Best movies like Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Kenneth Williams was the star of the Carry Ons and Round the Horne. Despite his fame, he led a life full of mental torture as he tried to overcome his homosexuality in 1950s Britain. This film follows his life and eventual death based on the many diaries he kept.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, period drama
Best tv shows and movies like Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! (2006):
Similar in 84%
Sixth Happiness (1997)
Plot Summary:
Waris Hussein’s acclaimed drama is based on the autobiography of Firdaus Kanga, who stars in the lead role of Brit, a young man born with brittle bone disease, which causes him to have never grown beyond four feet tall. The film follows his sexual awakening whilst his family simultaneously disintegrates all around him. An extremely moving drama confronting stereotypes around disability, sexuality and race, featuring a powerhouse performance from Kanga.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 147
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, serious, realistic, sexual, sexy
Similar in 81%
Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story (2012)
Plot Summary:
Dramatisation of Kenny Everett's struggle to achieve personal and professional fulfilment.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 148
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, humorous, witty, semi serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story of the rise of morals crusader Mary Whitehouse in the UK in the 1960's,.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 332
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, humorous, semi serious, realistic, biting, suspense
Similar in 79%
Five (2011)
Plot Summary:
An anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people's lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, emotional
Similar in 87%
Worried About the Boy (2010)
Plot Summary:
In 1980 young George O'Dowd baffles his parents with his love of frocks and make-up and moves into a squat with kindred spirit Peter, who dresses as Marilyn Monroe and calls himself Marilyn. They make a splash at Steve Strange's trendy Blitz Club where George gets a job in the cloakroom but George is unlucky in his relationships with men until he meets wannabe musician Kirk. Through Kirk George meets the handsome drummer Jon Moss, on whom he develops a crush, but sacked by the Blitz and spurned by Kirk, George turns to Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren to further his music career. George's spell with McLaren's group Bow Wow Wow is short but fan Mikey North is impressed and asks George to sing in a group he is forming, where George again meets Jon. They will have an affair and the group will become the very successful Culture Club. Four years later, however, hounded by the tabloid press amid stories of his drug addiction, an unhappy George turns to Jon for advice on his future.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, realistic, captivating, period piece, queer cinema, flamboyance
Similar in 80%
Cal (2013)
Plot Summary:
Twenty-year-old Cal returns from France to Britain after receiving news that his mother is ill. His finds his home city of Bristol facing hard economic times brought on by the global economic crisis, with poverty and crime on the rise and rioting and looting almost a nightly occurrence. It is not a warm homecoming as his sick mother remains stubbornly homophobic and wants nothing to do with the now openingly gay Cal while his battered Auntie Jane, now living in a run down council house, dulls her stagnation with welfare funded booze and disturbing attempts to sexually seduce her nephew. Navigating his way across this new landscape he meets a young student who needs his help. However his act of kindness brings him into contact with a lawless drug dealing pimp and a race against time to make peace with his mother and get out of town as quickly as possible. An intense tale of a family mired in poverty, angry and lost but still searching for love, respect and acceptance.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 474
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, erotic, tense, gloomy, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 79%
Telstar: The Joe Meek Story (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set against a backdrop of early 60's London, Telstar is the story of the world's first independent record producer, Joe Meek. A maverick genius who enjoyed phenomenal success with Telstar - the biggest selling record of it's time - before bad luck, depression, heartbreak and paranoia led to his downfall.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, realistic, spiritual, crying, independent film
Similar in 79%
Pasolini (2014)
Plot Summary:
We are with Pasolini during the last hours of his life, as he talks with his beloved family and friends, writes, gives a brutally honest interview, shares a meal with Ninetto Davoli, and cruises for the roughest rough trade in his gun-metal gray Alfa Romeo. Over the course of the action, Pasolini’s life and his art (represented by scenes from his films, his novel-in-progress Petrolio, and his projected film Porno-Teo-Kolossal) are constantly refracted and intermingled to the point where they become one.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: France, Belgium, Italy
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, realistic, intellectual, independent film, contemplative
Similar in 82%
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 86%
An Englishman in New York (2009)
Plot Summary:
Biographical drama based on the last 20 years of Crisp's life. The literary figure and gay iconoclast emigrated to New York in 1981 and lived there until his death. The film observes Crisp in both his public and private lives, from his seemingly cavalier response to the outbreak of AIDS to his tender relationship with his friend Patrick Angus and his own response to growing old.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: sincere, realistic, touching, humorous, witty, semi serious, queer cinema, flamboyance, iconic
Similar in 83%
Vysotsky: Thank God I'm Alive (2011)
Plot Summary:
Russian poet, singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky was an idol of the 1970s and '80s. In 1980, at the age of 42, he passed away during the Moscow Olympic Games. This is the story of his last great love as handed down to his son from a family friend. Written by nitorch.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, dramatic, emotional, suspenseful, gloomy
Similar in 76%
11.25: The Day He Chose His Own Fate (2012)
Plot Summary:
On November 25th 1970, a man committed ritual suicide inside the Tokyo headquarters of the Japanese Ministry of Defence, leaving behind a legacy of masterpieces and a controversy that echoes to this day. The man was Yukio Mishima, one of Japan's greatest and most celebrated novelists. With four members of his own private army - the Tatenokai - Mishima had taken the commandant hostage and called upon the assembled military outside the Ministry to overthrow their society and restore the powers of the Emperor. When the soldiers mocked and jeered Mishima, he cut short his speech and withdrew to the commandant's office where he committed seppuku - the samurai warrior's death - tearing open his belly with a ceremonial knife before being beheaded by one of his colleagues. What was Mishima truly trying to express through his actions? And what did he witness during his final moments?.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 249
