Best movies like The Color Purple
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An adaptation of the Broadway musical The Color Purple, based on the acclaimed novel and its film adaptation.
IMDB Rating:
IMDB Votes:
Genere: Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like The Color Purple (2023):
Similar in 85%
Susan Slade (1961)
Plot Summary:
A pregnant teen allows her mother to pass the baby off as her own.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 916
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: soap opera, cult film
Similar in 75%
In the Heights (2021)
Plot Summary:
The story of Usnavi, a bodega owner who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic or staying in Washington Heights.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, entertaining, anamorphic, visual, hispanic
Similar in 81%
Night Comes On (2018)
Plot Summary:
Angel LaMere is released from juvenile detention on the eve of her 18th birthday. Haunted by her past, she embarks on a journey with her 10 year-old sister that could destroy their future.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, tense, rough, independent film, queer cinema
Similar in 80%
Wild in the Country (1961)
Plot Summary:
A troubled young man discovers that he has a knack for writing when a counselor encourages him to pursue a literary career.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: retro, realistic, semi serious, psychotronic
Similar in 75%
Dear Evan Hansen (2021)
Plot Summary:
Film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. The story follows Hansen, a high schooler with social anxiety. He unintentionally gets caught up in a lie after the family of a classmate who committed suicide mistakes one of Hansen’s letters for their son’s suicide note.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama, Musical
Country: USA, Japan, China
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing, interactive
Similar in 82%
Women Talking (2022)
Plot Summary:
A group of women in an isolated religious colony struggle to reconcile their faith with a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony's men.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: social, independent film, period drama
Similar in 79%
Lost in the Stars (1974)
Plot Summary:
Musical from the American Film Theatre series, based on the play Cry The Beloved Country.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 136
Genere: Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic
Similar in 89%
Gypsy (1993)
Plot Summary:
Based on the autobiography of Gypsy Rose Lee, this made-for-TV movie - previously a Broadway smash and a 1962 film - depicts the life and times of a stripper and her domineering mother.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 153 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, realistic, stylized, semi serious, entertaining
Similar in 78%
Blue Valley Songbird (1999)
Plot Summary:
Country singer Leana Taylor (Dolly Parton) struggles to escape from her controlling manager/boyfriend Hank (John Terry) as well as her troubled past. After turning to her guitarist (Billy Dean), Leanna finally faces her past, including her estranged mother and the death of her father. Through flashbacks, Leana deals with her past as she attempts to move her life forward and begin a recording career.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 346
Genere: Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, entertaining
Similar in 82%
Bye Bye Birdie (1995)
Plot Summary:
Rock-and-roll icon Conrad Birdie is about to go into the Army, and plans are being made to arrange his final going-away concert.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 904
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Musical
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 76%
Paradise (2004)
Plot Summary:
Televangelist Bobby Paradise "saw God" in some space debris when he was returning to Earth as an astronaut. Or at least he was convinced he did by his wife, a Cape Canaveral groupie at the time Bobby was with NASA. Now they have built up an extensive TV empire. When their proposal to merge with a somewhat tarnished mogul is investigated by the government, skeletons in the Paradise closet come to light and the family either rallies behind or disparages the enterprise.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 131
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, crying, soap opera
Similar in 90%
Miss Juneteenth (2020)
Plot Summary:
Turquoise, a former beauty queen turned hardworking single mother, prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the “Miss Juneteenth” pageant, hoping to keep her from repeating the same mistakes in life that she did.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, captivating, realistic, aesthetic, black cinema
Similar in 78%
13: The Musical (2022)
Plot Summary:
A Bar Mitzvah boy from Manhattan comes to terms with his family's move to the Midwest.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 972
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: teen comedy
Similar in 84%
As Summers Die (1986)
Plot Summary:
Set in a sleepy Southern Louisiana town in 1959, a lawyer, searches for justice as he volunteers to help a black woman whose property is being threatened by the Holts, the first family of the town, after she refuses to sell her valuable land.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 853
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: political, touching, serious, captivating, realistic, independent film
Similar in 82%
Hurry Sundown (1967)
Plot Summary:
Following the Second World War, a northern cannery combine negotiates for the purchase of a large tract of uncultivated Georgia farmland. The major portion of the land is owned by Julie Ann Warren and has already been optioned by her unscrupulous, draft dodging husband, Henry. Now the combine must also obtain two smaller plots - one owned by Henry's cousin Rad McDowell, a combat veteran with a wife and family; the other by Reeve Scott, a young black man whose mother had been Julie's childhood Mammy. But neither Rad nor Reeve is interested in selling and they form an unprecedented black and white partnership to improve their land. Although infuriated by the turn of events, Henry remains determined to push through the big land deal. And when Reeve's mother Rose dies, Henry tries to persuade his wife to charge Reeve with illegal ownership of his property, confident the the bigoted Judge Purcell will rule against a Negro.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 146 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, cult film
