Movies like La Bamba
If you like "La Bamba" you are looking for inspirational, touching and intense movies about / with music, musician's life, biopic, rock and roll, interracial romance, musician and happy ending themes of Biography, Drama and Music genre shot in USA.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
La Bamba (1987)
39K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of singer Ritchie Valens whose life was cut short by a plane crash.
Style:
inspirational, touching, intense, suspense, sentimental, serious, sincere, captivating, emotional, realistic ...
Audience:
teens, kids, girls' night
Plot:
music, musician's life, biopic, rock and roll, interracial romance, musician, happy ending, love story, rock, rock music, music business, racism, male male relationship, singer, rock star, high school, audition, teenager, bare breasts, transformation, chicano, dancing, music industry, forbidden love, death of protagonist ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, 20th century, year 1987, 80s
Place:
los angeles, usa, new york, tijuana mexico, southern california, california
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to La Bamba
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, serious, touching and dramatic films with plots about musician's life, music, musician, artists and showbiz, biopic, rock and rising to stardom mostly in Drama, Music and Biography genres. Some movies like La Bamba: Selena (1997), Walk the Line (2005), Ray (2004), Jersey Boys (2014), The Buddy Holly Story (1978). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
34K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
touching, sad, sincere, factual, emotional ...
Audience:
chick flick, kids, girls' night, teens
Plot:
music, murder, dancing, tragedy, childhood, singer, musician's life, musician, father daughter relationship, mother daughter relationship, marriage, racial segregation ...
Time:
80s, 90s, year 1997, 20th century, year 1981 ...
Place:
texas, mexico, usa, los angeles, california
Similarity:
100%
279K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 136 min.
Story:
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Style:
sentimental, touching, inspirational, period piece, road movie ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night, chick flick
Plot:
music, rock and roll, country music, musician's life, musician, marriage, addiction, biopic, accident, prison, drug, concert ...
Time:
70s, 60s, 50s, 1950s, 2000s ...
Place:
memphis, tennessee, southern usa, usa, arkansas ...
Similarity:
100%
164K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 152 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
touching, sincere, emotional, inspirational, dramatic ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
jazz, addiction, musician, musician's life, music, african american, blindness, biopic, blind character, heroin, blind boy, disability ...
Time:
year 2004, 20th century, 1930s, 50s, 2000s ...
Place:
georgia, new york, california, indianapolis indiana, usa ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
From director Clint Eastwood comes the big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys. The film tells the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group ...
Style:
intense, stylized, sentimental, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
music, biopic, music band, broadway, rock and roll, life philosophy, desire for fame, rising to stardom, ambition, showbiz, friends, performer's life ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, 20th century, 60s, 70s
Place:
new jersey, usa
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
A film about the life and career of the early rock and roll star.
Style:
serious, realistic, captivating, touching, feel good ...
Plot:
biopic, music, musician, rock, rock music, singer, showbiz, musician's life, pop music, real life, subculture, art ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, year 1978, 20th century, 70s ...
Place:
texas, austin texas, usa, new york
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
A film about the singer Tina Turner and how she rose to stardom with her abusive husband Ike Turner and how she gained the courage to break free.
Style:
inspirational, sincere, intense, serious, emotional ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night, teens, girls' night
Plot:
music, musician, domestic violence, african american, black woman, biopic, singer, violence against women, abusive husband, rape victim, african american woman, female protagonist ...
Time:
20th century, 80s, 70s, 60s, year 1993 ...
Place:
usa, tennessee, california, africa, new york ...
Similarity:
100%
27K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Style:
emotional, talky, heartbreaking, captivating, realistic ...
Plot:
music, biopic, musician, musician's life, friendship, showbiz, black, creativity, rising to stardom, artists and showbiz, ambition, desire for fame ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, 70s, year 2014, 80s ...
Place:
usa, south carolina, georgia, north america, boston ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
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. ...
Style:
emotional, melancholic, touching, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, girls' night
Plot:
music, biopic, showbiz, addiction, greed, music business, dialogue, music band, black, drug addiction, rise and fall, rising to stardom ...
Time:
20th century, year 1998, 50s, 80s, 1950s ...
Place:
new york, los angeles, usa, california, new jersey
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
47K
Genre: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Rock Star tells the story of Chris Cole and a rock band called Steel Dragon. Cole is a photocopier technician by day, and the lead singer of a Steel Dragon tribute band called "Blood Pollution" by night.Internal struggles between the Steel ...
