Movies like American Heart
If you like "American Heart" you are looking for realistic, serious and sincere movies about / with father son relationship, adaptation, complex characters, starting over, prison, family relations and estrangement themes of Crime, Drama and Romance genre shot in USA.
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1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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American Heart (1992)
3K
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Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
Jack is now out of jail and he meets Nick, his adolescent son. Their relationship will be complicated, because Jack has a problem with alcohol. But his love for Nick will help him to get over the past and reach his dreams.
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, rough, touching, emotional, road movie, bleak, unusual plot structure, heartbreaking ...
Audience:
manly
Plot:
father son relationship, adaptation, complex characters, starting over, prison, family relations, estrangement, going straight, prisoner, parents and children, society, human nature, hopes, boy, youth, gang, catastrophe, gangsters, children, relationships, loneliness, life, hitman, depression, betrayal ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, 70s
Place:
seattle, usa, alaska, washington state, california, seattle washington
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to American Heart
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, serious, melancholic and harsh films with plots about mentor, runaway, dialogue, storytelling, brutality, life philosophy and loneliness mostly in Drama, Romance and Crime genres. Some movies like American Heart: Little Odessa (1994), Snow Angels (2007), Hurricane Streets (1997), Texasville (1990), Joe the King (1999). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
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Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
The film follows the personal relationship between a father and his two sons, one of whom is a hit-man for the Russian mafia in Brooklyn.
Style:
dark, disturbing, bleak, gloomy, affectionate ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
gangsters, gang, russian mafia, winter, redemption, hitman, jewish, snow, assassin, killer, coming of age, immigrants ...
Time:
90s
Place:
new york, tokyo, california, usa, brooklyn new york city
⇓ similarity ⇓
95%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Waitress Annie has separated from her suicidal alcoholic husband, Glenn. Glenn has become an evangelical Christian, but his erratic attempts at getting back into Annie's life have alarmed her. High school student Arthur works at Annie's ...
Style:
melancholic, meditative, depressing, heartbreaking, lyrical ...
Audience:
date night, teens
Plot:
depression, dysfunctional family, small town, teenage love, small town life, life philosophy, loneliness, family problems, first love, parents and children, abusive husband, young love ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
83%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Marcus is a kid on Manhattan's mean streets. He's turning 15, his father is dead, his mother is in prison for smuggling undocumented aliens. His grandmother is raising him. He has four close buddies who have a basement clubhouse; they ...
Style:
realistic, harsh, bad ending, visually appealing, allegory ...
Audience:
kids, teens
Plot:
coming of age, gang, friendship, dysfunctional family, boy, runaway, violence, teenager, children, character study, adolescence, bullying ...
Time:
70s, 90s
Place:
new york, new mexico, new jersey, lower east side manhattan new york city, manhattan new york city ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
78%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Summer, 1984: 30 years after Duane captained the high school football team and Jacy was homecoming queen, this Texas town near Wichita Falls prepares for its centennial. Oil prices are down, banks are failing, and Duane's $12 million in debt. ...
Style:
unusual plot structure, affectionate, splatter, light, talky ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
character study, depression, dog, loneliness, childhood, stereotypes, dark humor, crime gone awry, finnish, nude, teenager, coming of age ...
Time:
80s
Place:
texas, new jersey, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
78%
Movie in collections
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
A destitute 14 year old struggles to keep his life together despite harsh abuse at his mother's hands, harsher abuse at his father's, and a growing separation from his slightly older brother. Petty thefts for food grow into more major ...
Style:
emotional, harsh, tense, rough, realistic ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
children, dysfunctional family, child abuse, coming of age, corporal punishment, working class, youth, abusive father, redemption, alcohol abuse, poverty, childhood ...
Time:
70s, 90s
Place:
new york, usa, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
76%
Also search:
Movies similar to Blood In, Blood Out
5K
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Victor is a cook who works in a greasy bar/restaurant owned by his mother, Dolly. It's just the two of them, a waitress named Delores, and a heavy drinking regular, Leo. But things change when Callie, a beautiful college drop-out, shows up as a ...
Style:
realistic, touching, feel good, visually appealing, unusual plot structure ...
Plot:
small town, food, loneliness, restaurant, workplace, self discovery, bittersweet, hospital, nude, waitress, seduction, unlikely friendships ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
new jersey, usa, new york state
⇓ similarity ⇓
75%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Dito Montiel, a successful author, receives a call from his long-suffering mother, asking him to return home and visit his ailing father. Dito recalls his childhood growing up in a violent neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., with friends Antonio, ...
Style:
thought provoking, emotional, harsh, rough, intense ...
Audience:
teens, kids
Plot:
childhood, coming of age, friendship, gangsters, urban ghetto life, street kid, loss of friend, depression, foul language, anger, life is a bitch, teenager ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 2005, 2000s, year 1986 ...
Place:
new york, los angeles, california, usa, coney island brooklyn new york city
⇓ similarity ⇓
75%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: France, USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Widowed mother Mildred must suddenly redefine herself and find an outlet for her nurturing side when her adult daughter moves out of the family home. Though Mildred thinks she's found her purpose when her neighbor, overworked single mother ...
