Movies Like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014)

Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown is a 2014 documentary, music film from Alex Gibney with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) and TINA.

Documentary Music

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

2021

During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost — until now.

7.6

MagicScore

TINA

2021

Tina Turner overcame impossible odds to become one of the first female Black artists to reach a mainstream international audience. Her road to superstardom is an undeniable story of triumph over adversity. It’s the ultimate story of survival – and an inspirational story of our times.

7.8

MagicScore

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

2022

The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.

7.0

MagicScore

HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

2019

This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement.

8.1

MagicScore

The Beyoncé Experience Live

2007

"The Beyoncé Experience Live" is a show by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was shot in Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, on September 2, 2007, during her worldwide tour The Beyoncé Experience. The show features guest appearances from rapper Jay-Z on "Upgrade U" and former Destiny's Child mates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland on "Survivor". For one night only on November 19, 2007, the show was shown in theaters across the U.S.

7.5

MagicScore

Little Richard: I Am Everything

2023

The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

6.4

MagicScore

When We Were Kings

1996

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

7.6

MagicScore

Quincy

2018

An intimate look into the life of icon Quincy Jones. A unique force in music and popular culture for 70 years, Jones has transcended racial and cultural boundaries; his story is inextricably woven into the fabric of America. Jones came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor before working on pop music and film scores. He moved easily between musical genres, producing major pop hits of the early 1960s and serving as an arranger and conductor for several collaborations in the same time period.

7.3

MagicScore

Shake! Otis at Monterey

1987

Renowned documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker captures Otis Redding in his ascendancy, singing at the historic Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967. Comedian Tom Smothers introduces Redding to a crowd that is leaving -- until Redding grabs them with his charged rendition of "Shake." Redding's performance also includes "Respect" (which he wrote), "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "Satisfaction," and "Try a Little Tenderness." Tragically, Redding died in a plane crash six months later. An innovative filmmaker who started in the 1950s making experimental films, Pennebaker garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature in 1993 for The War Room, his behind-the-scenes look at Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign. His other subjects have included Norman Mailer, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie.

7.2

MagicScore

#10

Cincinnati's Rock 'N Roll Legends

1995

An excellent comprehensive look at all the music that came out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati "Rock Legends" "James Brown" "King Records" "Pure Prairie League" "Lemon Pipers" "Syd Nathan" WEBN "Bootsy Collins" "Lonnie Mack" "The Who concert 1979" "Rick Derringer"

5.6

MagicScore

#11

The Five Heartbeats

1991

In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

Whitney

2015

Chronicles Whitney Houston's rise to fame and turbulent relationship with husband Bobby Brown.

5.7

MagicScore

#13

Spinning Gold

2023

A biopic of 1970s record producer Neil Bogart, co-founder of Casablanca Records.

5.1

MagicScore

#14

The Commitments

1991

Jimmy Rabbitte, just a thick-ya out of school, gets a brilliant idea: to put a soul band together in Barrytown, his slum home in north Dublin. First he needs musicians and singers: things slowly start to click when he finds three fine-voiced females virtually in his back yard, a lead singer (Deco) at a wedding, and, responding to his ad, an aging trumpet player, Joey "The Lips" Fagan.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Get on Up

2014

A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

Back to Black

2024

The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

Northern Soul

2014

Set in 1974, an authentic and uplifting tale of two friends whose horizons are opened up by the discovery of black American soul music.

5.6

MagicScore

#18

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

#19

The Sapphires

2012

It's 1968, and four young, talented Australian Aboriginal girls learn about love, friendship, and war when they entertain the US troops in Vietnam as singing group The Sapphires.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

Uncle Tom

2020

In a collection of intimate interviews with some of America's most provocative black conservative thinkers, Uncle Tom takes a different look at being black in America.

7.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?

The top films similar to Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown by MovieMagicScore are Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (7.6), TINA (7.8), Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (7.0). Each shares documentary/music themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown worth watching?

Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 39 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?

Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014) is a documentary, music film directed by Alex Gibney, starring James Brown, Bootsy Collins, Chuck D.

Where can I find more recommendations like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)Movies like TINA Movies like Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody Movies like HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé Movies like The Beyoncé Experience Live Movies like Little Richard: I Am Everything

About movies like Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown

This ranked list pairs Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014), a documentary and music film from Alex Gibney, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of James Brown 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.

← Back to Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown