Best movies like The Five Heartbeats
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In the early 1960's, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: sentimental, hood, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, independent film, light, inspirational, road movie
Best tv shows and movies like The Five Heartbeats (1991):
Similar in 82%
Tamla Rose (2013)
Plot Summary:
Three teen girls in a Motown band embark on an emotional ride to hell and back.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: UK
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, feel good
Similar in 84%
Soul Men (2008)
Plot Summary:
Two former backup soul singers, Louis and Floyd, have not spoken to each other in 20 years, and reluctantly agree to travel across the country together to a reunion concert to honor their recently-deceased lead singer. Cleo, a beautiful young woman who is believed to be Floyd's daughter, accompanies them as a new singer.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sentimental, realistic, touching, humorous, semi serious, black comedy, dark comedy, cult classic, hilarious, entertaining
Similar in 87%
Protecting the King (2007)
Plot Summary:
Sex, drugs and violence--they're all part of the job when you're protecting The King of Rock & Roll. And when you're only 16, the on-the-job training comes in ways that can't be taught in school. The story of David Stanley, stepbrother and bodyguard of The King. Through the dizzying highs and lows of life on the road with unlimited excess, he experienced it all...and barely survived.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 350
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 83%
A Man Called Adam (1966)
Plot Summary:
A famous jazz trumpeter finds himself unable to cope with the problems of everyday life.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 659
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: independent film, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 85%
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)
Plot Summary:
Michael Paré stars as Eddie Wilson of the rock band Eddie and Cruisers. The band is at the height of their career in the 1960s when front man Eddie drives his car off a bridge in an apparent suicide -- but the body was never found.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Music, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: cult classic, sentimental, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, gloomy, independent film, light, inspirational
Similar in 80%
Flame (1975)
Plot Summary:
Light the Rock 'n Roll spark with a Flame in the guise of Dave, Noddy, Jim and Don and their showcase of the rise and demise of rock band Flame. Set in the hardships of North England's seventies working class society and music scene. This build-up from rags to riches is a parody of realism and grit, with double-dealings and harsh unforgiving dog eat dog mentalities, and the golden rule; if you play with matches then you're going to get burnt, in the flames of the music industry.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 653
Genere: Drama, Music, Musical
Country: UK
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: offbeat, independent film, sentimental, serious, captivating, realistic, cult film
Similar in 80%
A Star Is Born (1976)
Plot Summary:
A Star Is Born is a 1976 rock music film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, independent film, sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, corny
Similar in 79%
The Commitments (1991)
Plot Summary:
Jimmy Rabbitte, just a tick out of school, gets a brilliant idea: to put a soul band together in Barrytown, his slum home in north Dublin. First he needs musicians and singers: things slowly start to click when he finds three fine-voiced females virtually in his back yard, a lead singer (Deco) at a wedding, and, responding to his ad, an aging trumpet player, Joey "The Lips" Fagan.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: Ireland, UK, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: cult classic, independent film, feel good, humorous, realistic, offbeat, sincere, captivating, contemplative, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Payday (1973)
Plot Summary:
A cynical look at the life of a not so nice country-western singer, Maury Dann - played by Rip Torn in one of his most memorable performances. He ruthlessly manipulates every one around him to suit his selfish needs...he even gets his limo driver to take the blame for the death of a fan which he stabbed.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: light, independent film, psychological, tense, sincere, clever, serious, realistic, witty, contemplative
Similar in 78%
Grace of My Heart (1996)
Plot Summary:
An aspiring singer, Denise Waverly/Edna Buxton, sacrifices her own singing career to write hit songs that launch the careers of other singers. The film follows her life from her first break, through the pain of rejection from the recording industry and a bad marriage, to her final triumph in realizing her dream to record her own hit album.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, lyrical, sentimental, cult classic, period piece, sincere, realistic, semi serious, romantic
Similar in 85%
Sparkle (1976)
Plot Summary:
Three sisters (Sister and the Sisters) from Harlem who become singers Sister (Lonette McKee) becomes involved with drugs and Sparkle ends up being the one who gets famous. This movie tells about how drugs ruined Sister's relationships and eventually ended her life.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, entertaining, black cinema
Similar in 86%
Sparkle (2012)
Plot Summary:
Musical prodigy, Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) struggles to become a star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart. From an affluent Detroit area and daughter to a single mother (Whitney Houston), she tries to balance a new romance with music manager Stix (Derek Luke) while dealing with the unexpected challenges her new life will bring as she and her two sisters (Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter) strive to become a dynamic singing group during the Motown-era.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: serious, sentimental, emotional, realistic, inspirational, stylized, gloomy, independent film, black cinema
Similar in 81%
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Plot Summary:
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 73000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: humorous, sentimental, feel good, light, sincere, period piece, touching, sexy, retro, emotional
