Movies Like Rising Dawn

If you liked Rising Dawn (2022), a drama and comedy movie directed by Monique Morton Derouselle, 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
Booksmart (2019)
★ 7/10Also comedy
Two academic teenage superstars realize, on the eve of their high school graduation, that they should have worked less and played more. Determined to never fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to…
2
Steel Magnolias (1989)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and comedy
A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.
3
Dazed and Confused (1993)
★ 7.3/10Also comedy and drama
The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking…
4
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy and drama
Two high school girls are best friends until one dates the other's older brother, who is totally his sister's nemesis.
5
10 Years (2012)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy and drama
A group of friends reunite ten years after their high-school graduation.
6
Don't Say Good Luck (2026)
★ 7.3/10Also comedy and drama
Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical—until she's suddenly facing more drama at home than on the stage.
7
Work It (2020)
★ 7.5/10Also comedy
A brilliant but clumsy high school senior vows to get into her late father's alma mater by transforming herself and a misfit squad into dance champions.
8
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy and drama
As seniors in high school, Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their…
9
Heathers (1989)
★ 7.3/10Also comedy
A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
10
Thunderstruck (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
11
Bottoms (2023)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy
Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school self-defense club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up…
12
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy
A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.
13
Snoopy Presents: Lucy's School (2022)
★ 7.3/10Also comedy
The Peanuts gang is anxious about starting at a new school in the fall, inspiring Lucy to start her own school instead. She soon learns that teaching isn't as easy as it sounds and that change can be a good thing.
14
Incoming (2024)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
Their first week of high school. The biggest party of the year. Mistakes will be made as four teenage boys navigate a night of mayhem and debauchery.
15
The Kings of Summer (2013)
★ 7/10Also comedy and drama
Three restless teenagers run away to the woods for the summer, determined to escape their parents and live by their own rules. In a hidden clearing, they build a makeshift house and attempt to create an independent…
16
F the Prom (2017)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy and drama
Maddy and Cole were inseparable friends until high school started and Maddy became the most popular girl on campus. When she starts feeling lonely and heartbroken, she reconnects with Cole and the duo conspire to…
17
Troop Zero (2019)
★ 7/10Also comedy and drama
In rural 1977 Georgia, a misfit girl dreams of life in outer space. When a national competition offers her a chance at her dream, to be recorded on NASA’s Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troupe of Birdie…
18
Ghost World (2001)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy and drama
Two quirky, cynical, teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives following high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric, middle-aged record collector, one of them befriends him…
19
CQ (2001)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and drama
A young filmmaker in 1960s Paris juggles directing a cheesy sci-fi debacle, directing his own personal art film, coping with his crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, and a new-found infatuation with the sci-fi…
20
Mean Girls (2004)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and comedy
Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.