Style:
period piece, cult classic, melancholic, stylized, intense ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night, adult
Plot:
music, rock star, rock and roll, rock music, heavy metal, rock, rock band, orgy, rock concert, musician, success, audition ...
Time:
80s, year 2001, y2k, 20th century
Place:
pennsylvania, pittsburgh, seattle, los angeles, usa ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min.
Story:
A biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, discovering the suffering and strength of America's working class.
Style:
period piece, road movie, compassionate, talky, sentimental ...
Plot:
music, biopic, great depression, character study, friendship, depression, artists and showbiz, musician's life, couple relations, love and romance, musician, labor union ...
Time:
1930s, year 1976, 20th century, 70s
Place:
texas, california, oklahoma, usa, los angeles ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
sexy, sentimental, humorous, period piece, feel good ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, date night, teens, girls' night ...
Plot:
music, rock and roll, drummer, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, recording studio, fictional band, small town, showbiz, rock band, dentist, music industry, breakup ...
Time:
60s, year 1996, 90s, 50s, 20th century
Place:
pennsylvania, los angeles, wisconsin, illinois, pittsburgh ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Fox and Jett play a brother and sister who are lead performers in a rock band, The Barbusters, in Cleveland, Ohio. The sister, Patti Rasnick, is an unmarried mother and has a troubled relationship with her own mother, who is deeply religious. ...
Style:
touching, independent film, serious, realistic, captivating ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens
Plot:
rock band, rock and roll, rock, cancer, music, hospital, working class, death, brother sister relationship, medical, club, siblings ...
Time:
80s, year 1987
Place:
ohio, cleveland ohio
Similarity:
100%
474
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 250 min.
TV show
Story:
An extensive biopic of one of the most famous entertainers of the 20th century - Frank Sinatra. The only thing that could engage the public more than his songs and films was his sometimes controversial private life.
Style:
captivating, serious, realistic, touching, sentimental ...
Plot:
art history, art, jazz, dancing, singer, friendship, celebrity, biopic, couples, relationship vs career, showbiz, ambition ...
Time:
60s, 70s, 1940s, 20th century, 50s ...
Place:
new jersey, usa
Similarity:
100%
24K
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
A young woman is catapulted into pop stardom, with her already-famous DJ boyfriend calling the shots.
Style:
cult classic, melancholic, touching, exciting, sentimental ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick
Plot:
music, hopes, female protagonist, showbiz, rise and fall, lifestyle, ambition, artists and showbiz, love affair, follow your dream, rising to stardom, parents and children ...
Time:
80s, year 2001, 20th century
Place:
new york, usa, maryland, madison square garden manhattan new york city
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
gothic, period piece, retro, independent film, serious ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
music, biopic, musician, rock and roll, rise and fall, rock, scandal, prejudice, older man younger woman relationship, dancing, jazz, child marriage ...
Time:
1950s, year 1989, 20th century, 50s, 80s
Place:
usa, new jersey
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, sentimental, tragic
Plot:
childhood, lifestyle, desire for fame, musician's life, rising to stardom, womanizer, family relations, showbiz, parents and children, music, biopic, singer ...
Time:
year 2012, 70s, 60s, 20th century, 50s ...
Place:
saint tropez, france, paris france, monte carlo, egypt
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
inspirational, intense, stylized, talky, sincere ...
Plot:
music, musician's life, blues, rock and roll, jazz, biopic, african american, singer, pop music, success, chess, music business ...
Time:
20th century, 60s, 1950s, year 2008, 1940s ...
Place:
chicago, usa, indiana, london, mississippi ...
Similarity:
28%
13K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
Young musician Zach Sobiech discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
Style:
heartbreaking, touching, compassionate, teen, tear jerker ...
Audience:
teens, kids
Plot:
cancer, terminal illness, teenager, star crossed lovers, dying, dealing with death, love and romance, hopes, dream, follow your dream, life is a bitch, first love ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
minnesota
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Biography, Music
Country: Chile
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
In the late 70s , during the military dictatorship , the film traces the beginnings of the musical group Los Prisioneros from the perspective of their drummer Miguel Tapia.
Style:
melancholic
Plot:
biopic, military dictatorship, rock, friendship, social commentary, resistance, political repression, rebellion, youth, anger, defiant, legacy ...
Time:
80s
Place:
chile
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
Traces over three generations an immigrant family's trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs. Maria and Jose, the first generation, come to Los Angeles, meet, marry, face deportation all in the 1930's. They establish their family in ...
Style:
independent film, touching, sad, thought provoking, captivating ...
Plot:
immigrant, chicano, marriage, family relations, father son relationship, prison, death of wife, cultural difference, gang member, mexican gang, culture, gang ...
