Movies Like Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 drama film from Alexander Mackendrick with a MovieMagicScore of 7.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Citizen Kane and Deadline - U.S.A..

Drama

Citizen Kane

1941

Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.

8.0

MagicScore

Deadline - U.S.A.

1952

With three days before his paper folds, a crusading editor tries to expose a vicious gangster.

6.8

MagicScore

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

1936

Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life. When a relative dies and leaves Deeds a fortune, Longfellow moves to the big city where he becomes an instant target for everyone. Deeds outwits them all until Babe Bennett comes along. When small-town boy meets big-city girl anything can, and does, happen.

7.5

MagicScore

Scarface

1932

In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life.

7.4

MagicScore

Champion

1949

An unscrupulous boxer fights his way to the top, but eventually alienates all of the people who helped him on the way up.

6.6

MagicScore

While the City Sleeps

1956

Newspaper men compete against each other to find a serial killer dubbed "The Lipstick Killer".

6.9

MagicScore

I Walk Alone

1947

Bootleggers on the lam Frankie and Noll split up to evade capture by the police. Frankie is caught and jailed, but Noll manages to escape and open a posh New York City nightclub. 14 years later, Frankie is released from the clink and visits Noll with the intention of collecting his half of the nightclub's profits. But Noll, who has no intention of being so equitable, uses his ex-girlfriend Kay to divert Frankie from his intended goal.

6.5

MagicScore

The Killer That Stalked New York

1950

In New York, Sheila Bennet and her spouse, Matt Krane, are trying to unload a trove of rare jewels they smuggled into America from Cuba, but the police are hot on the couple's trail. Meanwhile, government officials begin a desperate search for an unknown individual who is infecting the city with smallpox.

6.1

MagicScore

The Color Purple

1985

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.

7.7

MagicScore

#10

The Sound of Fury

1950

A family man – desperate for a job – latches onto a friend who encourages him into being a criminal.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

The Universal Theory

2023

Johannes, a doctor of physics, travels with his doctoral supervisor to a scientific congress in the Alps. A series of mysterious incidents occur on site. He meets Karin, a mysterious jazz pianist who seems to know more about him than she can know. Suddenly, mysterious deaths begin to pile up and Johannes tries to uncover the secret under the mountain.

6.0

MagicScore

#12

Impact

1949

After surviving a murder attempt, an auto magnate goes into hiding so his wife can pay for the crime.

5.9

MagicScore

#13

Soul

2020

Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.

8.1

MagicScore

#14

The Terminal

2004

An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.

7.4

MagicScore

#15

Ragtime

1981

A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence, and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

Lady Sings the Blues

1972

Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, beginning with her traumatic youth. The story depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay, her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday's brightest moments is the vocalist's severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Love with the Proper Stranger

1963

Angie Rossini, an innocent New York City sales clerk from a repressive Italian-American family, engages in a short-lived affair with a handsome jazz musician named Rocky Papasano. When Angie becomes pregnant, she tracks down Rocky hoping he'll pay for her abortion.

6.8

MagicScore

#18

Sweet and Lowdown

1999

In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.

6.8

MagicScore

#19

New York, New York

1977

An egotistical saxophone player and a young singer meet on V-J Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long uphill climb.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

La Dolce Vita

1960

Episodic journey of journalist Marcello who struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend, all the while searching for a way to become a serious writer.

8.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Sweet Smell of Success?

The top films similar to Sweet Smell of Success by MovieMagicScore are Citizen Kane (8.0), Deadline - U.S.A. (6.8), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (7.5). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Sweet Smell of Success worth watching?

Sweet Smell of Success holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.6/10 from 549 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Sweet Smell of Success?

Sweet Smell of Success (1957) is a drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison.

Where can I find more recommendations like Sweet Smell of Success?

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 Citizen Kane Movies like Deadline - U.S.A.Movies like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Movies like Scarface Movies like Champion Movies like While the City Sleeps

About movies like Sweet Smell of Success

This ranked list pairs Sweet Smell of Success (1957), a drama film from Alexander Mackendrick, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Burt Lancaster 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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