Skip to content

Movies like The Cakemaker (2017)

The best movies like The Cakemaker (2017) are Adopt a Highway (2019), Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015) and Nomadland (2021). If The Cakemaker hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Adopt a Highway (2019)

    Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn how to use the internet – he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015)

    Based on the New York Times bestselling book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, the film will take viewers on a mouthwatering mystery that centers on Hannah Swensen, shop owner of the Cookie Jar where much of the town's gossip percolates along with the strong coffee. But when a mysterious murder occurs, Hannah turns into a culinary detective and finds herself trying to solve the crime while getting caught in an unexpected romantic mystery of her own.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Nomadland (2021)

    A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Synecdoche, New York (2008)

    A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. 13 Minutes (2021)

    As a new day begins in the small American town of Minninnewah, the residents start their day as ordinary as the next. Mother Nature, however, has other plans for them. Inhabitants have just 13 minutes to seek shelter before the largest tornado on record ravages the town, leaving them struggling to protect their loved ones and fighting for their lives. Left to deal with the aftermath, four families must overcome their differences and find strength in each other in order to survive.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  6. The Greatest (2009)

    Teenagers Rose and Bennett were in love, and then a car crash claimed Bennett's life. He left behind a grieving mother, father and younger brother, and Rose was left all alone. She has no family to turn to for support, so when she finds out she's pregnant, she winds up at the Brewer's door. She needs their help, and although they can't quite admit it, they each need her so they can begin to heal.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Despair (1978)

    Berlin, 1930, during the rise of Nazism. Hermann Hermann, a Russian emigrant and chocolate manufacturer, married to the capricious Lydia, loses his temper more and more every day when dealing with his workers and other businessmen; until he meets Felix, a vagrant, who seems to be physically identical to him; a disconcerting fact that leads Hermann Hermann to plot a particular way out of a fake world he actually hates.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)

    Bruce Springsteen, a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. The Other Woman (2010)

    Emilia, a law-school graduate, falls in love with her married boss, Jack. After Emilia marries Jack, her happiness turns unexpectedly to grief following the death of her infant daughter. Devastated, Emilia nonetheless carries on, attempting to forge a connection with her stepson William and to resist the interference of Jack's jealous ex-wife.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. Killer's Kiss (1955)

    Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Love Is Strange (2014)

    After 39 years together, Ben and George finally tie the knot, but George loses his job as a result, and the newlyweds must sell their New York apartment and live apart, relying on friends and family to make ends meet.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. The Last Rifleman (2023)

    A WWII veteran escapes his care home in Northern Ireland and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, finding the courage to face the ghosts of his past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. If I Stay (2014)

    Mia Hall, a talented young cellist, thought the most difficult decision she would ever have to make would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at prestigious Juilliard or follow her heart to be with the love of her life, Adam, a rock singer/guitarist. However, a car wreck changes everything in an instant, and now Mia's life hangs in the balance. Suspended between life and death, Mia faces a choice that will decide her future.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)

    Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Birth (2004)

    It took Anna 10 years to recover from the death of her husband, Sean, but now she's on the verge of marrying her boyfriend, Joseph, and finally moving on. However, on the night of her engagement party, a young boy named Sean turns up, saying he is her dead husband reincarnated. At first she ignores the child, but his knowledge of her former husband's life is uncanny, leading her to believe that he might be telling the truth.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. The Dead (1987)

    After a convivial holiday dinner party, things begin to unravel when a husband and wife address some prickly issues concerning their marriage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. The Straight Story (1999)

    Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his estranged brother Lyle has suffered a severe stroke. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Resurrecting the Champ (2007)

    Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. The Secret Life of Bees (2008)

    Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. The Sense of an Ending (2017)

    A man becomes haunted by his past and is presented with a mysterious legacy that causes him to re-think his current situation in life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. What the Eyes Can't See (2019)

    Four Spanish-language shorts about the importance and complexity of people's perception from award winning directors. Stories of identity, misconceptions, regrets, dreams and love are told in this diverse collection. Includes: Tenants [Inquilinos] (2018); My Brother [Mi hermano] (2015); Guillermo on the Roof [Guillermo en el tejado] (2018); You Are Not a Woman [Usted no es mujer] (2018).

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  22. Runaway Valley (2025)

    Two lesbian women in their late-30s journey across America together in an attempt to recapture their youth, but one is questioned on whether she is to commit towards the fresh start because of her already established life in Pennsylvania.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  23. I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (2006)

    A Bangladeshi immigrant living in harsh conditions nurses an injured man back to health, but when the recovering man falls for a waitress, their tender bond is tested by competing affections.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  24. Silvester Home Run (2008)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. She Saw Me (TBA)

    Meet Johan. He doesn't have a job, no friends and no girlfriend. He fills his days with petty crime, watching porn and playing videogames. Deep down he longs for some kind of contact or a relationship. Then one day, something happens. He sees a woman who stares at him.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. The Marvelous Visit (1974)

    In a small French village, an angel appears disguised as a beautiful young blond.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

    A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  28. Defending Your Life (1991)

    Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived a life of sufficient courage to advance in their journey through the universe. As the self-doubting Daniel struggles to make his case, a budding relationship with the uninhibited Julia offers him a chance to finally feel alive.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  29. Green Card (1990)

    Urban horticulturalist Brontë Mitchell has her eye on a gorgeous apartment, but the building's board will rent it only to a married couple. Georges Fauré, a waiter from France whose visa is expiring, needs to marry an American woman to stay in the country. Their marriage of convenience turns into a burden when they must live together to allay the suspicions of the immigration service, as the polar opposites grate on each other's nerves.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  30. Two Drifters (2005)

    After breaking up with her boyfriend, a woman named Odete descends into madness and claims to be pregnant with the child of her neighbour Pedro, who died in a car crash and is mourned by his boyfriend Rui.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The Cakemaker and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Cakemaker?

The closest matches to The Cakemaker are Adopt a Highway (2019), Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015) and Nomadland (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Cakemaker?

Start with Adopt a Highway (2019), the closest match to The Cakemaker.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Cakemaker?

The Straight Story (1999), rated 7.7/10 by 1,917 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Cakemaker?

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to The Cakemaker chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Cakemaker, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page