Best movies like Where the Day Takes You
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A group of teen-age runaways try to survive in the streets of Los Angeles. Drugs, prostitution, violence and bureaucratic indifference all pose threats to the kids, who nevertheless prefer this harsh life to going back to their families. King, somewhat older, provides some leadership the kids.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: neo noir, cult classic, independent film, rough, thought provoking, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Where the Day Takes You (1992):
Similar in 90%
The Little Polish (2003)
Plot Summary:
At age 13, a street kid known as "El Polaquito" makes his living mostly by singing tangos (originally sung by his namesake, the singer "El Polaco") on Buenos Aires commuter trains. He falls in love with a 16 year old prostitute, also working for the Mafia controlling child exploitation in one of Argentina's busiest train stations. He tries to rescue her from this cruel life with no future. But to do so, he must confront the ruthless adult gang leaders, as well as the young kids who protect them, believing that this Mafia is truly their only option. The story is supposedly based on a true story, which happened, and was discovered in Argentina in the late 90s, early 2000s. Written by Guy33134.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 742
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Argentina
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, bleak
Similar in 87%
Out of Bounds (1986)
Plot Summary:
Farm boy Daryl Cage's parents ship him off to the big city to live with his brother, hoping he will have a better life there. After a baggage mixup at the airport, Daryl finds himself in possession of a drug cache, which a ruthless drug dealer wants back. The dealer murders Daryl's brother and the small town boy ends up all alone in the big city, being pursued by both the drug dealer and the police, who suspect him of the murder.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: neo noir, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, surprise ending, cult film
Similar in 83%
Jimmy Zip (1999)
Plot Summary:
An abused runaway with pyromaniac tendencies teams up with a metal sculptor. Together they blow away the art world and a local crime boss.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 192
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: independent film, rough, serious, realistic, grunge
Similar in 89%
King of the Jungle (2000)
Plot Summary:
Seymore is a young man with the mind of a child. He loves three things in life: basketball, sneaking out for cigarettes, and his mother. But all life's simple pleasures are brutally torn from him when he witnesses his mother gunned down by a neighborhood punk. Now Seymore must overcome the child within as he rises up to fight for some kind of justice. It's a fight that will take him out into the streets where there are few friends and many enemies -- and one of them is a killer who wants him silenced.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 590
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, tense, disturbing, independent film, bleak, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy
Similar in 82%
Suburbia (1983)
Plot Summary:
When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: independent film, retro, political, social, psychotronic, period piece, indie film, serious, realistic, surprise ending
Similar in 75%
Least Among Saints (2012)
Plot Summary:
A haunted soldier just back from war and a boy who has never known peace in his home life embark on a life-changing journey as they become unlikely friends — and one another’s last shot at redemption.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 621
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, emotional, captivating, tense, indie film, serious, independent film
Similar in 84%
Generation Now (2008)
Plot Summary:
A multi-cultural celebration of young people triumphing in the face of adversity, societal pressures and difficult familial situations.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 13
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, realistic, independent film, gloomy
Similar in 80%
Chains of Gold (1990)
Plot Summary:
Scott Barnes is an alcoholic turned social worker hellbent on saving a young boy named Tommy from self-destructing when he finds out he has begun selling crack in an organization called YIP, run by Carlos.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, psychotronic
Similar in 88%
Bright Angel (1990)
Plot Summary:
Road-movie from Montana to Wyoming. A gullible, innocent young man (Mulroney) assists a versatile girl (Taylor) on her long quest to get her brother out of jail.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 707
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: road movie, serious, suspenseful, realistic, neo noir, independent film, bleak, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Impulse (1990)
Plot Summary:
Impulse is a 1990 thriller film about a female police officer who works undercover as a prostitute on the streets of Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: neo noir, erotic, psychological, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
Godmoney (1999)
Plot Summary:
A streetwise young man leaves his sordid past behind, moving from New York to the Los Angeles suburbs to start a simple, honest life. When he meets a small-time drug dealer with insatiable ambition, his past returns to haunt him.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 203
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: independent film, serious, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy
Similar in 76%
Sugar (2013)
Plot Summary:
A 20-year-old homeless girl is suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome on the streets of Hollywood and Venice beach.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 399
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic
Similar in 81%
Undertow (2004)
Plot Summary:
The Munns, father John and sons Chris and Tim, recede to the woods of rural Georgia. Their life together is forever changed with the arrival of Uncle Deel, though the tragedy that follows forces troubled Chris to become a man.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: harsh, suspense, suspenseful, depressing, intense, lyrical, cult classic, atmospheric, stylized, gothic
Similar in 80%
Joe (2013)
Plot Summary:
The rough-hewn boss of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member of his team from an abusive father.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: touching, captivating, dark, atmospheric, depressing, southern gothic, harsh, rough, suspense, cult classic
Similar in 82%
Less Than Zero (1987)
Plot Summary:
