Movies like If My Mother... Only Knew (1986)
The best movies like If My Mother... Only Knew (1986) are The Festival (2018), Butterflies Are Free (1972) and Mammal (2016). If If My Mother... Only Knew hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCrossroads (1986)7.4/10 from 504 votes
- Newest40 Dates and 40 Nights (2026)Released 2026
The Festival (2018)
After Nick's girlfriend dumps him, his best mate Shane has the perfect antidote to his break-up blues: three days at an epic music festival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisButterflies Are Free (1972)
Striving to be independent, the blind but determined Don Baker moves away from his overprotective mother. After settling into his new San Francisco digs, Don meets kooky neighbor Jill Tanner. Don's quick wit and good looks disarm the free-spirited Jill, and before long they're more than just friends. Will Mrs. Baker's incessant meddling destroy Don and Jill's budding relationship?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMammal (2016)
After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this40 Dates and 40 Nights (2026)
Ready to quit the dating scene altogether, burned-out Leah accepts her grandmother's outrageous challenge—40 dates in 40 nights in exchange for a year's rent—only to discover amidst the awkward dinners and unexpected sparks that her biggest obstacle to love is herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Clique (2008)
A young girl tries to fit in with a clique of popular middle school girls after moving into the guest house of one of their homes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000)
A close-knit group of gay friends share the emotional roller coster of life, relationships, the death of friends, new beginnings, jealousy, fatherhood and professional success. At various stages of life's disarray, these young men share humorous and tragic relationships and always have each other to rely on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBand Aid (2017)
A couple who can't stop fighting embark on a last-ditch effort to save their marriage: turning their fights into songs and starting a band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Overnight (2015)
Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisCrossroads (1986)
A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEden Lake (2008)
When a young couple goes to a remote wooded lake for a romantic getaway, their quiet weekend is shattered by an aggressive group of local kids. Rowdiness quickly turns to rage as the teens terrorize the couple in unimaginable ways, and a weekend outing becomes a bloody battle for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFifty Shades Freed (2018)
Believing they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian and Ana fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTotally F***ed Up (1994)
Gay, alienated Los Angeles teens have a hard time as their parents kick them out of their homes, they don’t have money, their lovers cheat, and they are harassed by gay-bashers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Killing of Sister George (1968)
The life of a soap opera actress begins to unravel as she fears her character will be written out of the series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQuadrophenia (1979)
Based on the 1973 rock opera album of the same name by The Who, this is the story of 60s teenager Jimmy. At work he slaves in a dead-end job. While after, he shops for tailored suits and rides his scooter as part of the London Mod scene.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSublet (2020)
A gay New York Times travel writer comes to Tel Aviv after suffering a tragedy. The energy of the city and his relationship with a younger man brings him back to life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTromeo & Juliet (1996)
All the body-piercing, kinky sex, and car crashes that Shakespeare wanted but never had! Join Tromeo and Juliet as they travel through Manhattan's underground in search of climactic love, violence and the American Way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpontaneous (2020)
When students in their high school begin inexplicably exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLuckiest Girl Alive (2022)
A successful woman in New York City finds her life upended when she is forced to confront a dark truth that threatens to unravel her meticulously crafted life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJeff, Who Lives at Home (2012)
Dispatched from his basement room on an errand for his mother, slacker Jeff might discover his destiny (finally) when he spends the day with his brother as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)
On a run-down Bradford council estate, teenagers Rita and Sue both share a job babysitting for Bob and Michelle's children. On the way home one night, Bob takes Rita and Sue up to a deserted, countryside landscape. Knowing what he has in mind, the girls are only too happy to oblige and both have a sexual encounter with him that becomes a regular occurrence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like If My Mother... Only Knew and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like If My Mother... Only Knew?
The closest matches to If My Mother... Only Knew are The Festival (2018), Butterflies Are Free (1972) and Mammal (2016). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after If My Mother... Only Knew?
Start with The Festival (2018), the closest match to If My Mother... Only Knew.
What is the highest-rated movie like If My Mother... Only Knew?
Crossroads (1986), rated 7.4/10 by 504 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like If My Mother... Only Knew?
40 Dates and 40 Nights (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like If My Mother... Only Knew?
Yes: The Festival (2018), Butterflies Are Free (1972) and Mammal (2016).
How are movies similar to If My Mother... Only Knew chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside If My Mother... Only Knew, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.