Movies Like Improvisation

If you liked Improvisation (1950), a music movie directed by Gjon Mili, 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
Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga MAYHEM Requiem (2026)
★ 8.3/10Also music
For Apple Music Live, Gaga presents MAYHEM Requiem, a celebration and musical reimagining of MAYHEM.
2
Cadillac Records (2008)
★ 7.1/10Also music
The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta…
3
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
★ 6.8/10Also music
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
4
Too Late Blues (1961)
★ 6.4/10Also 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…
5
Honeydripper (2007)
★ 5.9/10Also 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.
6
Born to Be Blue (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also music
Jazz legend Chet Baker finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.
7
The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium (2023)
★ 7.8/10Also music
Filmed at LA's SoFi Stadium, The Weeknd brings down the house – and your living room – in this epic concert event.
8
Paris Blues (1961)
★ 6.5/10Also music
During the 1960s, two American jazz musicians living in Paris meet and fall in love with two American tourist girls and must decide between music and love.
9
Bee Gees: One Night Only (1998)
★ 8.2/10Also music
The brothers Gibb perform their greatest hits from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's including many songs written for and made hits by other artists but never recorded by the Bee Gees themselves.
10
Coyote Ugly (2000)
★ 6.3/10Also music
Graced with a velvet voice, 21-year-old Violet Sanford heads to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter only to find her aspirations sidelined by the accolades and notoriety she receives at her "day" job…
11
Muscle Shoals (2013)
★ 7.2/10Also music
In a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming, yet incredibly talented, locals came together and spawned some of…
12
Hounddog (2008)
★ 6.5/10Also music
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
13
Respect (2021)
★ 6.8/10Also music
The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
14
Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
★ 6.8/10Also music
A fictionalized account of the career of jazz singer Ruth Etting and her tempestuous marriage to gangster Marty Snyder, who helped propel her to stardom.
15
Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)
★ 8.2/10Also music
Taylor Swift takes the stage in Dallas for the Reputation Stadium Tour and celebrates a monumental night of music, memories and visual magic.
16
Whitney Houston: Live in Concert (1991)
★ 7.5/10Also music
Pop sensation Whitney Houston captured live in concert in 1991. Amongst the hits performed are 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' and 'Saving All My Love For You'.
17
King of Jazz (1930)
★ 6.5/10Also music
A large-scale revue musical built around Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, presenting a series of musical performances, sketches, and staged tableaux in early two-color Technicolor, emblematic of Hollywood’s early…
18
Whitney (2018)
★ 7.3/10Also music
Examines the life and career of singer Whitney Houston. Features never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive recordings, rare performances and interviews with the people who knew her best.
19
Make Your Move (2013)
★ 5.8/10Also music
A pair of star-crossed dancers in New York find themselves at the center of a bitter rivalry between their brothers' underground dance clubs.
20
Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films (1993)
★ 8.2/10Also music
Michael Jackson's Dangerous album once again rocketed the global superstar to mega-platinum success! "Dangerous - The Short Films" captures the visual and musical highlights of his most recent string of hit singles. As…