Movies Like Critical Thinking (2020)

Critical Thinking is a 2020 drama film from John Leguizamo with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Searching for Bobby Fischer and Pawn Sacrifice.

Drama

Searching for Bobby Fischer

1993

A seven-year-old chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

7.1

MagicScore

Pawn Sacrifice

2015

American chess champion Bobby Fischer prepares for a legendary match-up against Russian Boris Spassky.

6.7

MagicScore

The Luzhin Defence

2000

Based upon the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, a chess grandmaster travels to Italy in the 1920s to play in a tournament and falls in love.

6.2

MagicScore

Computer Chess

2013

At the American Computer Chess Convention, enthusiasts gather to pit their programs against other computer chess programs and human players in a tournament for a grand prize of $7500.

6.0

MagicScore

Moonlight

2016

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

7.4

MagicScore

Queen of Katwe

2016

A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master.

7.2

MagicScore

The Dark Horse

2014

One-time Maori speed-chess champ, Genesis Potini, lives with a bi-polar disorder and must overcome prejudice and violence in the battle to save his struggling chess club, his family and ultimately, himself.

6.3

MagicScore

Wasp Network

2020

Havana, Cuba, 1990. René González, an airplane pilot, unexpectedly flees the country, leaving behind his wife Olga and his daughter Irma, and begins a new life in Miami, where he becomes a member of an anti-Castro organization.

6.0

MagicScore

Checkmates

2024

Candela, the headmistress of an elite school, after a traumatic divorce, returns to her old high school to lead a group of rebellious students through chess. There she will learn that in chess, and in life, it doesn't matter if you are a king or a pawn, because everyone ends up in the same box.

7.1

MagicScore

#10

Bobby Fischer Against the World

2011

The first documentary feature to explore the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer.

6.9

MagicScore

#11

A Brighter Summer Day

1991

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

8.2

MagicScore

#12

Freedom Writers

2007

A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.

7.9

MagicScore

#13

Your Name Engraved Herein

2020

In 1987, as martial law ends in Taiwan, Jia-han and Birdy fall in love amid family pressure, homophobia and social stigma.

7.8

MagicScore

#14

Nowhere to Be Found

2019

A mother's worst nightmare comes true when her teenage daughter goes missing.

7.8

MagicScore

#15

Remember the Titans

2000

After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.

7.6

MagicScore

#16

Flying Colors

2015

A high school girl, Sayaka Kudō was the bottom of the class. After a year, she improved her deviation value from 30 to 70, then passed Keio University that is considered one of the most difficult to enter in Japan.

7.5

MagicScore

#17

The Class

2007

An average guy of an Estonian high-school decides to defend his bullied classmate. This starts a war between him and the informal leader of the class.

7.4

MagicScore

#18

Radio

2003

In the racially divided town of Anderson, South Carolina in 1976, football coach Harold Jones spots a mentally disabled African-American young man nicknamed Radio near his practice field and is inspired to befriend him. Soon, Radio is Jones' loyal assistant, and he becomes a student at T.L. Hanna High School. But things start to sour when Coach Jones begins taking guff from parents and fans who feel that his devotion to Radio is getting in the way of the team's quest for a championship.

7.3

MagicScore

#19

Lean On Me

1989

When principal Joe Clark takes over decaying Eastside High School, he's faced with students wearing gang colors and graffiti-covered walls. Determined to do anything he must to turn the school around, he expels suspected drug dealers, padlocks doors and demands effort and results from students, staff and parents. Autocratic to a fault, this real-life educator put it all on the line.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

Han Gong-ju

2014

After being involved in a traumatic incident, 17-year-old Gong-ju is forced to change schools. Uncared for by her parents, her previous teacher arranges for her to hide away at his mother's place. It takes time for her past to catch up with her, but when it does the revelation is devastating.

7.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Critical Thinking?

The top films similar to Critical Thinking by MovieMagicScore are Searching for Bobby Fischer (7.1), Pawn Sacrifice (6.7), The Luzhin Defence (6.2). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Critical Thinking worth watching?

Critical Thinking holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 49 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Critical Thinking?

Critical Thinking (2020) is a drama film directed by John Leguizamo, starring John Leguizamo, Rachel Bay Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams.

Where can I find more recommendations like Critical Thinking?

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 Searching for Bobby Fischer Movies like Pawn Sacrifice Movies like The Luzhin Defence Movies like Computer Chess Movies like Moonlight Movies like Queen of Katwe

About movies like Critical Thinking

This ranked list pairs Critical Thinking (2020), a drama film from John Leguizamo, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Leguizamo 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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