Movies like Mother (2024)
The best movies like Mother (2024) are Happiness for Beginners (2023), My Brilliant Career (1979) and 'Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023). If Mother hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedI Can't Think Straight (2008)7.5/10 from 341 votes
- NewestThe Breadwinner (2026)Released 2026
Happiness for Beginners (2023)
At a crossroads after her divorce, a schoolteacher ventures toward a fresh start in life — and love — when she signs up for a grueling group hiking trip.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Brilliant Career (1979)
A young woman who is determined to maintain her independence finds herself at odds with her family who wants her to tame her wild side and get married.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this'Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023)
Addie is a New York City chiropractor mistakenly receives a text from “Nana.” The accidental text turns into a loving friendship between the matronly Nana and Addie who now communicate regularly. Nana invites Addie to spend the holiday in Vermont. It is picture-postcard perfect and exactly as Nana described except for one surprise. Nana’s single son, James, a traveling doctor is also home for the holidays. Over three consecutive years, James and Addie are together during the holidays, though it isn’t until they are both single that they begin to see each other in a different light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGreat Expectations (1998)
Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Country Wedding (2015)
A famous country singer set to marry a glamorous Hollywood actress returns to his small town roots. When he crosses paths with his childhood sweetheart and finally feels inspired to write songs again he reevaluates his life, his values and his opinion of true love. As his wedding day approaches, he must decide if he has chosen the right woman to be his wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)
Pregnant out of wedlock, an educated young woman is pressured by her father into an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer in this drama set during WWII.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Lost Husband (2020)
Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Church (2016)
A unique friendship develops when a little girl and her dying mother inherit a cook - Mr. Church. What begins as an arrangement that should only last six months, instead spans fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMeet Me Next Christmas (2024)
On a quest to reconnect with the man of her dreams, Layla races across New York City to find a ticket to a sold-out Pentatonix Christmas Eve concert.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNorthern Lights of Christmas (2018)
Zoey Hathaway has been working towards her lifelong goal of being a pilot for years, but everything is thrown off-course when she unexpectedly inherits a reindeer farm, along with the dangerously handsome ranch hand Alec Wynn. Now buried in taking care of reindeer and all the Christmas responsibilities, Zoey thinks life has delivered her a strange and cumbersome blow, and she isn’t sure about Alec, who has his own ideas how best to run things. Alec, who has never had many people have faith in him, opens up when Zoey invests trust in him, and the two find themselves falling for each other. Could they both find happiness in the most unlikely of circumstances right before Christmas?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClaudine (1974)
Claudine is a single mother in New York City who endures an exhausting commute to the suburbs where she works as a maid for wealthy families. In one carefully tended white community, she meets Roop, a charismatic but irresponsible garbage collector. Romance quickly ensues, but Claudine doubts that their relationship is good for her six children, and Rupert, despite his good nature, is reluctant to take on fatherhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Safety of Objects (2002)
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDisappearing Acts (2000)
A struggling construction worker and an aspiring musician find themselves falling in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurve (2016)
Clinging to a smooth, curved surface high above a sentient abyss, a woman tries to cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
Plucky Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist. Trapped by inclement weather on the Isle of Mull and unable to continue to her destination, Joan finds herself charmed by the straightforward, no-nonsense islanders around her, and becomes increasingly attracted to naval officer Torquil MacNeil, who holds a secret that may change her life forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKaren Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017)
Maggie, a single mom has to balance between her career and her son, Jordan. Jordan finds a tutor named Casey to help him at school, and Casey becomes like a father figure. Will the three of them find happiness and love once again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove, Once and Always (2018)
When Lucy’s childhood sweetheart plans to tear down the Gilded Age estate and replace it with a golf course, Lucy fights to preserve the historic mansion at all costs. As Lucy and Duncan set out to find a compromise, they learn that embracing the past may be the key to protecting the future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlways Amore (2022)
The movie centers around Elizabeth who, with the support of her mother-in-law Nonna, is doing everything she can to keep her late husband’s once acclaimed — but now struggling — Italian restaurant afloat. With business going downhill, she is forced to work with a professional restaurant consultant, Ben, to see if they can turn things around. At first, Elizabeth resists the changes Ben believes will save the restaurant, but as they get closer, Elizabeth realizes that not all change is bad. She rediscovers her passion for baking and might even open her heart to new love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Can't Think Straight (2008)
Tala, a London-based Palestinian, is preparing for her elaborate Middle Eastern wedding when she meets Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend. Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other, but the attraction is immediate and goes deeper than friendship. But Tala is not ready to accept the implications of the choice her heart has made for her and escapes back to Jordan, while Leyla tries to move on with her new-found life, to the shock of her tradition-loving parents. As Tala's wedding day approaches, simmering tensions come to boiling point and the pressure mounts for Tala to be true to herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSa platja d'es Marquès (2025)
The Font Bover family spends the day at the beach. Available on YouTube
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Mannequin (1987)
Jonathan Switcher, an unemployed artist, finds a job as an assistant window dresser for a department store. When Jonathan happens upon a beautiful mannequin he previously designed, she springs to life and introduces herself as Emmy, an Egyptian under an ancient spell. Despite interference from the store's devious manager, Jonathan and his mannequin fall in love while creating eye-catching window displays to keep the struggling store in business.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBurning the Baby Nut (TBA)
A young lad finds out about the existence of the Planter's 'Baby Nut'
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Autism the Movie (2026)
A brief documentary showcasing the events of a persons Autism reveal party with their friends
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Mamma Mia! (2008)
A spirited young bride-to-be living with her single mother on a small Greek island secretly invites three of her mother's ex-boyfriends in hope of finding her biological father to walk her down the aisle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlow Out (1981)
While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Breadwinner (2026)
After his wife Katie lands a once-in-a-lifetime deal on Shark Tank that takes her on a prolonged business trip - lifelong breadwinner Nate Wilcox now has to fend for his family as a first-time stay-at-home dad.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDCW: THE MOVIE (2021)
In this epic remake of the 2016 film, based on the childhood card game of DCW, the characters of Donovan, Jash and Season Square go on a journey, exploring the crazy world of DCW but Jacky Joe Hunter is here to end the fun with a mysterious magical gem...
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Wicked City (1987)
A peace treaty between the Earth and the Black World, a parallel universe of demons, is coming to an end. Two cops, Taki, a human male, and Maki, a female demon, are assigned to protect a diplomat who will help secure another treaty. A radical group of demons from the Black World are out to assassinate the diplomat and prevent the treaty; only the bond that forms between the two cops can save the Earth from destruction.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrush (2022)
When an aspiring young artist is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as an opportunity to pursue the girl she's been harboring a long-time crush on. But she soon finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate and discovers what real love feels like.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Mother?
The closest matches to Mother are Happiness for Beginners (2023), My Brilliant Career (1979) and 'Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Mother?
Start with Happiness for Beginners (2023), the closest match to Mother.
What is the highest-rated movie like Mother?
I Can't Think Straight (2008), rated 7.5/10 by 341 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Mother?
The Breadwinner (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Mother?
Yes: Happiness for Beginners (2023), My Brilliant Career (1979) and 'Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023).
How are movies similar to Mother chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Mother, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.