Similar in 78%
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 75%
Great Balls of Fire! (1989)
Plot Summary:
The story of Jerry Lee Lewis, arguably the greatest and certainly one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s. His arrogance, remarkable talent, and unconventional lifestyle often brought him into conflict with others in the industry, and even earned him the scorn and condemnation of the public.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: retro, gothic, period piece, independent film, feel good, serious, realistic, scary, light, road movie
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 83%
The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
Plot Summary:
A film about the life and career of the early rock and roll star.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, serious, captivating, realistic, entertaining, light, clever
Similar in 81%
The Rose (1979)
Plot Summary:
Midler is the rock-and-roll singer Mary Rose Foster (known as the Rose to her legions of fans), whose romantic relationships and mental health are continuously imperiled by the demands of life on the road.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: retro, sincere, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, gloomy, sentimental, light
Similar in 76%
The Temptations (1998)
Plot Summary:
The true story of The Temptations, the Soul vocal group of the 1960s, as seen from the viewpoint of the last surviving member, Otis Williams. Beginning from their humble origins in the late 50s and continuing through the 90s and the deaths of the other 4 members.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, black cinema, rockumentary, period drama
Similar in 86%
Paris Blues (1961)
Plot Summary:
Ram Bowen and Eddie Cook are two expatriate jazz musicians living in Paris where, unlike America at the time, Jazz musicians are celebrated and racism is a non-issue. When they meet and fall in love with two young American girls, Lillian and Connie, who are vacationing in France, Ram and Eddie must decide whether they should move back to America with them, or stay in Paris for the freedom it allows them. Ram, who wants to be a serious composer, finds Paris more exciting than America and is reluctant to give up his music for a relationship, and Eddie wants to stay for the city's more tolerant racial atmosphere.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: black and white, sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 88%
'Round Midnight (1986)
Plot Summary:
Inside the Blue Note nightclub one night in 1959 Paris, an aged, ailing jazzman coaxes an eloquent wail from his tenor sax. Outside, a young Parisian too broke to buy a glass of wine strains to hear those notes. Soon they will form a friendship that sparks a final burst of genius in director Bertrand Tavernier.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA, France
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, independent film, light, inspirational
Similar in 85%
King of Salsa (2006)
Plot Summary:
The rise and fall of salsa singer, Héctor Lavoe (1946-1993), as told from the perspective of his wife Puchi, who looks back from 2002.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, informative, sentimental, vintage
Similar in 85%
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
Plot Summary:
Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday. Her late childhood, stint as a prostitute, early tours, marriages and drug addiction are featured.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: realistic, retro, intellectual, sentimental, touching, serious, gloomy, sexy, brutal, feel good
Similar in 84%
Ray (2004)
Plot Summary:
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered couping gospel and country together.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 155000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 152 min
Plot tags: inspirational, touching, sincere, emotional, captivating, sentimental, dramatic, psychological, motivational, romantic
Similar in 89%
Get on Up (2014)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: heartbreaking, emotional, talky, captivating, realistic, sentimental, intellectual, feel good, surreal, period piece
Similar in 90%
Bird (1988)
Plot Summary:
Saxophone player Charlie Parker comes to New York in 1940. He is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict but his loving wife Chan tries to help him.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 161 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, psychological, factual, stylized, sincere, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 80%
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)
Plot Summary:
In the mid-80s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager, Morris Levy. One is an L.A. singer, formerly of the Platters; one is a petty thief from Philly; one teaches school in a small Georgia town. Each claims to be the widow of long-dead doo-wop singer-songwriter Frankie Lyman, and each wants years of royalties due to his estate, money Levy has never shared. During an ensuing civil trial, flashbacks tell the story of each one's life with Lyman, a boyish, high-pitched, dynamic performer, lost to heroin. Slowly, the three wives establish their own bond.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: emotional, inspirational, melancholic, touching, sentimental, serious, realistic, cult classic, independent film, entertaining
Similar in 79%
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
Similar in 87%
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Plot Summary:
Tony Manero is a Brooklyn paint-store clerk who'd give anything to break out of his dead-end existence. In life, Tony is a peasant; on the disco dance floor, he's a king. As the soundtrack plays one Bee Gees hit after another, white-suited Tony struts his stuff amidst flashing lights and sweaty, undulating bodies. Tony's class aspirations are mirrored in his relationship with his dance partner, a secretary eager to move into the glamorous world of Manhattan.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sexy, rough, light, serious, captivating, realistic, cult classic, teen, stylized
Similar in 81%
Lackawanna Blues (2005)
Plot Summary:
In a story fueled by rhythm and blues, a young boy's life is shaped by love and the stories of a cast of characters in the boarding house where he lives in 1960s Lackawanna, New York.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, sincere, sentimental, captivating, crying, hispanic, entertaining