Movies Like Paula Takes the Stage

If you liked Paula Takes the Stage, a movie directed by Eric Albert Branstrom, 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 Band Wagon (1953)
★ 7.2/10
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop.
2
Opening Night (1977)
★ 7.6/10
Actress Myrtle Gordon is a functioning alcoholic who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her…
3
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
★ 7.4/10
A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career…
4
Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
★ 7.1/10
After young playwright, David Shayne obtains funding for his play from gangster Nick Valenti, Nick's girlfriend Olive miraculously lands the role of a psychiatrist—but not only is she a bimbo who could never pass for a…
5
All About Eve (1950)
★ 8.1/10
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a…
6
Black Swan (2010)
★ 7.7/10
A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."
7
The Professor (2019)
★ 6.8/10
A world-weary college professor is given a life-changing diagnosis and decides to throw all pretense and conventions to the wind and live his life as boldly and freely as possible with a biting sense of humor, a…
8
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
★ 6.6/10
The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress, who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice.
9
Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)
★ 6.6/10
A manic-depressive mess of a father tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters, who don't make the overwhelming task any easier.
10
I Feel Pretty (2018)
★ 6.4/10
A head injury causes a woman to develop an extraordinary amount of confidence and believe she's drop dead gorgeous.
11
Black Widow (1954)
★ 6.4/10
When a young stage hopeful is found dead, suspicion falls on her mentor, a successful Broadway producer.
12
Feel the Beat (2020)
★ 7.5/10
After failing to make it on Broadway, April returns to her hometown and reluctantly begins training a misfit group of young dancers for a competition.
13
Maria (2024)
★ 6.5/10
Maria Callas, the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.
14
Hamlet (1996)
★ 7.3/10
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother now marrying the murderer... his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
15
The Great Buck Howard (2008)
★ 6/10
When a law school dropout answers an advertisement to be a personal assistant he unknowingly signs on to work for a belligerent has-been magician struggling to resurrect his career. This leads to a journey across the…
16
Stage Fright (1950)
★ 6.8/10
A struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence when he's accused of murdering the husband of a high-society entertainer.
17
The Moment (2026)
★ 6.3/10
A rising pop sensation navigates fame and industry pressures while preparing for her arena tour debut, revealing the transformation of underground culture into mainstream success.
18
The Deep Blue Sea (2011)
★ 5.9/10
The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.
19
Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
★ 7.8/10
Diagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who inspires him to open his…
20
Big Trouble (2002)
★ 6.1/10
The story of how a mysterious suitcase brings together, and changes, the lives of a divorced dad, an unhappy housewife, two hitmen, a pair of street thugs, two love struck teens, two FBI men and a psychedelic toad…