Best movies like West Side Story
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In the slums of the upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, a gang of Polish-American teenagers called the Jets compete with a rival gang of recently immigrated Puerto Ricans, the Sharks, to "own" the neighborhood streets. Tensions are high between the gangs but two kids, one from each rival gang, fall in love leading to tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 153 min
Plot tags: stylized, tear jerker, motivational, retro, depressing, spiritual, bad ending, suspense, hood, technicolor
Best tv shows and movies like West Side Story (1961):
Similar in 90%
West Side Story (2021)
Plot Summary:
A remake of the 1961 film about two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 93000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 156 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, surprise ending, captivating, disturbing, grim, anamorphic, visual, tense, weird
Similar in 79%
Aaron Loves Angela (1975)
Plot Summary:
Aaron and Angela, two young adults living in the Harlem ghetto of New York City, are deeply in love with each other. The only thing standing in the way of their love is their families. Aaron is black, while Angela is Puerto Rican, and neither family wants one of their own to associate with the others. As the pair rebel against the prejudices of their families, they soon find the conflict spreading out to their friends and neighbors, until the hatred threatens to spiral out of control.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 298
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: grim, serious, realistic
Similar in 85%
A Gangland Love Story (2010)
Plot Summary:
The younger sister of a feared African American crime boss and the nephew of his powerful Latina nemesis go on the run in a customized Cadillac convertible packed with $20 million in drugs in this romantic crime drama. Julia and Romano have fallen in love, but their families will never let them be together. Desperate, the two young lovers hit the road in a vintage Cadillac. But their getaway vehicle has some rather precious cargo stashed away in the customized tires, and it isn't long before their furious families, and the Russian mob, are hot on their trail.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, psychological, tense, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 87%
This Property Is Condemned (1966)
Plot Summary:
A railroad official, Owen Legate comes to Dodson, Mississippi to shut down much of the town's railway (town's main income). Owen unexpectedly finds love with Dodson's flirt and main attraction, Alva Starr. Alva and Owen then try to escape Alva's mother's (Hazel) clutches and the town's revenge.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: southern gothic, technicolor, romantic drama, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 78%
China Girl (1987)
Plot Summary:
Teenage lovers Tony (Richard Panebianco) and Tyan-Hwa (Sari Chang) tip the balance of power in New York's Little Italy and Chinatown.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: romantic, crime drama, independent film, serious, realistic, tear jerker, tragic ending, modern day adaptation, tearjerker
Similar in 80%
Make Your Move (2013)
Plot Summary:
A pair of star-crossed dancers in New York find themselves at the center of a bitter rivalry between their brothers' underground dance clubs.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: South Korea, USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sexy, serious, captivating, realistic, funny, touching, romantic drama, exciting
Similar in 80%
Save the Last Dance (2001)
Plot Summary:
A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 65000
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: feel good, sweet, romantic, teen, cute, entertaining, thought provoking, sex comedy, tragic ending, multicultural
Similar in 88%
Raising Victor Vargas (2002)
Plot Summary:
The film follows Victor, a Lower East Side teenager, as he deals with his eccentric family, including his strict grandmother, his bratty sister, and a younger brother who completely idolizes him. Along the way he tries to win the affections of Judy, who is very careful and calculating when it comes to how she deals with men.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, harsh, cynical, stylized, semi serious, humorous, realistic, crying, sexy
Similar in 78%
Rumble Fish (1983)
Plot Summary:
Rusty James, an absent-minded street thug struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days when gang warfare was going on.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, surreal, black and white, serious, cult classic, bleak, realistic, touching, captivating, cerebral
Similar in 85%
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
Plot Summary:
A fragile Kansas girl's unrequited and forbidden love for a handsome young man from the town's most powerful family drives her to heartbreak and madness.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, sentimental, emotional, romantic, melancholic, captivating, tense, realistic, retro
Similar in 79%
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 88%
Ram & Leela (2013)
Plot Summary:
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, set in violent times.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, stylized, realistic, romantic, independent film, fast, exciting, captivating, tear jerker
Similar in 90%
Jungle Fever (1991)
Plot Summary:
A successful and married black man contemplates having an affair with a white girl from work. He's quite rightly worried that the racial difference would make an already taboo relationship even worse.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: sexy, serious, emotional, realistic, controversial, hood, sentimental, captivating, scary, touching
Similar in 81%
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Plot Summary:
Director Franco Zeffirelli's beloved version of one of the most well-known love stories in the English language. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love against the wishes of their feuding families. Driven by their passion, the young lovers defy their destiny and elope, only to suffer the ultimate tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: romantic, sweet, colorful, period piece, emotional, costume drama, atmospheric, erotic, sad, romantic drama
