Movie

On the Come Up

2022 · 115 min

A scrappy, heartfelt climb through rap battles and family strain, carried by raw energy and a young lead finding her voice.

Directed by: Sanaa Lathan
Genres: Drama, Music
Starring: Jamila Gray, Noa Dior Rucker, Sanaa Lathan

Tagline: It only takes one battle to change your life.
Overview: Sixteen-year-old Brianna Jackson is a gifted rapper who plans to take the battle rap scene by storm to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father, a local hip-hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence. However, when her first hit song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she finds herself torn between the authenticity that got her this far and the false persona that the industry wants to impose on her.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Rent in the UK

Apple TV Store
Rakuten TV
Amazon Video

More options Data from JustWatch

Directed by: Sanaa Lathan
Genres: Drama, Music
Starring: Jamila Gray, Noa Dior Rucker, Sanaa Lathan

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: earneststrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: coming-of-age
identity
family
ambition
race
Places: big city
school
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: teen
Form: true story
Content intensity: Gore none
Language strong
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	1
Humour	3
Realism	8
Romance	3
Tension	6
Darkness	6
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	7

Titles like On the Come Up

TV series

All American

2018–2026

An emotional, character-driven drama where teenage dreams collide with adult pressures, mixing sports highs with raw family struggles.

Earnest, warm · about coming-of-age and identity

Via: earnest
warm
coming-of-age
identity
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 8

Details

All AmericanHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

8 Mile

2002

A gritty, scrappy climb through a bleak city, powered by raw performance and a hard-won sense of self-belief.

Earnest · about identity and family · true story

Via: earnest
identity
family
true story
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 111 min

Details

8 MileHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

A Bronx Tale

1993

A warm, bittersweet remembrance of growing up pulled between two father figures, with an undercurrent of racial menace that turns suddenly violent.

Earnest, warm · about coming-of-age and identity · true story

Via: earnest
warm
coming-of-age
identity
true story
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 121 min

Details

A Bronx TaleHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Secret Superstar

2017

A heartfelt, emotional journey of a talented girl overcoming abuse and finding her voice, with uplifting musical moments.

Earnest, warm · about coming-of-age and identity

Via: earnest
warm
coming-of-age
identity
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 150 min

Details

Secret SuperstarHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Girlhood

2014

A quietly intense, immersive character study that captures the raw, unglamorous reality of a teenager searching for belonging and selfhood.

Earnest, tense · about coming-of-age and identity

Via: earnest
tense
coming-of-age
identity
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 112 min

Details

GirlhoodHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Gully Boy

2019

A gritty yet soaring underdog story that pulses with raw energy, heartbreak, and the liberating power of self-expression.

Earnest, tense · about coming-of-age and identity

Via: earnest
tense
coming-of-age
identity
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 156 min

Details

Gully BoyHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Hate U Give

2018

A heartfelt and urgent coming-of-age drama that balances warmth with raw pain, leaving you moved and provoked.

Earnest, tense · about identity and family

Via: earnest
tense
identity
family
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 133 min

Details

The Hate U GiveHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

CODA

2021

A warm, funny, and deeply moving coming-of-age story about family, music, and finding your voice.

Earnest, warm · about coming-of-age and identity

Via: earnest
warm
coming-of-age
identity
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 112 min

Details

CODAHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Wild Rose

2019

A heartfelt, music-filled journey of self-discovery with raw performances and emotional honesty.

Earnest, warm · about identity and family

Via: earnest
warm
identity
family
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 101 min

Details

Wild RoseHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Star

2016–2019

A glossy, emotionally charged climb through the music industry, full of soaring performances, hard choices and sisterly friction.

Earnest, tense · about identity and family

Via: earnest
tense
identity
family
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 3

Details

StarHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Boyz n the Hood

1991

A slow-building, emotionally raw look at friendship and survival under constant threat, leaving a heavy, lingering sadness.

Earnest, tense · about coming-of-age and family · true story

Via: earnest
tense
coming-of-age
family
true story
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 112 min

Details

Boyz n the HoodHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

This Is Us

2016–2022

A tender, time-hopping family saga that regularly reduces you to tears, finding warmth and heartbreak in ordinary moments across generations.

Same director: Kay Oyegun · Earnest, warm · about identity and family

Also: Same director: Kay Oyegun
Via: earnest
warm
identity
family
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 6

Details

This Is UsHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent

Apple TV Store
Rakuten TV
Amazon Video
YouTube

Buy

Apple TV Store
Rakuten TV
Amazon Video
Sky Store
YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: drama, music
Directed by: Sanaa Lathan
Written by: Kay Oyegun
Starring: Jamila Gray, Noa Dior Rucker, Sanaa Lathan, Michael Cooper Jr., Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Method Man, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Justin Martin
Music: Daniel Wohl
Cinematography: Eric Branco
Runtime: 115 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

On the Come Up

How it feels

More like this

Titles like On the Come Up

Where to watch in the UK

Details