Style:
emotional, touching, sentimental, sexy, visually appealing ...
Plot:
friendship, dysfunctional family, little boy, mother, divorce, bittersweet, moving, tragedy, fantasy world, sexualized violence, adaptation, obsession ...
Time:
90s
Place:
san francisco, california, ireland, new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
73%
Movie in collections
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
realistic, talky, serious, bleak, educational ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
coming of age, friendship, gangsters, juvenile delinquency, gang, teenager, unlikely friendships, urban ghetto, drug dealing, gang member, youth, teenage life ...
Time:
90s
Place:
los angeles, tokyo, new jersey, california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
72%
50K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
rough, touching, captivating, atmospheric, dark ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
father son relationship, child abuse, alcoholic, coming of age, friendship, small town, ex convict, teenage boy, hopes, teenager, loneliness, character study ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
texas, california, new jersey, usa, mississippi
⇓ similarity ⇓
71%
Also search:
Movies similar to American History X
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Charlie returns to his old town where he meets his ex-girlfriend again and tries to get her back.
Style:
emotional, sexy, disturbing, dramatic, scary ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
small town, working class, farce, old love, disaster, nude, corruption, transformation, sexualized violence, homeless, honest, mentor ...
Time:
90s
Place:
new jersey, texas, new york
⇓ similarity ⇓
71%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Set in a blighted, inner-city neighbourhood of London, Breaking and Entering examines an affair which unfolds between a successful British landscape architect and Amira, a Bosnian woman – the mother of a troubled teen son – who was widowed by ...
Style:
thought provoking, sincere, emotional, stylized, compassionate ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
architect, infidelity, destiny, society, blackmail, human nature, working class, social differences, depression, single parent, burglary, breaking and entering ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
london, europe, england, sarajevo, bosnia
⇓ similarity ⇓
70%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
A recently widowed woman on the road with her precocious young son is determined to make a new life for herself as a singer.
Style:
road movie, thought provoking, emotional, realistic, touching ...
Plot:
waitress, widow, diner, self discovery, single mother, arizona desert, relationships, suburbs, friendship, mother, children, road trip ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
arizona, phoenix arizona, california, new jersey, tucson arizona ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
70%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
An oft overlooked film about struggling to deal with paralysis. Author Joel Garcia breaks his neck while hiking, and finds himself in a rehab center with Raymond, an exaggerating ladies man, and Bloss, a racist biker. Considerable tension builds as ...
Style:
realistic, touching, thought provoking, emotional, talky ...
Plot:
disability, friendship, paraplegic, rehabilitation, life philosophy, love and romance, human spirit, human nature, society, hopes, physical disability, male nudity ...
Time:
90s
⇓ similarity ⇓
68%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
The coming of age of a youth named Sonny in a small Texas town in the 1950s.
Style:
realistic, sentimental, sexy, thought provoking, captivating ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, small town, older woman younger man relationship, friendship, teenager, high school, graduation, nostalgia, christmas, sexuality, high school prom, self discovery ...
Time:
50s, 20th century, 70s, year 1952, year 1951
Place:
texas, usa, california, austin texas, oklahoma ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
68%
Also search:
Remember Me similar movies
19K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: Belgium, France
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Bruno and Sonia, a young couple living off her benefit and the thefts committed by his gang, have a new source of money: their newborn son.
Style:
sincere, emotional, harsh, gloomy, rough ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
homeless, dysfunctional family, youth, poverty, baby, black market, social decay, going straight, regret, petty criminal, family problems, society ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
tokyo, france, belgium, europe
⇓ similarity ⇓
66%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
An elderly beekeeper and Vietnam vet must rescue his daughter-in-law and protect his grandchildren from killers.
Style:
realistic, thought provoking, atmospheric, enigmatic, light ...
Plot:
dysfunctional family, prison, beekeeper, farm, family bonds, culture clash, tragedy, beautiful scenery, betrayal, crime gone awry, death, depression ...
Time:
90s
Place:
florida, orlando florida, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
66%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Claude and Ellen are best friends who live in a not-so-nice area of New York. They're involved in the subculture of 90s youth, complete with drugs, live music, and homophobia. All is changed one night when a violent and meaningless death rocks ...
Style:
sad, melancholic, sincere, touching, realistic ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick
Plot:
lesbian, punk, coming of age, gay, friendship, lgbtq, youth, character study, sexuality, relationships, self discovery, society ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, 70s
Place:
new york, california, new jersey, usa, manhattan new york city
⇓ similarity ⇓
66%
Movie in collections
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
atmospheric, surreal, serious, bleak, realistic ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
coming of age, gang, street gang, gangsters, brother brother relationship, teenager, biker, character study, juvenile delinquency, life philosophy, family relations, melancholy ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, 70s
Place:
oklahoma, california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
66%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Germany, France, Spain
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Two thirtysomethings, unemployed former alcoholic Joe and community health worker Sarah, start a romantic relationship in the one of the toughest Glasgow neighbourhoods.
