Best movies like Shirley

Last updated March 2024

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Plot Summary:

Shirley is the youngest of eight children from a mixed race marriage. By the time she is a toddler the family have moved to the all white area of Splott and by the time she is 12 Shirley has discovered she has an extraordinary voice and can earn money singing in pubs around the docks after her father if jailed for sexual crimes. As a young teenager she begins singing and dancing in 'coloured review shows'. But it is a chance meeting with struggling agent Mike Sullivan that changes her life forever. He promises to make her a star, but has no idea of the personal sacrifice that will mean for the teenaged Shirley.

IMDB Rating: 6.4

IMDB Votes: 201

Genere: Biography, Drama

Country: UK

Duration: 60 min

Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic

Best tv shows and movies like Shirley (2011):

Similar in 77%

Dalida (2016)

Plot Summary:

Based on the true story of acclaimed music icon "Dalida" born in Cairo, who gained celebrity in the 50s, singing in French, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, German, Italian, playing in awarded Youssef Chahine's picture "Le Sixième Jour", and who later committed suicide in 1987 in Paris, after selling more than 130 million records worldwide.

IMDB Rating: 6.9

IMDB Votes: 4000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: France

Duration: 127 min

Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, realistic, disturbing, non-linear, crying

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Marina (2013)

Plot Summary:

The true story of Rocco Granata, an Italian coal miner's son who followed his passion for music against his father's wishes and social barriers.

IMDB Rating: 7.2

IMDB Votes: 4000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance

Country: Belgium, Italy

Duration: 118 min

Plot tags: touching, sentimental, sincere, realistic, feel good, sad, visual, serious

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Hilde (2009)

Plot Summary:

A biography of Hildegard Knef, one of Germany's biggest post-war stars.

IMDB Rating: 6.7

IMDB Votes: 790

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: Germany

Duration: 137 min

Plot tags: sentimental, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, compassionate, non-linear

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Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (2006)

Plot Summary:

In the Lifetime® movie, THE FANTASIA BARRINO STORY: LIFE IS NOT A FAIRYTALE, a single teenage mother overcomes all odds - sexual abuse, poverty and illiteracy - by relying on her spectacular singing voice. She ultimately gains national prominence as the winner of a hit talent show. Fantasia Barrino plays herself in this modern true Cinderella story. Also starring Loretta Devine, Kadeem Hardison and Viola Davis.

IMDB Rating: 5.2

IMDB Votes: 670

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: USA

Duration: 88 min

Plot tags: uplifting, touching, serious, realistic

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My Way (2012)

Plot Summary:

A biopic of French pop star Claude Francois, most famous for co-writing the song 'My Way'. Tracing his life from his childhood in Egypt through his success in France to his untimely death in Paris in 1978.

IMDB Rating: 6.9

IMDB Votes: 3000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: France, Belgium

Duration: 148 min

Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, serious, realistic, tragic

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Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)

Plot Summary:

A biography of Ian Dury, who was stricken with polio at a young age and defied expectations by becoming one of the founders of the punk-rock scene in Britain in the 1970s.

IMDB Rating: 6.5

IMDB Votes: 4000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: UK

Duration: 115 min

Plot tags: touching, realistic, semi serious, cult classic, teen, offbeat, biting, uplifting, suspense

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Sister Smile (2009)

Plot Summary:

A biography of the Belgian nun Jeannine Deckers, who became a popular singer in the early 1960s and struggled with the contradiction between the church and her true self.

IMDB Rating: 6.5

IMDB Votes: 896

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: Belgium, France

Duration: 120 min

Plot tags: sincere, serious, emotional, realistic, captivating, entertaining, gloomy

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Waltz for Monica (2013)

Plot Summary:

"Monica Z" is a biopic about the Swedish singer and actress Monica Zetterlund focusing on her journey from a job as a telephone operator in a small town in Sweden to stardom in the clubs of New York and Stockholm.

IMDB Rating: 6.8

IMDB Votes: 4000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: Sweden

Duration: 111 min

Plot tags: emotional, realistic, factual, uplifting, serious, captivating, motivational

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Amália (2008)

Plot Summary:

You already know the legendary singer. For the first time, you'll get to know the woman behind the myth.

IMDB Rating: 6.3

IMDB Votes: 775

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance

Country: Portugal

Duration: 127 min

Plot tags: emotional, serious, realistic, captivating, suspenseful, contemplative, gloomy

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In His Life: The John Lennon Story (2000)

Plot Summary:

A film about the early life of the rock musician and his burgeoning career as a member of the Beatles.

IMDB Rating: 5.9

IMDB Votes: 695

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: USA

Duration: 85 min

Plot tags: sincere, serious, captivating, realistic, rockumentary

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Leonie (2010)

Plot Summary:

In the lush tradition of the glorious films of Merchant and Ivory, comes the true life story of Leonie Gilmour (Emily Mortimer), whose life crossed continents, wars and cultures, embodied with courage and passion in search of art and freedom. A tender and inspiring story of a remarkable woman who nurtures the amazing artistic talent of her son who has only one way to succeed and one person to guide him, as he grows into the world renown artist, Isamu Noguchi.

