urban backdrop

Movies with urban vibe

The Hate U Give

1. The Hate U Give

Crime Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.5
20182h 13min

Overview

Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.

Themes

Police accountability, Racial injustice, Urban school divide, Youth protest and activism, Community response to violence, Family threat and resilience

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Billionaire Boys Club

2. Billionaire Boys Club

Drama Professional Drama
5.6
20181h 48min

Overview

A group of wealthy boys in Los Angeles during the early 1980s establishes a get rich quick scam that turns deadly.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Risk and consequence, Wealth and ambition, Ponzi scheme ethics, Get rich quick impulse, Youthful excess

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Sorry to Bother You

3. Sorry to Bother You

Fantasy Science Fiction Comedy Satire Simulation & Reality-Shift Sci-Fi
6.9
20181h 52min

Overview

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe.

Themes

Class inequality, Power and control, Labor exploitation, Ambition vs ethics, Media spectacle, Racial dynamics

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Set It Up

4. Set It Up

Romance Comedy Romantic Comedy Workplace Comedy
6.5
20181h 45min

Overview

Two overworked and underpaid assistants come up with a plan to get their bosses off their backs by setting them up with each other.

Themes

Loyalty vs ambition, Romance under pressure, Career vs romance, Workplace power dynamics, Manipulation in matchmaking, Office dating schemes

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hearts Beat Loud

5. Hearts Beat Loud

Music Drama Comedy Family Family Drama
6.9
20181h 37min

Overview

In the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, single dad and record store owner Frank is preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam off to college while being forced to close his vintage shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly jam sessions into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery.

Themes

Economic precarity, Family responsibility, Creative collaboration under pressure, Ambition vs obligation, Viral exposure consequences, Moving forward through change

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Death Wish

6. Death Wish

Action Crime Thriller Drama One-Person Army
6.3
20181h 47min

Overview

A mild-mannered father is transformed into a killing machine after his family is torn apart by a violent act.

Themes

Moral ambiguity, Vigilante justice, Media polarization, Family trauma, Gun violence, Personal isolation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Newness

7. Newness

Romance Drama Passionate Romance Relationship Drama
6.3
20171h 52min

Overview

In contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.

Themes

Open relationship strain, Dinner party dynamics, Hookup culture pressures, Dating app culture, Open relationship jealousy

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Outlaws

8. The Outlaws

Action Crime Thriller Martial Arts Action Organized Crime
7.2
20172h 1min

Overview

In Chinatown, law and order is turned upside down when a trio of feral Chinese gangsters arrive, start terrorizing civilians, and usurping territory. The beleaguered local gangsters team up with the police, lead by the badass loose cannon Ma Seok-do, to bring them down. Based on a true story.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Moral ambiguity in policing, Police collaboration with criminals, Urban crime and enclave dynamics, Territory driven gang conflict, Fear and power in the city

Available on

Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
Xumo Play
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Batman and Harley Quinn

9. Batman and Harley Quinn

Adventure Animation Comedy Crime City Adventure
5.9
20171h 14min

Overview

Batman and Nightwing are forced to team with the Joker's sometimes-girlfriend Harley Quinn to stop a global threat brought about by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man.

Themes

Parole and reintegration, Deception and alliance, Ambiguous loyalties, Scientific risk and control, Humanity versus nature, Eco-ethics and consequence

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

10. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Action Adventure Science Fiction Superhero Action Coming-of-Age Adventure
7.4
20172h 13min

Overview

Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City, with fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.

Themes

Power and responsibility, Secrecy and disclosure, New york city pressure, High school dynamics, Youth under pressure, Institutional oversight, Mentoring vs independence, Improvisation under constraint

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.