Style:
thought provoking, realistic, touching, gloomy, stylized ...
Plot:
drug addiction, alcoholic, drugs, working class, friendship, debt, bowling, football, bittersweet, greed, melancholy, drug addict ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
scotland, glasgow scotland, europe, new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
65%
Also search:
Baby Boy similar movies
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
The story of a young man who must confront his own fears about love as well as his relationships with family and friends.
Style:
sexy, romantic, disturbing, harsh, unusual plot structure ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night
Plot:
gangsters, african american, love, hip hop, ghetto, relationships, family relations, violence, sex scene, life & death, revenge, runaway ...
Time:
90s
Place:
asia, vietnam, texas, houston texas
⇓ similarity ⇓
65%
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Edward J. Olmos made his directorial bow with the powerhouse crime saga American Me. Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in Folsom Prison rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, ...
Style:
disturbing, realistic, talky, emotional, intense ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
prison, gang, prison gang, sexual abuse, gangsters, racism, jail, mafia, rape, violence, juvenile delinquency, justice ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, 70s, 50s, year 1959 ...
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, san francisco
⇓ similarity ⇓
65%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico, Argentina
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A trailer is burning in the middle of a plain. The bodies of two adulterous lovers are found. Scenes from both families, before and after the dramatic events, suggest an unusual connection between them. But what is their secret?
Style:
touching, non-linear, emotional, sexy, melancholic ...
Plot:
adultery, teenage love, mother daughter reunion, caught having sex, unhappy wife, redemption, mother daughter relationship, female nudity, infidelity, cheating wife, depression, loneliness ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, 21st century
Place:
california, latin america, mexico, new mexico, portland oregon
⇓ similarity ⇓
64%
22K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
In the rail yards of Queens, contractors repair and rebuild the city's subway cars. These contracts are lucrative, so graft and corruption are rife. When Leo Handler gets out of prison, he finds his aunt married to Frank Olchin, one of the big ...
Style:
tense, bleak, emotional, talky, intense ...
Plot:
gangsters, corruption, betrayal, political corruption, murder, whistleblower, character study, police corruption, false accusation, mafia, injustice, moral dilemma ...
Time:
90s, 2000s
Place:
new york, brooklyn new york city, usa, manhattan new york city
⇓ similarity ⇓
64%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.
Style:
tense, bleak, harsh, disturbing, serious ...
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
slum, friendship, street gang, coming of age, betrayal, gangsters, relationships, best friends, brutality, character study, adaptation, suspense ...
Time:
70s, 21st century
Place:
rio de janeiro, brazil, latin america
⇓ similarity ⇓
63%
Also search:
Films like Boyz n the Hood
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: India, USA, France, UK
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
realistic, touching, art film, art house, sad ...
Plot:
coming of age, drug addiction, kids in trouble, childhood, youth, homeless, ethnic, sex, friendship, corruption, poverty, betrayal ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
india, asia, mumbai india, bombay india
⇓ similarity ⇓
62%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: UK, Germany, Spain
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Determined to have a normal family life once his mother gets out of prison, a Scottish teenager from a tough background sets out to raise the money for a home.
Style:
disturbing, realistic, sentimental, bleak, heartbreaking ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens, teen drama
Plot:
heroin, coming of age, innocence lost, juvenile delinquency, prison, teenager, drug dealing, drug dealer, downfall, dysfunctional family, family relations, life is a bitch ...
Time:
2000s, 80s, 21st century
Place:
scotland, glasgow scotland, europe
⇓ similarity ⇓
62%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
A group of over-achieving Asian-American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extra-curricular criminal activities.
Style:
tense, intense, disturbing, depressing, rough ...
Audience:
teens, kids
Plot:
high school, coming of age, teenager, gang, friendship, cheerleader, visceral, mentor, crime gone awry, unlikely friendships, adolescence, juvenile delinquency ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, las vegas
⇓ similarity ⇓
62%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Reeling from her mother's recent death, Ruby Lee Gissing relocates to Florida to start anew. After finding a job at a souvenir store, Ruby becomes friends with the shop's owner, Mildred Chambers, and slowly acclimates to her new ...
Style:
realistic, touching, sexy, stylized, road movie ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
self discovery, coming of age, friendship, bittersweet, stripper, nude, shoplifting, adaptation, honest, life, character study, life & death ...
Time:
90s
Place:
florida, tokyo, new jersey, tennessee, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
61%
2K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Slam tells the story of Ray Joshua, an original, gifted young MC trapped in a war-zone housing project known as Dodge City. Unable to find a job, Ray copes with the despair and poverty of his neighborhood by using his wits and verbal talent. Written ...
Style:
talky, psychological, sexy, dramatic, heartbreaking ...
Plot:
prison, gang, hip hop, art, bittersweet, life philosophy, justice, marijuana, drug addiction, mental illness, revenge, redemption ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
washington d.c., africa, california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
60%
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