Time:
1920s, 1950s, 50s, 20th century, 70s
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, mexico
Similarity:
100%
6K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 168 min.
Story:
Biographical movie about the famous rock singer Elvis Presley.
Style:
realistic, emotional, touching, serious, sentimental ...
Plot:
elvis presley, music, rock music, biopic, musician's life, price of fame, rags to riches, rock and roll, celebrity culture, desire for fame, music band, showbiz ...
Time:
50s, 60s, 1950s
Place:
las vegas, mississippi
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.
Style:
sentimental, inspirational, touching, sweet, realistic ...
Plot:
country music, music, female protagonist, biopic, poverty, rags to riches, musician, dysfunctional marriage, musician's life, teenage pregnancy, price of fame, mining ...
Time:
1950s, 1940s, 70s, 20th century, 60s ...
Place:
kentucky, usa, nashville tennessee, appalachia, washington state
Similarity:
50%
259K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 159 min.
Story:
The life story of Elvis Presley as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Style:
costume drama, touching, historical drama, thought provoking, realistic ...
Plot:
rock music, musician, career, based on real people, music, singer, biopic, singing, rock and roll, manager, death of protagonist, king ...
Time:
20th century, 1950s, 2020s, 70s, 60s ...
Place:
las vegas, memphis, nevada, germany
Similarity:
24%
Movie in collections
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music, Musical
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Based on the life and career of legendary entertainer, Bobby Darin, the biopic moves back and forth between his childhood and adulthood, to tell the tale of his remarkable life. Kevin Spacey did his own singing for Beyond the Sea, recreating Bobby ...
Style:
sentimental, inspirational, touching, stylized, intense ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night
Plot:
music, biopic, musician, showbiz, singer, nightclub, musician's life, lifestyle, rise and fall, rising to stardom, ambition, dancing ...
Time:
50s, year 2004, 60s, 20th century, 1950s
Place:
usa, las vegas, italy, new york, pacific ocean ...
Similarity:
24%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
A biopic of punk legend Darby Crash and his band, the Germs.
Style:
serious, realistic, tense, suspense, informative ...
Plot:
punk rock, punk, music, rock, biopic, lifestyle, musician's life, rising to stardom, artists and showbiz, life is a bitch, ambition, rise and fall ...
Time:
70s
Place:
los angeles, usa, california
Similarity:
24%
14K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 161 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
atmospheric, psychological, factual, stylized, realistic ...
Plot:
jazz, music, biopic, drug abuse, addiction, heroin, drug addict, musician, childhood, character study, musician's life, showbiz ...
Time:
1940s, 1950s, year 1988, 20th century, 50s
Place:
usa, brooklyn new york city, africa
Similarity:
24%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
The life of reclusive and eccentric Beach Boys songwriter and musician Brian Wilson.
Style:
emotional, factual, intense, talky, melancholic ...
Plot:
musician, mental illness, pop music, music, biopic, songwriter, psychotherapist, drug abuse, medical malpractice, hearing voices, nervous breakdown, relationships ...
Time:
60s, year 1939, year 1992, year 1971, year 1995 ...
Place:
california, los angeles, malibu california, usa, southern california ...
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA, Ireland, UK
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
A drama based on Jimi Hendrix's life as he left New York City for London, where his career took off.
Style:
realistic, captivating, atmospheric, sincere, cult classic ...
Plot:
musician, rock star, music, biopic, rock, musician's life, rising to stardom, artists and showbiz, infidelity, drug use, guitarist, rock music ...
Time:
20th century, 60s
Place:
england, london, seattle, new york
Similarity:
23%
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs like "Killer Queen", "Bohemian ...
Style:
inspirational, touching, rough, sexy, period piece ...
Audience:
teens, family friendly, chick flick, adult
Plot:
musician, music, lgbt, gay, aids, rock band, singer, rock music, musician's life, friendship between men, music industry, rock concert ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1984, year 1982, year 1975 ...
Place:
atlanta georgia, england, britain, edinburgh scotland, munich germany ...
Similarity:
22%
106K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: France, USA, Netherlands
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
The story of the famous and influential 1960's rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.
Style:
psychedelic, sexy, factual, realistic, serious ...
Plot:
rock and roll, music band, musician, drug addiction, addiction, musician's life, life philosophy, music, biopic, drug abuse, rise and fall, hippie ...
Time:
20th century, 70s, 60s, year 1965, year 1969 ...
Place:
california, paris france, los angeles, usa, miami ...
Similarity:
22%
Related movie lists
