Movies like Malika (2010)
The best movies like Malika (2010) are Max (2015), Martian Child (2007) and Instant Family (2018). If Malika hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Malika
Quick picks
- Highest ratedInstant Family (2018)7.5/10 from 3,356 votes
- NewestDie My Love (2025)Released 2025
Max (2015)
A dog that helped soldiers in Afghanistan returns to the U.S. and is adopted by his handler's family after suffering a traumatic experience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMartian Child (2007)
A recently-widowed science fiction writer considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6-year-old abandoned and socially-rejected boy who says he's really from Mars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInstant Family (2018)
When Pete and Ellie decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15 year old girl, they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChestnut: Hero of Central Park (2004)
Ray and Sal, two orphaned sisters, adopt and hide a Great Dane puppy from their two adopted parents living in a luxury downtown New York apartment that expressely forbids dogs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDog Days (2018)
Elizabeth, a charming morning show news anchor, seeks advice from her dog's therapist after a breakup. Tara, a spunky barista, dreams of a life beyond the coffee shop. Awkward Garrett pines for Tara while trying to keep his adopt-a-dog business afloat. Dax is a man-child and leader of the aspiring rock band Frunk. Grace and Kurt anxiously await the arrival of their adoptive daughter, Amelia. Walter, an aging, lonely widower, loses his dog Mabel when she runs off. The beloved canines in their lives soon start to influence their careers, friendships, and romantic relationships in funny and unexpected ways.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dog's Way Home (2019)
The adventure of Bella, a dog who embarks on an epic 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her beloved human.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnne of Green Gables (2016)
Anne Shirley, an orphan, is fostered by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to be sent them to help with their farm work. They accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDecember Boys (2007)
For many years, four teenage orphans at an Australian outback convent have watched their younger comrades find new parents, and realize that they may never be adopted. The Reverend Mother sends the four boys away on a seaside vacation, where they meet Teresa and Fearless, a couple who would make perfect parents. The youths compete with one another to be the one Teresa and Fearless decide to adopt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMother and Child (2009)
The lives of three women have a commonality: adoption. Karen is a physical therapist who regrets that, as a teenager, she gave up her daughter for adoption. Elizabeth was an adopted child and is now a successful lawyer, but her personal life lacks warmth. Lucy and her husband have failed to conceive and now hope to adopt a baby to make their family complete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMegan Leavey (2017)
The true story of Marine Corporal Megan Leavey, who forms a powerful bond with an aggressive combat dog, Rex. While deployed in Iraq, the two complete more than 100 missions and save countless lives, until an IED explosion puts their faithfulness to the test.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGoodnight, Mister Tom (1998)
A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBecause of Winn-Dixie (2005)
A girl, abandoned by her mother when she was three, moves to a small town in Florida with her father. There, she adopts an orphaned dog she names Winn-Dixie. The bond between the girl and her special companion brings together the people in a small Florida town and heals her own troubled relationship with her father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWendy and Lucy (2008)
A near-penniless drifter's journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHotel for Dogs (2009)
Placed in a foster home that doesn't allow pets, 16-year-old Andi and her younger brother, Bruce, turn an abandoned hotel into a home for their dog. Soon other strays arrive, and the hotel becomes a haven for every orphaned canine in town. But the kids have to do some quick thinking to keep the cops off their tails.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLike Dandelion Dust (2009)
Rip Porter is sentenced to seven years in prison for beating his wife, Wendy. When he is released, he discovers that Wendy gave up their child, and the privileged Campbell family adopted him. The two families are soon in a legal battle for the child they both love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDie My Love (2025)
After inheriting a remote Montana house, Jackson moves there from New York with his partner Grace, and the couple soon welcome a child. As Jackson becomes increasingly absent and rural isolation sets in, Grace struggles with loneliness, creative frustration, and unresolved emotional wounds. What begins as an attempt at renewal gradually turns into an intense psychological descent, placing strain on their relationship and exposing the fragile balance between love, identity, and motherhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Home of Our Own (1993)
In 1960s Los Angeles an energetic widow and her six children try to make a dream of theirs come true: to have a home of their own. They leave L.A. and head for the countryside, all the while facing numerous difficulties and obstacles during their journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove and Sunshine (2019)
Ally Craig has been fostering retired military dog, Sunshine, as she recovers from a broken engagement. But sparks fly again when Sunshine's military partner, Jake Terry, returns to claim the dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShiloh (1996)
An abused beagle runs away from his owner. On the road, he meets young Marty Preston and follows him home. The boy immediately forms a bond with the dog and names him Shiloh. His stern father won't let him keep the dog because it belongs to Judd Travers, a local hunter. After Shiloh is mistreated again, he runs away and returns to Marty. Knowing his father will once again make him bring Shiloh back to Judd, he makes a home for the dog in an old shed up the hill from the Prestons' house and hides him from his family. His secret is soon discovered when a stray attacks the dog one night and he must turn to his father for help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEat, Play, Love (2017)
Veterinarian Dr. Carly Monroe makes it a habit to stop by the local dog shelter as often as possible because she loves dogs and secretly loves the shelter’s owner, Dan. Unfortunately, he has agreed to marry his glamorous TV personality girlfriend and move to the Big Apple. With Dan’s big move looming, his sister decides to take matters into her own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like Malika and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Malika?
The closest matches to Malika are Max (2015), Martian Child (2007) and Instant Family (2018). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Malika?
Start with Max (2015), the closest match to Malika.
What is the highest-rated movie like Malika?
Instant Family (2018), rated 7.5/10 by 3,356 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Malika?
Die My Love (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Malika?
Yes: Max (2015), Martian Child (2007) and Instant Family (2018).
How are movies similar to Malika chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Malika, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.