Movies Like Bright Lights, Big City
If you liked Bright Lights, Big City (1988), a drama and romance movie directed by James Bridges, 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
London (2005)
★ 6/10Also drama and romanceLondon is a drug laden adventure that centers on a party in a New York loft where a young man is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend.
- 2
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
★ 6.1/10Also dramaLured by their dreams of fame and fortune, three ambitious young women enter the world of show business and discover how easy it is to sink into a celebrity nightmare of ego, alcohol and pills — the beloved "dolls."
- 3
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
★ 7.5/10Also dramaAfter Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their…
- 4
25th Hour (2002)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaOn the eve of a seven-year prison sentence, a New York drug dealer spends his final day of freedom confronting his past, his relationships, and the choices that led to his downfall in a city still reeling from 9/11.
- 5
Trainspotting (1996)
★ 8/10Also dramaHeroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning…
- 6
Queer (2024)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and romanceIn 1950s Mexico City, William Lee, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton, a young student, stirs William into…
- 7
Layer Cake (2004)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaWhen a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top, but to save his own skin...
- 8
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
★ 7.4/10Also dramaA high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
- 9
Two Lovers (2008)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and romanceA depressed man moves back in with his parents following a recent heartbreak and finds himself with two women.
- 10
Newness (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also romance and dramaIn contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
- 11
The Doors (1991)
★ 7.1/10Also dramaThe story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.
- 12
Carlito's Way (1993)
★ 7.8/10Also dramaFree after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld.
- 13
Heaven Knows What (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaA young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.
- 14
Kids (1995)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaA group of bored, disaffected New York City teenagers spend a day skating, smoking, drinking, partying, deflowering virgins, and getting into fights.
- 15
High Art (1998)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and romanceWhen Syd, a young editor at an influential art magazine, becomes involved with her neighbor, a drug-addicted lesbian photographer, both seek to exploit each other for their respective careers while slowly falling in…
- 16
The Nines (2007)
★ 6/10Also dramaA troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.
- 17
Less Than Zero (1987)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaA college freshman returns to Los Angeles for Christmas at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.
- 18
Beautiful Boy (2018)
★ 7.6/10Also dramaAfter he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.
- 19
Behind the Candelabra (2013)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and romanceBased on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson, is recounted.
- 20
Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaA gallery of characters in Brooklyn in the 1950s are crushed by their surroundings and selves: a union strike leader discovers he is gay; a prostitute falls in love with one of her clients; a family cannot cope with…