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Radio Rebel poster

Movies that feel likeRadio Rebel (2012)

High school senior Tara is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out -- doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tara surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, "Radio Rebel" -- and to everyone's shock, she's a hit!

If you loved Radio Rebel, the closest films we have are The School of Rock (2003), Paper Planes (2014) and A Mighty Wind (2003). All three share Radio Rebel's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is You, the Living (2007).

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If Radio Rebel hit the spot, these will too

The School of Rock poster
The School of Rock
2003 · dir. Richard Linklater
🍅 92%★ 7.2comedy · family · musicParamount+Starz

Witty and playful in the same breath

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Radio Rebel

Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his straight-A students the finer points of rock 'n' roll and the power of sticking it to the man. But as the school’s stern principal closes in and the Battle of the Bands looms, Dewey must risk everything to prove that rock 'n' roll can change lives.

Paper Planes poster
Paper Planes
2014 · dir. Robert Connolly
🍅 85%★ 6.2comedy · family · dramaStarz

Both land stillness and warmth at once

Dylan discovers he has a talent for making paper planes. He has a chance to compete in a world championship, but he'll have to face bullies and self-doubt to do so.

A Mighty Wind poster
A Mighty Wind
2003 · dir. Christopher Guest
🍅 87%★ 7.2comedy · music

Stylish comedy in both cases

Three eclectic, never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager to put on an reunion concert in his honor, at the request of his son.

Alibi.com poster
Alibi.com
2017 · dir. Philippe Lacheau
🍅 67%★ 6.5comedy · familyRent or buy

Both lean on comfort more than on family

Greg founded a company called Alibi.com that creates any type of alibi. With his associate, Augustin, and Medhi his new employee, they devise unstoppable stratagems and stagings to cover their clients. But meeting Flo, a pretty blonde who hates men who lie, will complicate Greg's life, which begins by hiding the true nature of his activity. During the presentation to parents, Greg understands that Gérard, the father of Flo, is also one of their clients.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil poster
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
2008 · dir. Sacha Gervasi
🍅 98%★ 7.9documentary · musicPrime Video

Music built on stillness, twice over

The difference: Sits closer to documentary than Radio Rebel does

At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams.

You, the Living poster
You, the Living
2007 · dir. Roy Andersson
🍅 98%★ 7.4drama · comedy · music

Drama with a pulse of wit, in both cases

In the Swedish city of Lethe, people from different walks of life take part in a series of short, deadpan vignettes that rush past. Some are just seconds long, none longer than a couple of minutes. A young woman remembers a fantasy honeymoon with a rock guitarist. A man awakes from a dream about bomber planes. A businessman boasts about success while being robbed by a pickpocket, and so on. The absurdist collection is accompanied by Dixieland jazz and similar music.

Fala Sério, Mãe! poster
Fala Sério, Mãe!
2017 · dir. Pedro Vasconcelos
★ 6.1comedy · family

Playful tv movie, and it commits to that

Ângela Cristina, mother of teenager Maria de Lourdes, has to deal with the difficulties and delights of guiding her daughter during one of the most complicated stages of life.

Tolo Tolo poster
Tolo Tolo
2020 · dir. Checco Zalone
★ 5.7comedy · drama · family

Comedy with a pulse of warmth, in both cases

Checco is a young Apulian entrepreneur dreamer who has opened a sushi restaurant in his Apulia. However, after one month, the restaurant went bankrupt and he chose to emigrate to Africa to escape from debt. Here he adapts to being a waiter in a resort in Kenya, but at the outbreak of a civil war he decides to embark on a stowaway trip on a boat for migrants to Europe and chooses to do it with his African friends. However, he would not like to return to Italy, but rather to go to Liechtenstein where banking secrecy is in force and there is a lower tax burden than in Italy.

Mr. Popper's Penguins poster
Mr. Popper's Penguins
2011 · dir. Mark Waters
🍅 47%★ 6comedy · family

Family with a pulse of comfort, in both cases

Tom Popper is a successful businessman who’s clueless when it comes to the really important things in life...until he inherits six “adorable” penguins, each with its own unique personality. Soon Tom’s rambunctious roommates turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland — and the rest of his world upside-down.

Waiting for Guffman poster
Waiting for Guffman
1997 · dir. Christopher Guest
🍅 91%★ 7.4comedy · music

Music built on style, twice over

Aspiring director Corky St. Clair and the marginally talented amateur cast of his hokey small-town musical production go overboard when they learn that Broadway theater agent Mort Guffman will be in attendance.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked poster
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
2011 · dir. Mike Mitchell
🍅 10%★ 4.5comedy · fantasy · familyDisney+

Witty drama in both cases

Playing around while aboard a cruise ship, the Chipmunks and Chipettes accidentally go overboard and end up marooned in a tropical paradise. They discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems.

English Vinglish poster
English Vinglish
2012 · dir. Gauri Shinde
🍅 83%★ 7.8comedy · drama · family

Tv movie with a pulse of play, in both cases

In the United States for the first time, an Indian housewife with a limited command of English turns Manhattan into her personal language school.

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The best-reviewed films that share Radio Rebel’s defining feeling.