Movies Like Hairspray Live! (2016)

Hairspray Live! is a 2016 comedy, drama, romance, tv movie film from Kenny Leon with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Hairspray and Billy Elliot: The Musical Live.

Comedy Drama Romance TV Movie

Hairspray

2007

Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad auditions to be on Baltimore's most popular dance show - The Corny Collins Show - and lands a prime spot. Through her newfound fame, she becomes determined to help her friends and end the racial segregation that has been a staple of the show.

6.7

MagicScore

Billy Elliot: The Musical Live

2014

In County Durham, England, 1984, a talented young dancer, Billy Elliot, stumbles out of the boxing ring and onto the ballet floor. He faces many trials and triumphs as he strives to conquer his family’s set ways, inner conflict, and standing on his toes in a musical that questions masculinity, gender norms and conformity.

8.1

MagicScore

The Sound of Music Live!

2013

The Sound of Music Live! is a television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical The Sound of Music, starring country singer Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp, performed and televised live from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York. Meron felt that if the telecast were successful, the concept could become "another kind of entertainment that can exist on TV." By her request, Underwood's casting as Maria was personally endorsed by Julie Andrews, who starred in the 1965 film.

6.3

MagicScore

Hairspray

1988

'Pleasantly plump' teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all integration. In doing so, she earns the wrath of the show's former star, Amber Von Tussle, as well as Amber's manipulative, pro-segregation parents. The rivalry comes to a head as Amber and Tracy vie for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963.

6.8

MagicScore

Hidden Figures

2016

The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

8.1

MagicScore

Rent

2019

The story of several friends in New York City facing financial poverty, homophobia, AIDS, and, of course, rent.

6.7

MagicScore

Into the Woods

1991

In a woods filled with magic and fairy tale characters, a baker and his wife set out to end the curse put on them by their neighbor, a spiteful witch.

8.1

MagicScore

Company

2011

Set in modern upper-crust Manhattan, an exploration of love and commitment as seen through the eyes of a charming perpetual bachelor questioning his single state and his enthusiastically married, slightly envious friends.

6.8

MagicScore

The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!

2019

SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face catastrophe—until a most unexpected hero rises to take center stage.

7.9

MagicScore

#10

The Help

2011

Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.

8.2

MagicScore

#11

Nickel Boys

2024

Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

West Side Story

2021

Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.

7.0

MagicScore

#13

Le Bal

1983

In a French nightclub, choreographed song and dance routines are performed, rather than a streamlined narrative. They tell the story of Parisian culture and politics from the 1920s—1980s. A disparate, anachronistic series of characters, including an ordinary waiter, a Nazi collaborator, resistance fighters, and 1960s student protestors gather to celebrate and satirize 20th century France's icons, demons, and social changes.

7.0

MagicScore

#14

National Theatre Live: Fleabag

2019

Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.

7.6

MagicScore

#15

Step Up

2006

Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with an up and coming dancer, Nora.

6.9

MagicScore

#16

National Theatre Live: Prima Facie

2022

Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. From working class origins, she has reached the top of her game. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.

8.7

MagicScore

#17

A Raisin in the Sun

1961

Walter Lee Younger is a young man struggling with his station in life. Sharing a tiny apartment with his wife, son, sister and mother, he seems like an imprisoned man. Until, that is, the family gets an unexpected financial windfall.

7.7

MagicScore

#18

The Jericho Mile

1980

A runner, serving a life sentence at Folsom Prison, works at becoming the world's fastest miler and wins a chance to compete for a spot on the Olympic team.

6.0

MagicScore

#19

Cats

1998

"Jellicle" cats join for a Jellicle ball where they rejoice with their leader, Old Deuteronomy. One cat will be chosen to go to the "Heavyside Layer" and be reborn.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

The Shape of Water

2017

An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.

7.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Hairspray Live!?

The top films similar to Hairspray Live! by MovieMagicScore are Hairspray (6.7), Billy Elliot: The Musical Live (8.1), The Sound of Music Live! (6.3). Each shares comedy/drama/romance/tv movie themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Hairspray Live! worth watching?

Hairspray Live! holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 163 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Hairspray Live!?

Hairspray Live! (2016) is a comedy, drama, romance, tv movie film directed by Kenny Leon, starring Maddie Baillio, Dove Cameron, Kristin Chenoweth.

Where can I find more recommendations like Hairspray Live!?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Hairspray Movies like Billy Elliot: The Musical Live Movies like The Sound of Music Live!Movies like Hairspray Movies like Hidden Figures Movies like Rent

About movies like Hairspray Live!

This ranked list pairs Hairspray Live! (2016), a comedy and drama and romance and tv movie film from Kenny Leon, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Maddie Baillio 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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