Movies Like Sticks & Stones
If you liked Sticks & Stones (1996), a drama and thriller movie directed by Neil Tolkin, 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
Palmer (2021)
★ 8.1/10Also dramaAfter 12 years in prison, former high school football star Eddie Palmer returns home to put his life back together—and forms an unlikely bond with Sam, an outcast boy from a troubled home. But Eddie's past threatens to…
- 2
Bully (2001)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and thrillerA group of teenagers in South Florida enact a murder plot against their mutual bully, Bobby, who has emotionally, physically, and sexually abused them for years.
- 3
Disconnect (2013)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and thrillerA hard-working lawyer, attached to his cell phone, can't find the time to communicate with his family. An estranged couple uses the internet as a means to escape from their lifeless marriage. A widowed ex-cop struggles…
- 4
Lean On Me (1989)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaWhen principal Joe Clark takes over decaying Eastside High School, he's faced with students wearing gang colors and graffiti-covered walls. Determined to do anything he must to turn the school around, he expels…
- 5
Neds (2010)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaNEDs (Non Educated Delinquents) is the story of a young man’s journey from prize-winning schoolboy to knife-carrying teenager. Struggling against the low expectations of those around him, John McGill changes from…
- 6
Joe Bell (2020)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaThe true story of a small town, working class father who embarks on a solo walk across the U.S. to crusade against bullying after his son is tormented in high school for being gay.
- 7
Kidulthood (2006)
★ 6.3/10Also dramaA day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London.
- 8
Teacher (2019)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaA high school English teacher goes to disturbing lengths to protect his favorite students from bullies, and challenge the power of a wealthy patron within the community.
- 9
The Hate U Give (2018)
★ 8.1/10Also dramaRaised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds…
- 10
Manic (2002)
★ 6.8/10Also dramaIn lieu of prison, Lyle, a violent adolescent, is placed in a juvenile mental institution where he encounters a group of equally troubled teens. This motley crew—abused, sexually confused, violent, and yet hanging on…
- 11
My Friend Dahmer (2017)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaJeffrey Dahmer struggles with a difficult family life as a young boy. During his teenage years he slowly transforms, edging closer to the serial killer he was to become.
- 12
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
★ 7.5/10Also drama and thrillerAfter her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.
- 13
The Good Neighbor (2022)
★ 6.7/10Also thriller and dramaA nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and…
- 14
I'm Not Ashamed (2016)
★ 7.1/10Also dramaBased on the journal entries of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed in the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.
- 15
Light It Up (1999)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and thrillerOn a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.
- 16
Chatroom (2010)
★ 5.8/10Also drama and thrillerWhen strangers Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online in his new 'Chelsea Teens!' chatroom, they're completely seduced by his fast-talking, charismatic character. But beneath the surface lies a much darker truth…
- 17
The Life Before Her Eyes (2008)
★ 6/10Also thriller and dramaAs the 15th anniversary of a fatal high school shooting approaches, former pupil Diana McFee is haunted by memories of the tragedy. After losing her best friend Maureen in the attack, Diana has been profoundly affected…
- 18
Legendary (2010)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaA book-smart teenager joins his school's wrestling team as a way to reunite his surviving family members, who split apart after the death of his father, a college wrestling legend, 10 years ago.
- 19
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
★ 7.8/10Also dramaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him…
- 20
The Plague (2025)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and thrillerA socially awkward tween endures the ruthless hierarchy at a water polo camp, his anxiety spiraling into psychological turmoil over the summer.