Movies Like Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

If you liked Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987), a drama and music movie directed by Todd Haynes, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
★ 7.1/10Also music and drama
A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.
2
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
★ 7/10Also drama and music
A film of the life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan.
3
Beyond the Sea (2004)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and music
Based on the life and career of legendary entertainer, Bobby Darin, the biopic moves back and forth between his childhood and adulthood, to tell the tale of his life.
4
Dreamgirls (2006)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and music
A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.
5
What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and music
Singer Tina Turner rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike.
6
Radium Girls (2020)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and history
Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.
7
Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert (2010)
★ 8.3/10Also history and music
This concert, recorded to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the landmark musical Les Miserables, gathers the casts of the show's 2010 original production at the Queen's Theatre, the 1985 original production by the…
8
The Sound of Music Live! (2013)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and music
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…
9
The Elephant Man (1980)
★ 8/10Also drama and history
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity.
10
Grace Unplugged (2013)
★ 6/10Also drama and music
A talented young singer and aspiring songwriter’s Christian faith and family ties are tested when she defies her worship-pastor father and pursues pop-music stardom in GRACE UNPLUGGED, a moving and inspiring new film…
11
Taking Sides (2002)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and music
One of the most spectacular and renowned conductors of the 1930s, Wilhelm Furtwangler's reputation rivaled that of Toscanini's. After the war, he was investigated as part of the Allies' de-Nazification programme. In…
12
Julia (1977)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and history
At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.
13
Honeydripper (2007)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and music
In 1950s Alabama, the owner of the Honeydripper juke joint finds his business dropping off and against his better judgment, hires a young electric guitarist in a last ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
14
Quiz Show (1994)
★ 7.2/10Also history and drama
Herbert Stempel's transformation into an unexpected television personality unfolds as he secures victory on the cherished American game show, 'Twenty-One.' However, when the show introduces the highly skilled…
15
Clouds (2020)
★ 8.2/10Also music and drama
Young musician Zach Sobiech discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
16
Too Late Blues (1961)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and music
Ghost is an ideological musician and leader of a jazz band who would rather play his blues in the park to the birds than compromise himself. His peripatetic performances lead him to cross paths with a singer, while his…
17
Boychoir (2015)
★ 6.8/10Also music and drama
A troubled and angry 11-year-old orphan from a small Texas town, ends up at a Boy Choir school after the death of his single mother. Completely out of his element, he finds himself in a battle of wills with a demanding…
18
The Current War (2018)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and history
Electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse compete to create a sustainable system and market it to the American people.
19
Barbie: Princess Adventure (2020)
★ 6.9/10Also music and drama
With new friends in a new kingdom, Barbie learns what it means to be herself when she trades places with a royal lookalike in this musical adventure.
20
David (2025)
★ 8/10Also drama and history
From the songs of his mother’s heart to the whispers of a faithful God, David’s story begins in quiet devotion. When the giant Goliath rises to terrorize a nation, a young shepherd armed with only a sling, a few…