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, serious, exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, offbeat, contemplative
Similar in 87%
Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy (2006)
Plot Summary:
Shortly after graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Geralyn Lucas lands her dream job working for 20/20. Lucas is then diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27 and has a dilemma - whether to have a lumpectomy or the potentially safer mastectomy.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 953
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, serious, humorous, realistic
Similar in 81%
Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982)
Plot Summary:
The story of singer Rosemary Clooney's rise to fame, her marriage to Jose Ferrer, and her nervous breakdown.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 101
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 88%
Philomena (2013)
Plot Summary:
A woman searches for her adult son, who was taken away from her decades ago when she was forced to live in a convent.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 103000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, captivating, emotional, realistic, sad, compassionate, cerebral, road movie, intense
Similar in 87%
Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This (2014)
Plot Summary:
The life and times of Tommy Cooper.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 490
Genere: Biography
Country: UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, stylized
Similar in 82%
The Naked Civil Servant (1975)
Plot Summary:
Story of the life of Quentin Crisp, an Englishman who was brave enough to live his life according to his own style even in the hostile days of WW2.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags: period piece, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, witty, controversial, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
Risen (2010)
Plot Summary:
As one of the rising talents of amateur boxing, Howard Winstone, a young Welsh boy from Merthyr Tydfil, was fast making a name for himself with his knock out right hand. A long professional fighting career surely beckoned? Then disaster strikes. An industrial accident results in Winstone losing three fingers on his right hand. Through sheer determination, and despite only being able to make a fist with one hand, Winstone develops a dynamic new style and begins boxing his way back up the amateur ranks eventually turning pro. Supported by his family and guided by new trainer, Eddie Thomas, Winstone becomes the Champion of Britain and then Europe. Now, with the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders, he is stood poised to challenge for the crown of Featherweight Champion of the World.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 221
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 76%
Louis Cyr : The Strongest Man in the World (2013)
Plot Summary:
Biopic of Louis Cyr, strongest man in the world at the end of the 19th Century.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Canada
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 76%
Best (2000)
Plot Summary:
The life story of former Manchester United football legend, George Best.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 837
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, emotional
Similar in 77%
Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (2008)
Plot Summary:
A light hearted look at future Prime Minister Margaret Thatchers rise from research chemist in 1949 to becoming MP for Finchley in 1959 encompassing her early relationship and marriage to Oil Millionaire Denis Thatcher.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 447
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, emotional, realistic, political, thought provoking, serious
Similar in 75%
Polanski Unauthorized (2009)
Plot Summary:
An unauthorized chronicle of the life of Roman Polanski.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 164
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, realistic, captivating, sexual, independent film, sexy
Similar in 85%
Brazuca (2009)
Plot Summary:
The tragic true story of Jean Charles de Menezes, the innocent Brazilian shot dead by British police in 2005 at the height of the London terrorist alerts.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, Brazil
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 80%
Marie Krøyer (2012)
Plot Summary:
Marie Krøyer is hailed as “the most beautiful woman in Europe” and leads a happy marriage life with her husband the great Danish painter P.S. Krøyer and an adorable daughter. However, not everything in her world is as perfect as it seems, and Marie’s life is crumbling as her dreams of a beloved wife, good mother and successful artist are unfulfilled. After hospitalizing her mentally ill husband Marie leaves for vacation, and in search for peace and comfort she finds herself falling in love with the young composer Hugo Alfven. Once again, internationally acclaimed Bille August exhibits the weaknesses of human beings in comparison to the ruthless nature. The grandeur scenery of deserted Scandinavian oceans speaks in volumes for the protagonists living in silence despite their lives being full of pains.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: captivating, emotional, stylized, costume drama, serious, realistic, gloomy, tragic, period drama
Similar in 90%
Chaplin (1992)
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
Similar in 81%
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 89%
Aglaya (2012)
Plot Summary:
This film is about the relationship of a mother and her daughter, the split-up of their family, the blessing and curse of belonging together and about coming of age - all this from the perspective of the young girl Aglaja. The story is based on real-life events, an Eastern European circus artist family that fled to the West. If they want to stay in the circus business they have to make up an exotic act. The mother spends all their money to buy a very dangerous act: hanging by her hair high up in the dome of the circus while juggling with burning torches. Every night Aglaja is terrified by the fear of losing her mother. But, on some day, she has to follow the family tradition and become the "Woman with the Hair of Steel".
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 392
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Hungary, Romania, Poland
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: sentimental, atmospheric, touching, emotional, offbeat, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
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 79%
The End Is My Beginning (2010)
Plot Summary:
When an extraordinary man who has lived through all is approaching his end, he decides to call his son to join him for the last time at his home in Tuscany. His intention is to share some valuable conversations about his life as a press correspondent in Southeast Asia, about the political and social changes which he has seen, and about the spiritual transformation he has experienced in recent years. But for him the most important is to show his son how he is preparing for the last great adventure of a lifetime.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 654
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Germany, Italy
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, contemplative, talky
Similar in 79%
Whitney (2015)
Plot Summary:
Chronicles Whitney Houston's rise to fame and turbulent relationship with husband Bobby Brown.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, touching, serious, sincere, entertaining