Best movies like Rent
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in modern day East Village, New York, USA. The story centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, HIV/AIDS, and modern day life.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, stylized, lyrical, captivating, semi serious, romantic, depressing, sex comedy, period piece
Best tv shows and movies like Rent (2005):
Similar in 78%
Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (2008)
Plot Summary:
Based on Puccini's opera La bohème, Rent tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create in New York City in the 1990s. This is a live recording of Rent's final performance after more than 12 years and 5000 shows.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 165 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 89%
Absolute Beginners (1986)
Plot Summary:
A musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes' novel about life in late 1950s London. Nineteen-year-old photographer Colin is hopelessly in love with model Crepe Suzette, but her relationships are strictly connected with her progress in the fashion world. So Colin gets involved with a pop promoter and tries to crack the big time. Meanwhile, racial tension is brewing in Colin's Notting Hill housing estate.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: offbeat, cult classic, sentimental, serious, realistic, witty, crying, independent film, light, clever
Similar in 90%
tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
Plot Summary:
On the cusp of his 30th birthday, Jonathon Larson, a promising young theater composer, navigates love, friendship, and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 117000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sincere, sweet, inspirational, artsy, anamorphic, cult classic, powerful, semi autobiographical
Similar in 79%
Broadway Damage (1997)
Plot Summary:
Romantic comedy about aspiring writers in NY.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 693
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, touching, offbeat, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 88%
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
Plot Summary:
Hansel Schmidt, is a young East German boy, born and raised during the Cold War in communist East Berlin. In his 20s, he meets Luther Robinson, an older American soldier, who falls in love with Hansel and the two decide to marry, which will allow Hansel to leave communist East Germany for the West. But, in order to marry, Hansel must undergo a sex-change. However, the procedure does not go perfectly and Hansel becomes not a trans woman, but a 'genderqueer', Hedwig. Back in the USA, on their first wedding anniversary, Luther leaves Hedwig for another man. On that same day the news headlines were of the fall of the Berlin Wall and freedom. Hedwig tours the US with her rock band and relates her life story while following her ex-boyfriend/band-mate Tommy Speck (to whom she gives the stage name "Tommy Gnosis"), who stole her songs and rose to fame.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music, Musical
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: emotional, cult classic, enigmatic, melancholic, lyrical, sentimental, semi serious, dark comedy, offbeat, stylized
Similar in 79%
Leave It on the Floor (2011)
Plot Summary:
Our African-American hero , Brad is bullied by his dysfunctional mom; he flees his home and by chance tumbles down the rabbit-hole into the LA ball scene where he finds a ragtag new famiiy. With music by Beyonce music director, Kim Burse, screenplay and lyrics by Glenn Gaylord choreography by Beyonce dance master, Frank Gatson Jr. and eye-popping visuals and direction by Sheldon Larry, the film is an ode to the wild funky and heart-aching life of this amazing underground. Written by Sheldon Larry (IMDB.com).
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 451
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: humorous, emotional, realistic, independent film, captivating, feel good, stylized, semi serious, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
Hair (1979)
Plot Summary:
"Hair" is a 1979 musical war comedy-drama film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical "Hair: An American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" about a Vietnam War draftee, Claude, who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center. Claude heads to New York upon receiving his draft notice, leaving the family ranch in Oklahoma. He arrives in New York where he is rapidly indoctrinated into the youth subculture before reporting in for boot camp.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance, War
Country: West Germany, USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: stylized, thought provoking, psychedelic, cult classic, retro, feel good, ironic, sad, deep, sentimental
Similar in 82%
Cabaret (1972)
Plot Summary:
Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and an impish emcee sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 58000
Genere: Drama, Music, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: satirical, stylized, atmospheric, sentimental, serious, period piece, inspirational, spiritual, neo noir, entertaining
Similar in 75%
Nine (2009)
Plot Summary:
Arrogant, self-centered movie director Guido Contini finds himself struggling to find meaning, purpose, and a script for his latest film endeavor. With only a week left before shooting begins, he desperately searches for answers and inspiration from his wife, his mistress, his muse, and his mother.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: emotional, clever, lyrical, captivating, sentimental, stylized, retro, art film, sensual, serious