A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: stylized, erotic, inspirational, retro, sad, art house, cerebral, cult classic, visually stunning, erotic drama
Similar in 89%
Over the Edge (1979)
Plot Summary:
The music of Cheap Trick, The Cars, and The Ramones highlights this realistic tale of alienated suburban youth on the rampage. Dillon makes his screen debut in this updated, well-done "Rebel Without a Cause." Shelved for several years, the movie was finally released after Dillon made it big. Sleeper with excellent direction and dialogue.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: offbeat, grindhouse, hood, cult classic, tense, rough, serious, realistic, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 87%
What Doesn't Kill You (2008)
Plot Summary:
Two childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, rough, captivating, realistic, cerebral, sincere
Similar in 85%
Alpha Dog (2006)
Plot Summary:
Johnny Truelove likes to see himself as tough. He's the son of an underworld figure and a drug dealer. Johnny also likes to get tough when things don't go his way. When Jake Mazursky fails to pay up for Johnny, things get worse for the Mazursky family, as Johnny and his 'gang' kidnap Jake's 15 year old brother and holds him hostage. Problem now is what to do with 'stolen boy?'.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 107000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: disturbing, serious, rough, teen, harsh, hood, realistic, dark, sad, erotic
Similar in 79%
Bad Boys (1983)
Plot Summary:
Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile prison where violence is a rite of passage and respect is measured in vengeance.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspense, realistic, disturbing, tense, serious, entertaining, bleak, suspenseful, epic
Similar in 83%
Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Plot Summary:
Before Slumdog Millionaire came Salaam Bombay!, Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated drama tells the moving story of life on the streets of Bombay as seen through the eyes of Chaipu, a twelve-year-old boy living rough in the city.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: India, USA, France, UK
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, social, offbeat, depressing, sad, art house, art film, existential, sentimental
Similar in 84%
My Crazy Life (1993)
Plot Summary:
Mousie and Sad Girl are childhood best friends in a contemporary Los Angeles poor Hispanic neighborhood. But when Sad Girl becomes pregnant by Mousie's boyfriend, a drug dealer named Ernesto, the two become bitter enemies. While their dispute escalates towards violence, the violence of the world around them soon also impacts their lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: realistic, talky, serious, hood, cult classic, independent film, bleak, hispanic, crime drama, sincere
Similar in 76%
On the Outs (2004)
Plot Summary:
Follows the choices made by three young women - one a drug dealer, one an addict, one a pregnant teen - in Jersey City.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 692
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: rough, touching, serious, emotional, anthology, bleak, realistic, independent film
Similar in 89%
Dusty and Sweets McGee (1971)
Plot Summary:
A "straight" couple dabbles in drugs and become heroin addicts.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 289
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 80%
Fresh (1994)
Plot Summary:
Michael is a 12-year-old drug pusher who lives in a crowded house with his cousins and aunt. His father has become a street bum,but still meets with Fresh on occasion to play chess. Fresh is rather quiet in a crazy world. Fresh's sister is a junkie who sleeps with the dealers that Fresh sells for. As the story progresses Fresh realizes that he doesn't want to sell drugs anymore - he wants revenge.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, France
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: hood, bleak, realistic, suspenseful, atmospheric, disturbing, harsh, tense, rough, touching
Similar in 77%
Squeeze (1997)
Plot Summary:
Ty, Hector, and Bao are close friends in a tough section of Boston, where they're called "the PG-13 crew." They're 14, decent kids with few skills who've bailed out of school. A small gang of older tough guys, led by Marcus and Tommy, menace them, and when the PG-13s fight back and rob one of the gang, Marcus and Tommy vow to kill them. They seek protection from Derick, a drug dealer, who agrees to help if they'll sell drugs. Meanwhile, Ty is recruited to work at a community center by J.J., its quiet leader. Ty and his friends are in a squeeze: surrounded by violence, drugs, and no opportunities, is there any way out?.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 344
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: crime drama, independent film, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
Gang Tapes (2001)
Plot Summary:
When a brutal carjacking yields a videocamera, a teenage boy decides to document his life and the lives of his fellow gangbangers.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, hood, tense, suspense, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 75%
Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000)
Plot Summary:
Ali, Kwita, Omar and Boubker are street kids. The daily dose of glue sniffing represents their only escape from reality. Since they left Dib and his gang, they have been living on the portside of Casablanca. They live in constant fear of Dib's revenge. Ali wants to become a sailor - when he was living with his mother, a prostitute, he used to listen to a fairy tale about the sailor who discovered the miracle island with two suns. Instead of finding his island in the dream, Ali and his friends are confronted with Dib's gang. Matters are getting serious.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: Morocco, Tunisia, France, Belgium, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, captivating, bleak, social, disturbing, crying, islamic, realistic, masterpiece
Similar in 85%
Foxes (1980)
Plot Summary:
A group of friends come of age in the asphalt desert of the San Fernando Valley, as set to a blazing soundtrack and endless drinking, drugs and sex.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: stylized, social, sexual, rough, serious, realistic, gloomy, scary, road movie, sexy
Similar in 85%
Menace II Society (1993)
Plot Summary:
Menace II Society is a coming of age tale detailing the summer after its protagonist Caine (Tyrin Turner) graduates from high school. This is Caine's story, which details real life in today's tough inner city.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 63000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: tense, bleak, realistic, stylized, hood, rough, serious, harsh, intense, bloody
Similar in 84%
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