Movies Like Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

Hillbilly Elegy is a 2020 drama film from Ron Howard with a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Trainspotting and Beautiful Boy.

Drama

Trainspotting

1996

Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind as Begbie and Sick Boy come knocking.

8.0

MagicScore

Beautiful Boy

2018

After he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.

7.6

MagicScore

A Million Little Pieces

2019

A young drug-addled writer approaching the bottom of his descent submits to two months of agonizing detox at a treatment center in Minnesota.

6.1

MagicScore

Better Man

2024

Follow Robbie Williams' journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

7.7

MagicScore

Amy

2015

A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs.

7.6

MagicScore

Postcards from the Edge

1990

A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she's forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.

6.6

MagicScore

Labor Day

2013

Two strangers are drawn together under incredible circumstances. What starts as an unforeseen encounter over a long holiday weekend soon becomes a second chance love story.

7.0

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

Ben Is Back

2018

19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

Rob Peace

2024

An underprivileged, gifted young black man from Newark reaches Yale University, only for shadows and injustices from his past to threaten his future.

6.8

MagicScore

#11

Reversal of Fortune

1990

Wealthy Sunny von Bülow lies brain-dead, husband Claus guilty of attempted murder; but he says he's innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz for his appeal.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

Flora and Son

2023

Single mom Flora is at a loss about what to do with her rebellious teenage son, Max. Her efforts to keep him out of trouble lead to a beat-up acoustic guitar, a washed-up LA musician, and harmony for this frayed Dublin family.

6.9

MagicScore

#13

Comin' Round the Mountain

1951

Al Stewart and Wilbert are magicians doing a stage act when they run into Wilbert's cousin, Dorothy McCoy. They find out that Wilbert's grandfather, Squeeze-box McCoy, had treasure hidden in the hills of Kentucky, which they go to find.

5.8

MagicScore

#14

Cherry

2021

Cherry drifts from college dropout to army medic in Iraq—anchored only by his one true love, Emily. But after returning from the war with PTSD, his life spirals into drugs and crime as he struggles to find his place in the world.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

T2 Trainspotting

2017

After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.

6.9

MagicScore

#16

Heaven Knows What

2015

A young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

Go Ask Alice

1973

A 15-year-old girl in late 1960's America is inadvertently sucked into an odyssey of sex and drugs. She eventually seeks help.

5.5

MagicScore

#18

Ride the Eagle

2021

When Leif’s estranged mother, Honey dies she leaves him a ‘conditional inheritance’. He has to complete her elaborate to-do list before he gets her cabin in Yosemite. Leif steps into Honey’s wild world as the mother he never really knew tries to make amends from beyond the grave.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

Ilo Ilo

2013

During the late 1990s, a busy working-class Singaporean couple hires a Filipino woman as a maid and nanny to their young son.

6.9

MagicScore

#20

Breakthrough

2019

Tragedy strikes when a woman named Joyce's son falls through the ice on a frozen lake and is trapped underwater for over 15 minutes. After being rushed to the hospital, the 14-year-old boy continues to fight for his life as Joyce, her husband and their pastor stay by his bedside and pray for a miracle.

7.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Hillbilly Elegy?

The top films similar to Hillbilly Elegy by MovieMagicScore are Trainspotting (8.0), Beautiful Boy (7.6), A Million Little Pieces (6.1). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Hillbilly Elegy worth watching?

Hillbilly Elegy holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10 from 980 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Hillbilly Elegy?

Hillbilly Elegy (2020) is a drama film directed by Ron Howard, starring Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso.

Where can I find more recommendations like Hillbilly Elegy?

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 Trainspotting Movies like Beautiful Boy Movies like A Million Little Pieces Movies like Better Man Movies like Amy Movies like Postcards from the Edge

About movies like Hillbilly Elegy

This ranked list pairs Hillbilly Elegy (2020), a drama film from Ron Howard, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Amy Adams 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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