Similar in 75%
Rock of Ages (2012)
Plot Summary:
A small town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip, while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: entertaining, feel good, sexy, romantic, visually appealing, light, stylized, humorous, sentimental, inspirational
Similar in 81%
Burlesque (2010)
Plot Summary:
The Burlesque Lounge has its best days behind it. Tess, a retired dancer and owner of the venue, struggles to keep the aging theater alive, facing all kinds of financial and artistic challenges. With the Lounge's troupe members becoming increasingly distracted by personal problems and a threat coming from a wealthy businessman's quest to buy the spot from Tess, the good fortune seems to have abandoned the club altogether. Meanwhile, the life of Ali, a small-town girl from Iowa, is about to change dramatically. Hired by Tess as a waitress at the Lounge, Ali escapes a hollow past and quickly falls in love with the art of burlesque. Backed by newfound friends amongst the theater's crew, she manages to fulfill her dreams of being on stage herself. Things take a dramatic turn though when Ali's big voice makes her become the main attraction of the revue.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Drama, Music, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sexy, romantic, light, teen, entertaining, melancholic, inspirational, feel good, stylized, lyrical
Similar in 78%
Becks (2017)
Plot Summary:
After a crushing breakup with her girlfriend, a Brooklyn musician moves back in with her Midwestern mother. As she navigates her hometown, playing for tip money in an old friend's bar, an unexpected relationship begins to take shape.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: romantic, independent film, psychological, sincere, sexy, touching, melancholic, deep, romantic comedy, unusual plot structure
Similar in 76%
Parting Glances (1986)
Plot Summary:
Michael and Robert, two gay men living in Brooklyn, spend their last day together before Robert leaves for Africa on work assignment. Michael still has feelings for his friend Nick, who has AIDS.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film, sad, sentimental, sincere, clever, touching, humorous, realistic, gloomy, semi serious
Similar in 80%
The Man I Love (1997)
Plot Summary:
This is a combination coming out and first love story. The swimmer and diver Lucard is interested in attractive Martin. The film follows the characters' coming out with all its difficulties, the bitter-sweet pleasures of first love and the dreadful moment when one comes down to reality and realizes that one's beloved friend has a hard way to go yet. The positive message the film tries to transmit is the somewhat common motto "Live each day of your life as if it were your last.".
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: France
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: captivating, touching, serious, sentimental, realistic, sexual, allegory, emotional, sexy, gay cinema
Similar in 81%
Nine Lives (2004)
Plot Summary:
Lust and dysfuntion come full circle in this collection of nine steamy scenes exploring gay life, sex, addition, drugs and HIV/AIDS as revealed by a latino pool boy, a television writer, a meth dealer and others. As one affair leads into another, the connections betwen the characters reveal the secrets each one holds.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 407
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, sexual, crying, hispanic, sexy, cult film
Similar in 83%
Dreamgirls (2006)
Plot Summary:
Three young women – Deena Jones, Effie White and Lorrell Robinson – dream of becoming pop stars and they get their wish when they're chosen to be backup singers for the legendary James 'Thunder' Early.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 76000
Genere: Drama, Music, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: stylized, emotional, lyrical, melancholic, sentimental, visually appealing, inspirational, uplifting, hood, serious
Similar in 84%
Head On (1998)
Plot Summary:
Nineteen-year-old Ari confronts both his sexuality and his Greek family. Ari despises his once-beloved parents, former radical activists, for having entombed themselves in insular tradition. Ari is obsessed with gay sex, although he does make an unenthusiastic attempt to satisfy the sister of one of his best friends. While all of this is going on, he's facing problems with his traditional Greek parents, who have no clue about his sexual activities.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: independent film, lgbt cinema, terrifying, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, erotic, rough, sexy
Similar in 80%
Heights (2005)
Plot Summary:
'Heights' follows five characters over 24 hours on a fall day in New York City. Isabel, a photographer, is having second thoughts about her upcoming marriage to Jonathan, a lawyer. On the same day, Isabel's mother Diana learns that her husband has a new lover and begins to re-think her life choices and her open marriage. Diana and Isabel's paths cross with Alec, a young actor, and with Peter, a journalist. As the interrelated stories proceed, the connections between the lives of the five characters begin to reveal themselves and their stories unravel. Isabel, Jonathan, Diana, Alec, and Peter must choose what kind of lives they will lead before the sun comes up on the next day.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, stylized, serious, clever, witty, talky, emotional, non-linear, controversial, gloomy