Similar in 89%
Minari (2020)
Plot Summary:
A Korean-American family moves to Arkansas in search of their own American Dream. With the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother, the stability of their relationships is challenged even more in this new life in the rugged Ozarks, testing the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 93000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: sad, independent film, sincere, captivating, thought provoking, offbeat, breathtaking, social, period piece, deep
Similar in 88%
Take Me to the River (2015)
Plot Summary:
A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: ambiguous ending, psychological, sincere, suspenseful, touching, suspense, mumblecore, tension, queer cinema, weird
Similar in 87%
So B. It (2016)
Plot Summary:
A young girl named Heidi who lives with her mentally disabled mother, travels across the country to find out about her and her mothers past.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 630
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sad
Similar in 89%
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990)
Plot Summary:
It's about a five member family. The father is a conservative and traditional person who directs the family. The mother is at home, she tries to hold together the family, while Mr. Bridge works as a lawyer. The children have just grown up, and the complications are derived from that they have a more modern view of life.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA, Canada
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: talky, melancholic, sentimental, realistic, family saga, touching, gloomy, semi serious, crying, independent film
Similar in 87%
Killer of Sheep (1978)
Plot Summary:
Stan works in drudgery at a slaughterhouse. His personal life is drab. Dissatisfaction and ennui keep him unresponsive to the needs of his adoring wife, and he must struggle against influences which would dishonor and endanger him and his family.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: independent film, sincere, realistic, serious, emotional, black and white, political, social, contemplative, art house
Similar in 85%
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 87%
Gypsy (1962)
Plot Summary:
Based on the Broadway hit about the life and times of burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee and her aggressive stage mother, Mama Rose.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: retro, sentimental, touching, humorous, captivating, realistic, stylized, semi serious, entertaining, light
Similar in 78%
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Plot Summary:
The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 303000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: inspirational, uplifting, captivating, motivational, sincere, romantic, suspense, suspenseful, costume drama, feel good
Similar in 75%
One Night in Miami... (2020)
Plot Summary:
In the aftermath of Cassius Clay's defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964, the boxer meets with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown to change the course of history in the segregated South.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: uplifting, thought provoking, suspense, political, sad, political drama
Similar in 79%
Fifteen and Pregnant (1998)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, 15 year old Tina Spangler discovers she is pregnant. Her choices are abortion, adoption, or a lonely, exhausting life as a single parent. Abandoned by her boyfriend, she turns to her mother. Tina discovers although it has torn her world apart, her pregnancy could re-unite her shattered family and help her find her true purpose in life.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, psychological, sincere, talky, ridiculous
Similar in 77%
Eve's Bayou (1997)
Plot Summary:
The story is set in 1962 Louisiana. The big Batiste family is headed by charming doctor Louis. Though he is married to beautiful Roz, he has a weakness for attractive women patients. One day Louis is flirting with married and sexy Metty Mereaux, not knowing that he is observed by his youngest idealistic daughter Eve, who is there by accident. Eve can not forget the incident which is traumatic for her naiveté, and shares a secret with older sister Cisely. Lies start to roll.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: cult classic, independent film, southern gothic, gothic, mysterious, family saga, hood, visual, spooky, atmospheric
Similar in 75%
Precious (2009)
Plot Summary:
Set in Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret--she can't read.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: bleak, depressing, emotional, rough, sad, inspirational, disturbing, touching, independent film, harsh
Similar in 76%
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, sentimental, emotional, sweet, inspirational, crying, psychological, captivating, intense
Similar in 84%
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Plot Summary:
Through a series of flashbacks, four young chinese women born in America and their respective mothers born in feudal China, explore their past. This search will help them understand their difficult mother/daughter relationship.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, sincere, captivating, thought provoking, emotional, sad, retro, depressing, spiritual
Similar in 77%
The Color Purple (1985)
Plot Summary:
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 94000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, inspirational, sad, sincere, emotional, compassionate, period piece, heartbreaking