Movies Like Islands in the Stream (1977)

Islands in the Stream is a 1977 drama film from Franklin J. Schaffner with a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Goodnight, Mister Tom and Memoirs of a Geisha.

Drama

Goodnight, Mister Tom

1998

A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.

6.9

MagicScore

Memoirs of a Geisha

2005

In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.

7.7

MagicScore

12 Mighty Orphans

2021

Haunted by his mysterious past, a devoted high school football coach leads a scrawny team of orphans to the state championship during the Great Depression and inspires a broken nation along the way.

7.2

MagicScore

The Color Purple

2023

A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

7.0

MagicScore

The Tin Drum

1979

Oskar Matzerath is a very unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, Agnes, Oskar is reluctant to enter a world he sees as filled with hypocrisy and injustice, and vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power in Danzig, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, beating his tin drum incessantly and screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.

6.9

MagicScore

The Grass Harp

1996

Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in the 1940s. Becoming an orphan in 1935, Collin moves to his dad's cousins Verena and Dolly. Verena is a rich, bossy businesswoman. Dolly, Collin and the maid revolt, moving to a tree house.

5.8

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

I Capture the Castle

2003

In 1930s England, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her eccentric family struggle to survive in a decaying English castle.

6.7

MagicScore

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

2017

An estranged family gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father.

6.5

MagicScore

#10

My Family and Other Animals

2005

Escaping the dreary wet weather of 1930s England, an eccentric family uproot and ship themselves to the sunnier climes of the Greek island of Corfu.

6.3

MagicScore

#11

Voice from the Stone

2017

Verena is a nurse who arrives at an old mansion in Italy to help a young boy who has fallen silent since the sudden passing of his mother.

5.6

MagicScore

#12

Hitler: A Career

1977

A keen chronicle of the unlikely rise to power of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and a dissection of the Third Reich (1933-1945), but also an analysis of mass psychology and how the desperate crowd can be deceived and shepherded to the slaughterhouse.

7.4

MagicScore

#13

I Served the King of England

2007

Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the inter-war period. Jan Dítě, a young and clever waiter who wants to become a millionaire, comes to the conclusion that to achieve his ambitious goal he must be diligent, listen and observe as much as he can, be always discreet and use what he learns to his own advantage; but the turbulent tides of history will continually stand in his way.

6.8

MagicScore

#14

Red Joan

2018

London, England, May 2000. The peaceful life of elderly Joan Stanley is suddenly disrupted when she is arrested by the British Intelligence Service and accused of providing information to communist Russia during the forties.

6.6

MagicScore

#15

Legends of the Fall

1994

In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.

7.4

MagicScore

#16

This Transient Life

1970

Near a remote Buddhist monastery, a young man falls in love with his sister and gets her pregnant. After a monk finds out, the young man becomes an assistant to a master sculptor, only to proceed to complicate matters with his affairs.

7.3

MagicScore

#17

To the Sea

2010

Before leaving for Rome with his mother, five year old Natan is taken by his father, Jorge, on an epic journey to the pristine Chinchorro reef off the coast of Mexico. As they fish, swim, and sail the turquoise waters of the open sea, Natan discovers the beauty of his Mayan heritage and learns to live in harmony with life above and below the surface, as the bond between father and son grows stronger before their inevitable farewell.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2005

Four kids travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a mystical lion.

7.1

MagicScore

#19

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008

One year after their incredible adventures in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan Pevensie return to Narnia to aid a young prince whose life has been threatened by the evil King Miraz. Now, with the help of a colorful cast of new characters, including Trufflehunter the badger and Nikabrik the dwarf, the Pevensie clan embarks on an incredible quest to ensure that Narnia is returned to its rightful heir.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

A River Runs Through It

1992

The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister, the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess where they've been and where they're going.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Islands in the Stream?

The top films similar to Islands in the Stream by MovieMagicScore are Goodnight, Mister Tom (6.9), Memoirs of a Geisha (7.7), 12 Mighty Orphans (7.2). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Islands in the Stream worth watching?

Islands in the Stream holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10 from 22 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Islands in the Stream?

Islands in the Stream (1977) is a drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, starring George C. Scott, David Hemmings, Gilbert Roland.

Where can I find more recommendations like Islands in the Stream?

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 Goodnight, Mister Tom Movies like Memoirs of a Geisha Movies like 12 Mighty Orphans Movies like The Color Purple Movies like The Tin Drum Movies like The Grass Harp

About movies like Islands in the Stream

This ranked list pairs Islands in the Stream (1977), a drama film from Franklin J. Schaffner, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of George C. Scott 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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