Similar in 78%
Les Misérables (2012)
Plot Summary:
An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France, in which a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean seeks redemption.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 342000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags: inspirational, epic, emotional, period piece, suspense, historical drama, harsh, stylized, lyrical, heartbreaking
Similar in 77%
Keep the Lights On (2012)
Plot Summary:
An emotionally and sexually charged journey through the love, addiction, and friendship of two men. Documentary filmmaker Erik and closeted lawyer Paul meet through a casual encounter, but they find a deeper connection and become a couple. Individually and together, they are risk takers—compulsive, and fueled by drugs and sex. In an almost decade-long relationship defined by highs, lows, and dysfunctional patterns, Erik struggles to negotiate his own boundaries and dignity and to be true to himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: serious, touching, emotional, lgbt cinema, sad, sexual, realistic, independent film, sincere, sexy
Similar in 80%
It's My Party (1996)
Plot Summary:
A gathering of friends. A gift of love. A celebration of life.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, emotional, independent film, philosophical, depressing, sincere, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 89%
Longtime Companion (1989)
Plot Summary:
Longtime Companion follows the lives of a small circle of friends from the first mention of the disease in the New York Times in 1981. First referred to as "Gay-Related-Immune-Disorder," we watch the effect of the disease as it devastates the lives of our protagonists. Jumping between Manhattan and Fire Island, vignettes carry us from the it-couldn't-happen-to-me mentality of the early days of the disease to the invasive effect it has had on all of our lives, today. The title of the film comes from the New York Times' refusal to acknowledge homosexual relationships in their obituary section during this period. Instead, survivors were referred to as "Longtime Companions" of the deceased.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sad, independent film, touching, emotional, realistic, art house, lgbt cinema, weeping, eros, romantic drama
Similar in 88%
Big Eden (2000)
Plot Summary:
Big Eden is a tiny fictional town in northwestern Montana, as Preston Sturges or Frank Capra might have envisioned it. Timber and Cowboy country. This is the story of Henry Hart, a successful New York Artist, who returns to the town of his childhood to care for the ailing grandfather who raised him. Back in Big Eden, Henry must come to terms with his relationship to Dean Stewart, his best friend.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, romantic comedy, sweet, feel good, sentimental, humorous, realistic, semi serious, crying
Similar in 79%
Holding Trevor (2007)
Plot Summary:
Everybody's looking for something... Moving forward doesn't always mean leaving something behind.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sincere, touching, lgbt cinema, cult classic, independent film, crying, dark comedy, queer cinema
Similar in 82%
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Plot Summary:
Two modern-day cowboys meet on a shepherding job in the summer of '63, the two share a raw and powerful summer together that turns into a lifelong relationship conflicting with the lives they are supposed to live.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 376000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, sexy, sad, melancholic, crying, sexual, neo western, controversial, heartbreaking
Similar in 86%
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Plot Summary:
Jessica, a Jewish copy editor living and working in New York City, is plagued by failed blind dates with men, and decides to answer a newspaper's personal advertisement. The advertisement has been placed by 'lesbian-curious' Helen Cooper, a thirtysomething art gallerist.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, feel good, humorous, romantic comedy, independent film, realistic, talky, sex comedy, offbeat
Similar in 77%
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Plot Summary:
A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 296000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: Australia, USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sexy, visually stunning, romantic, colorful, postmodern, period piece, visual, atmospheric, emotional
Similar in 78%
The Normal Heart (2014)
Plot Summary:
The story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: sad, touching, emotional, sincere, compassionate, depressing, serious, thought provoking, realistic, talky
Similar in 78%
High Art (1998)
Plot Summary:
A young female intern at a small magazine company becomes involved with a drug-addicted lesbian photographer, both of whom seek to exploit each other for their respective careers, while slowly falling in love with each other.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, emotional, sincere, independent film, sensual, depressing, sexual, lgbt cinema, eros
Similar in 81%
A Home at the End of the World (2004)
Plot Summary:
Three friends form a bond over the year, Johnathan is gay, Clare is straight and Bobby is neither, instead he loves the people he loves. As their lives go on there is tension and tears which culminate in a strong yet fragile friendship between the three.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, intense, sincere, erotic, sexual, depressing, romantic, cult classic, art house