, emotional, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Mank (2020)
Plot Summary:
1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: black and white, historical drama, sentimental, inspirational, emotional, intense, funny, neo noir, period piece, art film
Similar in 79%
Beyond the Sea (2004)
Plot Summary:
Based on the life and career of legendary entertainer, Bobby Darin, the biopic moves back and forth between his childhood and adulthood, to tell the tale of his remarkable life. Kevin Spacey did his own singing for Beyond the Sea, recreating Bobby Darin's vocal style with uncanny accuracy.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, Musical
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, stylized, intense, realistic, inspirational, indie film, serious, independent film, light
Similar in 90%
La Bamba (1987)
Plot Summary:
Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of singer Ritchie Valens whose life was cut short by a plane crash.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: inspirational, touching, hispanic, intense, suspense, sentimental, serious, sincere, captivating, emotional
Similar in 79%
W.C. Fields and Me (1976)
Plot Summary:
Film biography of actor-comedian W.C. Fields, concentrating on his years in Hollywood and his relationship with aspiring actress Caroltta Monti.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 495
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, skit, silent, parody, silent film
Similar in 84%
The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980)
Plot Summary:
The gaudy rise and dizzy fall of the last great Hollywood blonde bombshell: Jayne Mansfield.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 956
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, gloomy, psychotronic, nostalgic
Similar in 84%
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Plot Summary:
Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, realistic, inspirational, factual, sweet, uplifting, sincere, feel good
Similar in 88%
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986)
Plot Summary:
In this film that closely parallels his own life story, Richard Pryor plays Jo Jo Dancer, a popular stand-up comedian who has severely burned himself in a drug incident. As he lies unconscious in a hospital, his spiritual alter ego gets up and begins a journey of his own. He revisits his life, from growing up in a brothel as a child and struggling to beat the long odds to become a top rated comedian. However, his success brings new problems as he develops a tragic pattern of substance abuse that begins to screw up his life. All the while, Jo Jo's spirit watches these events and attempts to convince his past self to turn off from his path of self destruction. Written by Kenneth Chisholm.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: black comedy, sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, entertaining, funny, light, inspirational
Similar in 79%
The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story (2014)
Plot Summary:
The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story delves into the experiences of six unknown young actors placed into the Hollywood spotlight, exposing the challenges of growing up under public scrutiny.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sentimental
Similar in 90%
Man on the Moon (1999)
Plot Summary:
A film about the life and career of the eccentric avant-garde comedian, Andy Kaufman.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 136000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Germany, Japan, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: offbeat, depressing, inspirational, touching, humorous, tragicomedy, funny, factual, melancholic, sentimental
Similar in 84%
See Arnold Run (2005)
Plot Summary:
This biographical docu-drama alternates between two parallel threads in the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger: his formative early years as the repeat winner of the Mr. Olympia body-building championship; and his modern foray into the world of politics, hitting the campaign trail and competing in the frenzied atmosphere that accompanied California's chaotic recall election.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 481
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating
Similar in 81%
The Disaster Artist (2017)
Plot Summary:
An aspiring actor in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau, the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 162000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: feel good, light, humorous, funny, entertaining, absurd, talky, slasher, surreal, period piece
Similar in 90%
Beauty Spot (2011)
Plot Summary:
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 247000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: France, Belgium, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: silent, black and white, romantic, touching, sentimental, feel good, emotional, sweet, period piece, stylized
Similar in 88%
Ed Wood (1994)
Plot Summary:
The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 182000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: black and white, humorous, black comedy, dark comedy, atmospheric, stylized, sentimental, touching, independent film, gothic
Similar in 83%
The Soloist (2009)
Plot Summary:
A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sincere, touching, emotional, sad, heartbreaking, melancholic, intense, serious, realistic
Similar in 81%
RKO 281 (1999)
Plot Summary:
A film about the making of Citizen Kane. Orson Welles produces his greatest film, Citizen Kane, despite the opposition of the film's de facto subject, William Randolph Hearst.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: talky, historical drama, sentimental, atmospheric, clever, serious, realistic, stylized, tense, light
Similar in 86%
The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000)
Plot Summary:
The film spans from Hepburn's early childhood to the 1950s which details her life as a Dutch ballerina, coming to grips with her parents' divorce, and enduring life in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. She then settles in the U.S. where she succeeds in making it big as a movie actress, in such movies as Breakfast at Tiffany's.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: uplifting, feel good, serious, sentimental, touching, emotional, realistic, iconic
Similar in 85%
Coco Chanel (2008)
Plot Summary:
Italian-French-British TV film targeting the US audience, about the fashion icon Coco Chanel. The film begins with the fashion goddess (deftly played by Shirley MacLaine) in her twilight years, steeped in wealth and fame, still issuing game-changing designs and collections. From here the biopic looks backwards to the woman's upbringing in an orphanage, and traces her path to ubiquity as it winds through poverty, wars, doomed romances, and rather glamorous betrayals.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Italy, France, UK
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, inspirational, touching, disturbing
Similar in 80%
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)
Plot Summary:
The professional and personal life of actor and comedian Peter Sellers was a turbulent one. His early movie fame was based primarily on his comic characterizations, often of bumbling and foreign-accented persons, characters which he embodied. As his movie fame rose, he began to lose his own personal identity to his movie characters, leading to self-doubt of himself as a person.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: psychological, emotional, stylized, captivating, realistic, romantic, psychedelic, deep, cult classic, serious
Similar in 83%
James Dean (2001)
Plot Summary:
The man behind the legend and a knowing look at the 1950's Hollywood are revealed in this dynamic bioepic of the meteoric star whose troubled life echoed his gut-grabbing performances in East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, realistic, captivating, clever, iconic
Similar in 82%
Selena (1997)
Plot Summary:
In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, factual, sincere, emotional, hispanic, sentimental, historical drama, informative, uplifting
Similar in 86%
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Plot Summary:
Author P.L. Travers travels from London to Hollywood as Walt Disney Pictures adapts her novel Mary Poppins for the big screen.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 168000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Australia, USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, factual, compassionate, sad, serious, light, inspirational, entertaining
Similar in 76%
Trumbo (2015)
Plot Summary:
The career of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo is halted by a witch hunt in the late 1940s when he defies the anti-communist HUAC committee and is blacklisted.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 84000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: political, talky, factual, inspirational, touching, emotional, suspense, intense, sad, depressing
Similar in 78%
The Iron Lady (2011)
Plot Summary:
A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 113000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, France
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: political, thought provoking, touching, inspirational, period piece, historical drama, intellectual, costume drama, edutainment, informative
Similar in 75%
Sal (2011)
Plot Summary:
James Franco's Sal chronicles the final hours of the life of actor Sal Mineo, one-time teen idol and star of the blockbuster films Rebel Without a Cause and Exodus.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 510
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sincere, atmospheric, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 89%
Stan & Ollie (2018)
Plot Summary:
With their golden era long behind them, comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy embark on a variety hall tour of Britain and Ireland. Despite the pressures of a hectic schedule, and with the support of their wives Lucille and Ida – a formidable double act in their own right – the pair's love of performing, as well as for each other, endures as they secure their place in the hearts of their adoring public.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Family, History
Country: UK, Canada, USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: emotional, sincere, touching, factual, funny, informative, independent film
Similar in 77%
The Aviator (2004)
Plot Summary:
A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 379000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 170 min
Plot tags: realistic, epic, stylized, period piece, captivating, suspense, factual, visual, visually stunning, compassionate
Similar in 80%
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Plot Summary:
A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 549000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: inspirational, emotional, sentimental, uplifting, motivational, dramatic, heartbreaking, tear jerker, touching, sincere