Movies Like Bailey's Blues

If you liked Bailey's Blues (2025), a drama and history movie directed by Shiloh Tumo Washington, 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
Born to Be Blue (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and music
Jazz legend Chet Baker finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.
2
Cadillac Records (2008)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and history
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
A Complete Unknown (2024)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and music
New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent…
4
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…
5
Köln 75 (2025)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and history
The true story of Vera Brandes, teenage patron saint of the 1970s Cologne music scene, who risked everything to organize the greatest solo concert in music history: Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert.
6
Whiplash (2013)
★ 7.8/10Also drama and music
A ferocious, bullying music teacher teaches a dedicated student.
7
Miles Ahead (2016)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and music
An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis.
8
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…
9
The Five Heartbeats (1991)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and music
In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top…
10
All Eyez on Me (2017)
★ 6.7/10Also history and drama
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row…
11
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.
12
Coda (2020)
★ 6.1/10Also music and drama
A famous pianist at the twilight of his career meets a free-spirited music critic who soon becomes his rock as his mental state deteriorates.
13
They Shot the Piano Player (2023)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and history
New York, 2010. Jeff Harris, a music journalist, sets out to uncover the truth about Francisco Tenório Júnior, a young Brazilian samba-jazz pianist who disappeared in Buenos Aires on March 18, 1976.
14
'Round Midnight (1986)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and music
Inside the Blue Note nightclub one night in 1959 Paris, an aged, ailing jazzman coaxes an eloquent wail from his tenor sax. Outside, a young Parisian too broke to buy a glass of wine strains to hear those notes. Soon…
15
Chevalier (2023)
★ 6.4/10Also music and drama
The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Joseph Bologne rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair…
16
Judy (2019)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and history
Thirty years after starring in 'The Wizard of Oz', beloved actress and singer Judy Garland arrives in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub. While there, she reminisces with friends and…
17
The Doors (1991)
★ 7.1/10Also music and drama
The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.
18
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)
★ 6.5/10Also music and drama
Billie Holiday spent much of her career being adored by fans. In the 1940s, the government targeted Holiday in a growing effort to racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her…
19
A (2017)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and music
A young alcoholic ambient musician locks himself in his apartment on a dangerous seven day bender as he attempts to finish his upcoming album.
20
Rocketman (2019)
★ 7.3/10Also music and drama
The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.