Movies Like The Boys in the Band (1970)

The Boys in the Band is a 1970 drama film from William Friedkin with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Normal Heart and Torch Song Trilogy.

Drama

The Normal Heart

2014

The story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.

7.7

MagicScore

Torch Song Trilogy

1988

Arnold is a gay man working as a drag queen in 1971 NYC. He meets a handsome bisexual man.

7.3

MagicScore

Lilies

1997

1952: Bishop Bilodeau visits a prison to hear the confession of Simon, a boyhood friend jailed for murder 40 years ago. However, once there, Bilodeau finds himself forced to watch a play put on by Simon and the other inmates depicting the two men's youths. As the play progresses, the tragic truth of Simon's crime comes to light.

8.1

MagicScore

It's Only the End of the World

2016

Louis, a terminally ill writer, returns home after a long absence to tell his family that he is dying.

7.2

MagicScore

Beautiful Thing

1996

Set during a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, where three teenagers edge towards adulthood.

7.2

MagicScore

Kiss of the Spider Woman

2025

Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna.

6.1

MagicScore

Drown

2015

Len is a Surf Lifesaving champion, a legend in the cloistered surf club just like his father. When the younger, faster, and fitter Phil arrives at the club, Len’s legendary status starts to crumble. Then Len sees Phil arriving in the company of another man. Phil is gay.

5.5

MagicScore

La Cage aux Folles

1978

Two gay men living in St. Tropez have their lives turned upside down when the son of one of the men announces he is getting married. They try to conceal their lifestyle and their ownership of the drag club downstairs when the fiancée and her parents come for dinner.

6.8

MagicScore

Naked Boys Singing!

2007

This whimsical Off-Broadway hit musical is aptly reworked and transferred to the screen. The self-descriptively titled Naked Boys Singing is a musical revue of songs that poke fun at gay life, body image, love, loss and yearning.

4.8

MagicScore

#10

Uncle Frank

2020

In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina for the family patriarch's funeral, they're unexpectedly joined by Frank's lover Walid.

7.3

MagicScore

#11

The Wedding Banquet

1993

A Taiwanese-American man is happily settled in New York with his American boyfriend. He plans a marriage of convenience to a Chinese woman in order to keep his parents off his back and to get the woman a green card. Chaos follows when his parents arrive in New York for the wedding.

7.2

MagicScore

#12

The Wedding Banquet

2025

Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee's expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min's grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.

7.0

MagicScore

#13

Love Is Strange

2014

After 39 years together, Ben and George finally tie the knot, but George loses his job as a result, and the newlyweds must sell their New York apartment and live apart, relying on friends and family to make ends meet.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

Shortbus

2006

In post-9/11 New York City, an eclectic group of citizens find their lives entangled, personally, romantically, and sexually, at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.

6.3

MagicScore

#15

The New Twenty

2009

Five best friends in their late 20's discover new truths about themselves and the friendships they thought would last forever.

5.3

MagicScore

#16

Rotting in the Sun

2023

A filmmaker facing an existential crisis goes on a vacation to a Mexican gay nudist beach, where he meets a social media celebrity who convinces him to collaborate with him on his new TV show. But one disappears and another embarks on a wild journey through Mexico City to find him.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

Saltburn

2023

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

7.0

MagicScore

#18

Henry Gamble's Birthday Party

2015

Unfolding over the course of one very eventful day in his life, at 17-year-old preacher’s kid Henry's afternoon birthday pool party, the guests include an assortment of grown-ups from the family church, as well as Henry’s secular and religious teen friends — including the closeted young Logan, who clearly has eyes for Henry.

5.9

MagicScore

#19

Friends and Family

2001

Gay New York couple Stephen Torcelli and Danny Russo have something to hide from Stephen's parents -- their jobs as Mafia enforcers. When the Torcelli family plans to visit, Stephen and Danny panic because Stephen's father works for the FBI. Despite efforts to keep family and Mafia separate, a birthday party gets mixed up with a mobster's daughter's engagement party. Trouble arises when the mobsters concoct a political scheme at the party.

5.8

MagicScore

#20

Water Drops on Burning Rocks

2000

In 1970s Germany, Léopold, a 50-year-old businessman, picks up and seduces 20-year-old Franz, who swiftly moves into his apartment. The dynamic between them intensifies with the sudden arrival of their ex-girlfriends.

6.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Boys in the Band?

The top films similar to The Boys in the Band by MovieMagicScore are The Normal Heart (7.7), Torch Song Trilogy (7.3), Lilies (8.1). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Boys in the Band worth watching?

The Boys in the Band holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 109 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The Boys in the Band?

The Boys in the Band (1970) is a drama film directed by William Friedkin, starring Kenneth Nelson, Leonard Frey, Peter White.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Boys in the Band?

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 Normal Heart Movies like Torch Song Trilogy Movies like Lilies Movies like It's Only the End of the World Movies like Beautiful Thing Movies like Kiss of the Spider Woman

About movies like The Boys in the Band

This ranked list pairs The Boys in the Band (1970), a drama film from William Friedkin, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Kenneth Nelson 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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