In Concrete Cowboy, Idris Elba shines as Harp, a Black Cowboy in a small Philadelphia community. When his son estranged son Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) has to spend the summer with his father, tensions rise between the two. The movie takes you through humor, kinship, tough love and ultimately, an undeniable bond. A bond that only a father and son can share. Liked Concrete Cowboy? Here’s a list of 6 more movies like Concrete Cowboy.
6 Touching Family Drama Movies Like Concrete Cowboy
1 Dreamer (2005)
Dreamer is as close as a movie plot can get to what you saw in Concrete Cowboy. It’s about a father and his daughter and a horse they rescue together. An estranged father (Kurt Russell) and daughter (Dakota Fanning) form a bond over an unlikely activity, nursing a mare with a broken leg back to health.
Dakota Fanning is exceptional as a child artist. The movie will fill you with warmth, love and hope. If the horses are what fascinated you in Concrete Cowboy, you will love the scenic horse country depictions generously shown in this movie. As the father-daughter bond strengthens, they see an opportunity to let the once forsaken mare race again, in all its glory.
It’s a feel good movie that gives you everything you liked in Concrete Cowboy – family and horses.
2 The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Even if you have already seen Pursuit of Happyness, which you probably have, it might be time for a refresher. Real life father and son Will Smith and Jaden Smith come together in this heartfelt drama about a father trying to care for his son, despite all odds.
Will Smith is Chris Gardner, a down on his luck medical device sales rep trying to make ends meet. When his wife leaves him to care for his son Christopher (Jaden Smith), all on his own, Chris digs deep in life. There are many poignant scenes where you see the somewhat troubled yet resolute bond between father and son.
The Pursuit of Happyness is a favorite at IMDB, with almost half a million votes. It rates in at a very respectable 8/10.
3 A River Runs Through It (1992)
A Robert Redford directing masterpiece, A River Runs Through It is about a father and his two sons. The MacLean brothers Norman (Craig Sheffer) and Paul (Brad Pitt) grow up in rural Montana, spending most of their time fly fishing. Their father is Rev. Maclean, a minister. Norman leaves to attend college while the rebellious Paul resorts to trouble around his hometown. But, when Norman returns, the brothers and their father get together again, going back to their favorite fly fishing escapades.
But, what then unfolds is a beautiful coming together of again, showing that the bond between father and brothers is one for the ages The movie won an Oscar for best cinematography and is widely considered to be pop culture’s favorite father-son movie.
4 Trouble with the Curve (2012)
Trouble with the Curve is about baseball. It’s also about a father and daughter trying to put their differences aside, to be family again. Clint Eastwood is Gus, a grumpy and irate baseball scout whose eyes have started to fail him. Gus’s baseball team wants him gone as a scout, as they think he is well past his prime. But, a friend in the clubhouse wants Gus to stay. To help him keep his job, this friend asks Mickey (Amy Adams) if she will accompany Gus. Mickey is very knowledgeable about baseball and the hope is that Gus can use her as his eyes and ears on the field.
But, Gus is impervious to Mickey’s help. Even worse, tensions rise between them even as father and daughter. But, their love for baseball allows them to slowly but surely bond and unite. As with most Clint Eastwood movies, this one too ends with triumph. Simply a feel good movie that will reinstate the love between a father and a child, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
Clint Eastwood is brilliant in a role that requires what his acting pretty much specializes in, being stoic, irate and stubborn. Amy Adams is brilliant as the yuppie daughter who frustratingly struggles to mend fences with her father. John Goodman plays the loyal friend who believes in Gus when nobody else doesn’t.
Justin Timberlake plays Johnny, Mickey’s funny love interest. His acting and role keeps the plot moving along with a few nicely timed laughs. Just a feel good movie that you will appreciate as a father or as a son or daughter.
5 The Judge (2014)
Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a hot shot city lawyer. He is estranged to his father Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), a judge in a fairly quiet town. But, when the judge is accused of murder, Hank rushes home to try to represent his father. But, he is met with nothing but stubbornness and indifference from his father. Hank also shares a troubled relationship with is brother Glen (Vincent D’Onofrio), which further fuels his father’s dislike towards him.
But, despite the dysfunctional family’s many troubles, the will to protect one’s family comes to the forefront, at all costs. Slowly but surely, the walls between father, son and brothers are broken. The story beautifully weaves in a troubled father son relationship alongside a trial for murder. Billy Bob Thornton is brilliant as the prosecuting attorney who wants Joseph convicted for murder. A movie with some very touching scenes between father and son. Some are high-strung with neither Hank nor Joseph mincing any words. Some show the precarious nature of a relationship between an aging father and young and impatient son. Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant as the big-city lawyer who does his best to keep all emotions at bay.
Just a great movie with brilliant acting a taut plot.
6 Real Steel (2011)
We know you probably didn’t expect a movie about fighting robots in this list of movies like Concrete Cowboy. But, Real Steel is as much a family movie as it is about robots and sci-fi. It portrays an evolving relationship between father and son. From simply disliking each other at the beginning to unmistakably bonding towards the end, this is a feel good movie that the whole family will enjoy.
Hugh Jackman is Charlie Kenton, a prized ex-boxer who now builds and fights fighting robots for a living. But, when is entrusted with the care of Max Kenton, his estranged son, he doesn’t want anything to do with him. But, over robots, fights and traveling to competitions, the two become inseparably close. There’s comedy. There’s tension. Then, there’s empathy and love.
The robot fights are very entertaining as well. The movie has almost 300,000 votes at IMDB, with a very impressive average rating of 7.1.
Liked our list of movies like Concrete Cowboy? Which one are you going to watch first? Drop us a line with your thoughts! We will be glad to hear from you.
Just got done watching Dreamer after coming across your post. We loved it!