Movies Like Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

Great Balls of Fire! is a 1989 drama, history, music film from Jim McBride with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Color Purple and Love & Mercy.

Drama History Music

The Color Purple

2023

A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

7.0

MagicScore

Love & Mercy

2015

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

7.1

MagicScore

Sinners

2025

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

7.5

MagicScore

Eddie and the Cruisers

1983

A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader — Eddie Wilson — may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.

6.6

MagicScore

Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!

1989

In the sixties, Eddie and the cruisers was the hottest band around. But the tragic death of its lead singer broke the band up. Only Eddie is not dead. He works as a carpenter in Montreal. His love of music forces him to create a new band which will have to struggle with its anonymity.

6.5

MagicScore

The Concert for Bangladesh

1972

A film about the first benefit rock concert when major musicians performed to raise relief funds for the poor of Bangladesh. The Concert for Bangladesh was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The shows were held at 2:30 and 8:00 pm on Sunday, 1 August 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, to raise international awareness of, and fund relief for refugees from East Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide.

7.9

MagicScore

Dont Look Back

1967

In this wildly entertaining vision of one of the twentieth century’s greatest artists, Bob Dylan is surrounded by teen fans, gets into heated philosophical jousts with journalists, and kicks back with fellow musicians Joan Baez, Donovan, and Alan Price.

7.4

MagicScore

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

1996

A 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The film is comprised of two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards.

7.4

MagicScore

The Wrecking Crew

2008

A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew." a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Bing Crosby.

7.3

MagicScore

#10

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)

2010

The life and work of the enigmatic singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

School of Rock

2003

Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his students the finer points of rock 'n' roll. The school's hard-nosed principal is rightly suspicious of Finn's activities. But Finn's roommate remains in the dark about what he's doing.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park

2021

When Bodi and his band 'True Blue' leave Snow Mountain to tour with pop sensation Lil' Foxy, they learn that fame comes at a price.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

The Beat Beneath My Feet

2014

Teenage boy Tom lives with his single mum in a flat in South London. Into the flat below moves Steve, an anti-social former Rock God who faked his death 8 years ago. Tom agrees not to reveal his secret on condition that he teaches him the dark arts of Rock Guitar.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

Rock Dog

2016

When a radio falls from the sky into the hands of a wide-eyed Tibetan Mastiff, he leaves home to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician, setting into motion a series of completely unexpected events.

6.2

MagicScore

#15

Last Days

2005

The life and struggles of a notorious rock musician seeping into a pit of loneliness whose everyday life involves friends and family seeking financial aid and favors, inspired by rock music legend Kurt Cobain and his final hours.

5.5

MagicScore

#16

Sugar Daddy

2021

When a struggling musician can't afford her rent, she signs up for a website where rich older men pay to date younger women. Her new money-making venture sends her down a dark rabbit hole that forces her to grow up fast, shaping her music, and how she sees the world.

6.4

MagicScore

#17

Odd Obsession

1959

A middle-aged husband of a younger woman finds her youth intimidating to the point that he cannot become aroused. His solution involves the introduction of his daughter's lover to his wife.

6.2

MagicScore

#18

The Babysitters

2008

Seventeen-year-old Shirley is a good student who works as a babysitter in order to make money for college. One night Michael, a father Shirley works for, confesses he's unhappy with married life. Shirley has a crush on Michael, and seizes this moment to kiss him. Michael is so happy he presents Shirley with a big tip, which gives her an idea. Shirley plans to make extra money by setting up her teenage friends with other unhappy fathers.

6.0

MagicScore

#19

Le Sourire

1994

An old psychiatrist finds out that he is likely to suffer a second and probably fatal heart attack in the near future. As a consequence he becomes determined to seduce Odile, a young woman he first encounters in a railway compartment.

4.6

MagicScore

#20

Rock & Rule

1983

A malevolent rock star kidnaps a female singer to force her to participate in the summoning of a demon and her band must help her stop him.

5.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Great Balls of Fire!?

The top films similar to Great Balls of Fire! by MovieMagicScore are The Color Purple (7.0), Love & Mercy (7.1), Sinners (7.5). Each shares drama/history/music themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Great Balls of Fire! worth watching?

Great Balls of Fire! holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 330 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Great Balls of Fire!?

Great Balls of Fire! (1989) is a drama, history, music film directed by Jim McBride, starring Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe.

Where can I find more recommendations like Great Balls of Fire!?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Color Purple Movies like Love & Mercy Movies like Sinners Movies like Eddie and the Cruisers Movies like Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!Movies like The Concert for Bangladesh

About movies like Great Balls of Fire!

This ranked list pairs Great Balls of Fire! (1989), a drama and history and music film from Jim McBride, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Dennis Quaid take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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