IMDB Rating: 6.1

IMDB Votes: 573

Genere: Biography, Drama

Country: France, UK, Australia, Germany, Belgium, USA, Japan, Netherlands

Duration: 102 min

Plot tags: uplifting, serious, realistic, stylized, retro, crying, period piece, period drama

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Lennon Naked (2010)

Plot Summary:

A profile of John Lennon in the late 1960s as the Beatles are set to fall apart.

IMDB Rating: 5.9

IMDB Votes: 1000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: UK

Duration: 82 min

Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, period piece, gloomy, iconic

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Violeta Went to Heaven (2011)

Plot Summary:

A portrait of famed Chilean singer and folklorist Violeta Parra filled with her musical work, her memories, her loves and her hopes.

IMDB Rating: 7.1

IMDB Votes: 2000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: Chile, Argentina, Brazil

Duration: 110 min

Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, serious, touching, realistic, hispanic, non-linear

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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

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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

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Enid (2009)

Plot Summary:

Edwardian child Enid Blyton begins to tell stories to her brothers as an escape from their parents' rows before the father deserts the family.

IMDB Rating: 6.6

IMDB Votes: 2000

Genere: Biography, Drama

Country: UK

Duration: 82 min

Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, costume drama, cult classic, period drama, weird

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Loving (2016)

Plot Summary:

The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the US Supreme Court.

IMDB Rating: 7.0

IMDB Votes: 36000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance

Country: UK, USA

Duration: 123 min

Plot tags: inspirational, romantic, melancholic, thought provoking, heartbreaking, period piece, social, romantic drama, captivating, motivational

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Nina (2016)

Plot Summary:

The story of the late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone including her rise to fame and relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson.

IMDB Rating: 5.4

IMDB Votes: 3000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: UK

Duration: 90 min

Plot tags: captivating, touching, serious, controversial, thought provoking, anamorphic, realistic, black cinema

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The Brittany Murphy Story (2014)

Plot Summary:

A look at Brittany Murphy's rise to Hollywood fame in the 1990s, her struggles with celebrity and self-esteem, and her mysterious death in 2009 at the age of 32.

IMDB Rating: 3.3

IMDB Votes: 1000

Genere: Biography, Drama

Country: USA

Duration: 86 min

Plot tags: sentimental, serious, captivating, realistic

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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

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Margot (2009)

Plot Summary:

At the age of forty Dame Margot Fonteyn is considered to be past her best as a prima ballerina and Ninette de Valois is reducing her roles at the Royal Ballet. Then the exciting young Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, a recent defector to the West, comes into her life and her bed and revitalizes her career. Frederick Aashton creates a new ballet for them and they become the golden couple of the ballet world. However, Margot is married to Roberto 'Tito' Arias, a Panamanian politician of dubious repute who is not sympathetic to her calling and is probably faithless. When he is shot and paralyzed for life Margot must carry on dancing well into her sixties in order to pay for his costly treatment though she still collaborates with Rudolf in the occasional ballet.

IMDB Rating: 6.4

IMDB Votes: 291

Genere: Biography, Drama

Country: UK

Duration: 85 min

Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, stylized

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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

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My Ain Folk (1973)

Plot Summary:

When Jamie's maternal grandmother dies, he and his brother Tommy are separated - Tommy is taken off to a welfare home and Jamie goes to live with his other grandmother and uncle. His life is far from happy, filled with silence, rejection and bouts of violence.

IMDB Rating: 7.5

IMDB Votes: 989

Genere: Biography, Drama

Country: UK

Duration: 55 min

Plot tags: bleak, depressing, art house, sincere, touching, offbeat, serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative

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Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story (2011)

Plot Summary:

Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is a made-for-TV film starring Australian actress Poppy Montgomery. The film, which was shot in B.C. Canada locations altered to look like British locations, details the journey of struggling single mother J. K. Rowling, her bid to become a published author, and her rise to fame that followed the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The film aired on Lifetime on July 18th and was criticized for being too lacklustre (mainly down to the fiercely private author having no say in the production) but it also shed some light on her personal life and featured scenes such as her highly abusive first husband and the death of her mother. The eponymous J.K. Rowling is the world's first billionaire (in terms of US dollars) author and the films inspired by her books have been the highest grossing films of all time. Poppy Montgomery reportedly got blue contact lenses to play the role of the highly influential author.

IMDB Rating: 6.6

IMDB Votes: 3000

Genere: Biography, Drama

Country: USA

Duration: 90 min

Plot tags: sentimental, serious, sincere, touching, realistic, inspirational, art film, ridiculous

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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

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Bessie (2015)

Plot Summary:

The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.

IMDB Rating: 6.7

IMDB Votes: 5000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: USA

Duration: 115 min

Plot tags: realistic, serious, emotional, factual, historical drama, gloomy, queer cinema, black cinema

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Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013)

Plot Summary:

A drama based on Jimi Hendrix's life as he left New York City for London, where his career took off.

IMDB Rating: 5.7

IMDB Votes: 7000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: USA, Ireland, UK

Duration: 118 min

Plot tags: realistic, sincere, atmospheric, captivating, retro, cult classic, serious, black cinema

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Cadillac Records (2008)

Plot Summary:

The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

IMDB Rating: 7.0

IMDB Votes: 23000

Genere: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: USA

Duration: 109 min

Plot tags: realistic, inspirational, talky, stylized, intense, sincere, sentimental, serious, captivating, social

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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

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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

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Best movies like Shirley

Last updated March 2024

Best tv shows and movies like Shirley (2011):

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