feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like Once (2007)

If you loved Once, the closest films we have are Moulin Rouge! (2001), A Star Is Born (2018) and Tender Mercies (1983). All three share Once's contemplative and stylish feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 6 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads and Lionsgate+ Amazon Channels and others, checked against today's data.

A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.

πŸ… 97% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. John Carneycontemplativestylishromantictender

When is Once streaming? β†’

If Once hit the spot, these will too

Moulin Rouge! poster
Moulin Rouge!
2001 Β· dir. Baz Luhrmann
πŸ… 75%β˜… 7.6drama Β· romance Β· music

The same mix in both: stillness, then style

A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.

Feels alike?
A Star Is Born poster
A Star Is Born
2018 Β· dir. Bradley Cooper
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.6music Β· drama Β· romance

Romantic where it counts, tender underneath

Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers β€” and falls in love with β€” struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer β€” until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.

Feels alike?
Tender Mercies poster
Tender Mercies
1983 Β· dir. Bruce Beresford
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.3drama Β· music Β· romance

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The difference: A 1980s film, from a different era of filmmaking

Alcoholic former country singer Mac Sledge makes friends with a young widow and her son. The friendship enables him to find inspiration to resume his career.

Feels alike?
Sing Street poster
Sing Street
2016 Β· dir. John Carney
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9romance Β· drama Β· music

Both are John Carney films, and they rhyme

The difference: Leans comedy where Once does not

A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.

Feels alike?
Begin Again poster
Begin Again
2014 Β· dir. John Carney
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.4comedy Β· music Β· romance

John Carney working the same nerve twice

Gretta, a budding songwriter, finds herself alone after her boyfriend Dave ditches her. Her life gains purpose when Dan, a record label executive, notices her talent.

Feels alike?
Dirty Dancing poster
Dirty Dancing
1987 Β· dir. Emile Ardolino
πŸ… 73%β˜… 7.1drama Β· music Β· romance

Stylish music, and it commits to that

Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hooferβ€”and unexpectedly falling in love.

Feels alike?
Step Up poster
Step Up
2006 Β· dir. Anne Fletcher
πŸ… 21%β˜… 6.5music Β· drama Β· romance

Both trade on romance more than on being romance

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.

Feels alike?
The Notebook poster
The Notebook
2004 Β· dir. Nick Cassavetes
πŸ… 55%β˜… 7.8romance Β· drama

The same preoccupation in both: love of one's life

The difference: Missing the style of Once

An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.

Feels alike?
Slumdog Millionaire poster
Slumdog Millionaire
2008 Β· dir. Danny Boyle
πŸ… 92%β˜… 8drama Β· romance

Drama with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

A teenager reflects on his life after being accused of cheating on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?".

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Pride & Prejudice poster
Pride & Prejudice
2005 Β· dir. Joe Wright
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.8drama Β· romance

Contemplative romance in both cases

A story of love and life among the landed English gentry during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is a gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters, but if he dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages.

Feels alike?
Brokeback Mountain poster
Brokeback Mountain
2005 Β· dir. Ang Lee
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.7drama Β· romance

Romantic music, and it commits to that

In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.

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Before Sunset poster
Before Sunset
2004 Β· dir. Richard Linklater
πŸ… 94%β˜… 8.1drama Β· romance

Both keep circling back to love of one's life

Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Once's defining feeling.