Movies Like The Best Years of Our Lives

If you liked The Best Years of Our Lives (1972), a drama movie directed by Süreyya Duru, 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 Champ (1979)
★ 7/10Also drama
Billy used to be a great boxer, but he's settled into a hardscrabble life that revolves around drinking, training horses, and the one bright spot in his existence — his young son, T.J. Although Billy has had custody of…
2
The Champ (1931)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
A broken-down alcoholic prizefighter struggles to keep custody of his adoring son.
3
Fat City (1972)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
The story of two men, a veteran boxer who is down and out, and a young man who is just starting his life and boxing career. Their fighting careers cross paths as their lives and fortunes head in opposite directions.
4
Creed III (2023)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed has thrived in his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is…
5
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
After suffering a brutal defeat and being told he can no longer fight, 37-year-old, scar-ridden prizefighter Louis 'Mountain' Rivera struggles to find a new direction in life.
6
Out of the Furnace (2013)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
Two brothers live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, when a cruel twist of fate lands one in prison. His brother is then lured into one of the most violent crime rings in the Northeast.
7
Salvable (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
When a battered boxer past his prime finds his dreams and his relationships on the ropes, he falls back in with a dangerous crowd and has to take the biggest swing of his life to reclaim his hope and his family.
8
Raging Bull (1980)
★ 7.9/10Also drama
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
9
Southpaw (2015)
★ 7.4/10Also drama
Billy "The Great" Hope, the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his…
10
Embattled (2020)
★ 6.7/10Also drama
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
11
Creed II (2018)
★ 7/10Also drama
Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family's past, Adonis Creed is up against the challenge of his life.
12
Champion (1949)
★ 6.7/10Also drama
An unscrupulous boxer fights his way to the top, but eventually alienates all of the people who helped him on the way up.
13
Big George Foreman (2023)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
Fueled by an impoverished childhood, George Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to…
14
The Cut (2025)
★ 6/10Also drama
A retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal…
15
The Fighter (2010)
★ 7.4/10Also drama
Boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs…
16
Rocky IV (1985)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
Rocky Balboa holds the world heavyweight championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union. This time, Rocky's training regimen…
17
180 (2026)
★ 5.9/10Also drama
When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.
18
Hands of Stone (2016)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
19
First Match (2018)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood decides that wrestling boys is the only way back to her estranged father.
20
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
The story of boxer Rocky Graziano's rise from juvenile delinquent to world champ.