Movies Like Norma Rae (1979)

Norma Rae is a 1979 drama film from Martin Ritt with a MovieMagicScore of 7.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Little Foxes and Harlan County U.S.A..

Drama

The Little Foxes

1941

In 1900, a clan attempts to strike a deal with a Chicago industrialist to get him to build cotton mills in their Deep South town.

7.5

MagicScore

Harlan County U.S.A.

1977

This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television in 2004.

7.4

MagicScore

Forrest Gump

1994

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.

8.5

MagicScore

The Honeymoon Killers

1970

Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a "correspondence club" and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he's a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray's sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.

6.5

MagicScore

The Wages of Fear

1953

In a run-down South American town, four men are paid to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin into the jungle through to the oil field. Friendships are tested and rivalries develop as they embark upon the perilous journey.

8.0

MagicScore

Last Exit to Brooklyn

1989

A gallery of characters in Brooklyn in the 1950s are crushed by their surroundings and selves: a union strike leader discovers he is gay; a prostitute falls in love with one of her clients; a family cannot cope with the fact that their daughter is illegitimately pregnant.

6.5

MagicScore

To Kill a Mockingbird

1962

Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

8.0

MagicScore

Fried Green Tomatoes

1991

Amidst her own personality crisis, a southern housewife meets an outgoing old woman who tells her the story of Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, two young women who experienced hardships and love in 1920s Whistle Stop, Alabama.

7.7

MagicScore

Schindler's List

1993

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

8.6

MagicScore

#10

Alabama Moon

2009

After the unexpected death of his survivalist father, an eleven year old boy raised in the Alabama wilderness must learn how to make a home in the modern world.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

Kinky Boots

2005

Charles Price may have grown up with his father in the family shoe business in Northampton, central England, but he never thought that he would take his father's place. Charles has a chance encounter with the flamboyant drag queen cabaret singer Lola and everything changes.

6.7

MagicScore

#12

Joy

2015

A story based on the life of a struggling Long Island single mom who became one of the country's most successful entrepreneurs.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

God's Little Acre

1958

In the 1950s, a poor Georgia cotton farmer and his sons search for the gold presumably buried on the farm by their grandfather but problems related to poverty, marital infidelity, unemployment and booze threaten to destroy their family.

6.1

MagicScore

#14

The Valley of Decision

1945

Mary Rafferty comes from a poor family of steel mill workers in 19th Century Pittsburgh. Her family objects when she goes to work as a maid for the wealthy Scott family which controls the mill. Mary catches the attention of handsome scion Paul Scott, but their romance is complicated by Paul's engagement to someone else and a bitter strike among the mill workers.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Citizen Dog

2004

Pod decides to change jobs after losing his finger at a sardine packing plant. His new job as a security guard comes with an unexpected perk in the form of a lanky maid who carries a mysterious white book.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

The True Cost

2015

Film from Andrew Morgan. The True Cost is a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet.

7.5

MagicScore

#17

There Was a Father

1942

Shuhei Horikawa, a poor schoolteacher, struggles to raise his son Ryohei by himself, despite neither money nor prospects.

7.0

MagicScore

#18

Changeling

2008

Los Angeles, 1928. When single mother Christine Collins leaves for work, her son vanishes without a trace. Five months later, the police reunite mother and son. But when Christine suspects that the boy returned to her isn't her child, her quest for truth exposes a world of corruption.

7.6

MagicScore

#19

Erin Brockovich

2000

A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

7.4

MagicScore

#20

An American Crime

2007

The true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Norma Rae?

The top films similar to Norma Rae by MovieMagicScore are The Little Foxes (7.5), Harlan County U.S.A. (7.4), Forrest Gump (8.5). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Norma Rae worth watching?

Norma Rae holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.2/10 from 188 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Norma Rae?

Norma Rae (1979) is a drama film directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field, Beau Bridges, Ron Leibman.

Where can I find more recommendations like Norma Rae?

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 Little Foxes Movies like Harlan County U.S.A.Movies like Forrest Gump Movies like The Honeymoon Killers Movies like The Wages of Fear Movies like Last Exit to Brooklyn

About movies like Norma Rae

This ranked list pairs Norma Rae (1979), a drama film from Martin Ritt, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Sally Field 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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