Similar in 76%
Romeo & Juliet (2013)
Plot Summary:
In Verona, bad blood between the Montague and Capulet families leads to much bitterness. Despite the hostility, Romeo Montague manages an invitation to a masked ball at the estate of the Capulets and meets Juliet, their daughter. The two are instantly smitten but dismayed to learn that their families are enemies. Romeo and Juliet figure out a way to pursue their romance, but Romeo is banished for his part in the slaying of Juliet's cousin, Tybalt.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Italy, Switzerland, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: romantic, dramatic, touching, emotional, realistic, sentimental, disturbing, fairy tale, gothic, sweet
Similar in 86%
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Plot Summary:
In director Baz Luhrmann's contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 241000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico, Australia
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, stylized, visual, sexy, emotional, period piece, visually stunning, atmospheric, tense, depressing
Similar in 80%
Kidulthood (2006)
Plot Summary:
A day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: hood, serious, tense, rough, teen, emotional, cult classic, bleak, captivating, realistic
Similar in 89%
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 76%
The Sound of Music (1965)
Plot Summary:
Film adaptation of a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a nun who becomes a governess for an Austrian family.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 253000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 172 min
Plot tags: feel good, sentimental, christian film, touching, romantic, scenic, serious, epic, inspirational, period piece
Similar in 77%
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Plot Summary:
Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hoofer – and unexpectedly falling in love.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 250000
Genere: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: feel good, sexy, sentimental, touching, romantic, cute, erotic, teen, period piece, romantic comedy
Similar in 90%
Remember Me (2010)
Plot Summary:
Still reeling from a heartbreaking family event and his parents' subsequent divorce, Tyler Hawkins discovers a fresh lease on life when he meets Ally Craig, a gregarious beauty who witnessed her mother's death. But as the couple draws closer, the fallout from their separate tragedies jeopardizes their love.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 154000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, romantic, sentimental, emotional, serious, tear jerker, heartbreaking, surprise ending, thought provoking
Similar in 78%
Endless Love (2014)
Plot Summary:
A privileged girl and a charismatic boy's instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, emotional, teen, sexual, unusual plot structure, melancholic, absurd, harsh, realistic
Similar in 90%
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Plot Summary:
Boyz n the Hood is the popular and successful film and social criticism from John Singleton about the conditions in South Central Los Angeles where teenagers are involved in gun fights and drug dealing on a daily basis.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 151000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: disturbing, tense, thought provoking, hood, cult classic, brutal, bleak, independent film, rough, suspenseful
Similar in 85%
The Outsiders (1983)
Plot Summary:
When two poor greasers, Johnny, and Ponyboy are assaulted by a vicious gang, the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 95000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, France
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: cult classic, teen, melancholic, intense, hood, sentimental, stylized, epic, erotic, retro
Similar in 88%
Love Story (1970)
Plot Summary:
Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on the line for each other. When they marry, Oliver's wealthy father threatens to disown him. Jenny tries to reconcile the Barrett men, but to no avail.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, romantic, sad, serious, tear jerker, sweet, melancholic, romantic drama
Similar in 90%
The Best of Me (2014)
Plot Summary:
A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: touching, romantic, sentimental, sad, sexy, emotional, dramatic, tear jerker, sweet, scenic
Similar in 88%
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Plot Summary:
Jamal Malik is an impoverished Indian teen who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ but, after he wins, he is suspected of cheating.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 869000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: touching, uplifting, realistic, motivational, feel good, heartbreaking, inspirational, emotional, serious, harsh
Similar in 76%
Gangs of New York (2002)
Plot Summary:
It's 1863. America was born in the streets. Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin, Bill the Butcher, who murdered his father years earlier. With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to seek vengeance on the Butcher and restore peace in the area.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 466000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 167 min
Plot tags: epic, rough, atmospheric, tense, stylized, suspense, captivating, period piece, brutal, bloody
Similar in 76%
The Notebook (2004)
Plot Summary:
An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 605000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, romantic, emotional, sentimental, sweet, sad, tear jerker, inspirational, motivational, feel good
Similar in 78%
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Plot Summary:
When the popular, restless Landon Carter is forced to participate in the school drama production he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's minister. Jamie has a "to-do" list for her life and also a very big secret she must keep from Landon.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 219000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: touching, romantic, inspirational, tear jerker, sad, sentimental, emotional, sincere, dramatic, teen