Movies Like Dying to Belong

If you liked Dying to Belong (1997), a tv movie and drama movie directed by William A. Graham, 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
Grease Live (2016)
★ 7.1/10Also tv movie
After enjoying a holiday romance, high school students Danny and Sandy are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High, where she must contend with cynical Rizzo and the Pink Ladies.
2
Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and tv movie
A college student must take care of her 7-year-old half sister after the death of their parents.
3
Flowers in the Attic (2014)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and tv movie
After the sudden death of their father, four children face cruel treatment from their ruthless grandmother.
4
Seeds of Yesterday (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also tv movie and drama
The Sheffield family reveal and go through some home truths as their middle child inherits the Foxworth mansion. The family's ghosts looming over, and more tragedies are in store as the curse lives on.
5
Upside-Down Magic (2020)
★ 7.1/10Also tv movie
Nory and her best friend Reina enter the Sage Academy for Magical Studies, where Nory’s unconventional powers land her in a class for those with wonky, or “upside-down,” magic. Undaunted, Nory sets out to prove that…
6
The Karate Kid (1984)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny…
7
Julia (1977)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.
8
Upstream Color (2013)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the lifecycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.
9
My Salinger Year (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
A college grad takes a clerical job working for the literary agent of the renowned, reclusive writer J.D. Salinger.
10
Clouds (2020)
★ 8.2/10Also drama
Young musician Zach Sobiech discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
11
Blue Chips (1994)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the…
12
The Woman in the Window (1944)
★ 7.4/10Also drama
A seductive woman gets an innocent professor mixed up in murder.
13
How to Build a Better Boy (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also tv movie
After inadvertently inputting the qualities of the ideal boyfriend into a high-tech government computer, two social outcasts named Mae and Gabby must contend with Albert, a cybernetic sweetheart with only one…
14
Eleanor the Great (2025)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
15
Cyberbully (2011)
★ 6/10Also drama and tv movie
A woman tries to help her teenage daughter when she becomes the victim of online bullying.
16
A Wife's Nightmare (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and tv movie
Liz, just returned home after a mental breakdown, has to welcome a relative stranger into her home when Caitlin, a young, vivacious woman, claims to be her husband's daughter.
17
A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
A college student tries to get rich quick by wooing two wealthy sisters.
18
Inside I'm Dancing (2004)
★ 7.4/10Also drama
Michael is a 24-year-old who has cerebral palsy and long-term resident of the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled, run by the formidable Eileen. His life is transformed when the maverick Rory O'Shea moves in.
19
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (2016)
★ 7.8/10Also drama and tv movie
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves in 1890s London in this holiday special.
20
Jonathan (2018)
★ 5.9/10Also drama
Jonathan is a young man with a strange condition that only his brother understands. But when he begins to yearn for a different life, their unique bond becomes increasingly tested.