Movies Like Limelight

If you liked Limelight (2011), a documentary movie directed by Billy Corben, 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
Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary
The life and tragic death of Whitney Houston.
2
BRATS (2024)
★ 6.1/10Also documentary
In the 1980s, Andrew McCarthy was part of a young generation of actors who were set to take over Hollywood after a string of successful teen movies. However, when the New York magazine cover story in 1985 dubs them the…
3
A Toxic Love Story (2026)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
4
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy (2021)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary
A cheap, powerful drug emerges during a recession, igniting a moral panic fueled by racism. Explore the complex history of crack in the 1980s.
5
My Mom Jayne (2025)
★ 7.9/10Also documentary
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and…
6
Lucy and Desi (2022)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
Explore the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz risked everything to be together.
7
Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (2022)
★ 6.1/10Also documentary
A sexual wellness company gains fame and followers, then members come forward with shocking allegations.
8
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
9
The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary
Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.
10
Voyeur (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also documentary
Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.
11
Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
Hailed as one of the most innovative and intimate documentaries of all time, experience Kurt Cobain like never before in the only ever fully authorized portrait of the famed music icon. Academy Award nominated…
12
De Palma (2016)
★ 7/10Also documentary
An intimate conversation between filmmakers, chronicling De Palma’s 55-year career, his life, and his filmmaking process, with revealing anecdotes and, of course, a wealth of film clips.
13
Biggie & Tupac (2002)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick…
14
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
Vulgar, taunting texts blow up the phones of a teen and her boyfriend. Who's sending them — and why? This twisty documentary reveals the shocking answer.
15
Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017)
★ 6/10Also documentary
The courtroom and publicity battles between the superstar wrestler and the notorious website explode in a sensational trial all about the limits of the First Amendment and the new no holds barred nature of celebrity…
16
Pamela, A Love Story (2023)
★ 7/10Also documentary
In her own words, through personal video and diaries, Pamela Anderson shares the story of her rise to fame, rocky romances and infamous sex tape scandal.
17
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
18
Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
In the 1980s, ruthless Colombian cocaine barons invaded Miami with a brand of violence unseen in this country since Prohibition-era Chicago - and it put the city on the map. "Cocaine Cowboys" is the true story of how…
19
McQueen (2018)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own…
20
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.