Movies like The Single Mother (2009)
The best movies like The Single Mother (2009) are Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017), Wasp (2003) and One Fine Day (1996). If The Single Mother hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhat's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)7.7/10 from 4,448 votes
- NewestDoing Life (2026)Released 2026
Karen 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 thisWasp (2003)
Zoë is a single mother who lives with her four children in Dartford. She is poor and can't afford to buy food. One day her old flame drives by and asks her to go on a date with him. Scared that he doesn't want to go out with her, she lies and tells him that she is just babysitting the kids. This will be her first date in years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Fine Day (1996)
Melanie Parker, an architect and mother of Sammy, and Jack Taylor, a newspaper columnist and father of Maggie, are both divorced. They meet one morning when overwhelmed Jack is left unexpectedly with Maggie and forgets that Melanie was to take her to school. As a result, both children miss their school field trip and are stuck with the parents. The two adults project their negative stereotypes of ex-spouses on each other, but end up needing to rely on each other to watch the children as each must save his job. Humor is added by Sammy's propensity for lodging objects in his nose and Maggie's tendency to wander.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWaiting to Exhale (1995)
Cheated on, mistreated and stepped on, the women are holding their breath, waiting for the elusive "good man" to break a string of less-than-stellar lovers. Friends and confidants Vannah, Bernie, Glo and Robin talk it all out, determined to find a better way to breathe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThis Boy's Life (1993)
When a son and mother move to Seattle in hopes for a better life, the mother meets a seemingly polite man. Things go south when the man turns out to be abusive, endangering their lives. As the mother struggles to maintain hope in an impossible situation, the son has plans to escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this3 Generations (2016)
A teenager transitions from female to male, and his family must come to terms with that fact.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoing Life (2026)
A single mother and an incarcerated man forge an unlikely bond through heartfelt letters, unlocking a door to redemption, hope and love against all odds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Conjuring 2 (2016)
Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChristmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses (2019)
Single mom Abbey takes a leap of faith to pursue her passion for interior design. When she gets hired to decorate the estate of local businessman Nick, Abbey must complete the job by Christmas Eve. With the holidays fast approaching, Abbey must figure out how to break down the wall between her and Nick, as this could be the opportunity that jump-starts her career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Ronald (1974)
When awkward teen Ronald Wilby accidentally kills a young girl whose sister rejected his affections, his overbearing mother decides to hide him from the law by creating a concealed room in their home for him to live.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Single Moms Club (2014)
A group of single moms are brought together in the aftermath of an incident at their children's school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBecause I Said So (2007)
In an effort to prevent family history from repeating itself, meddlesome mom Daphne Wilder attempts to set up her youngest daughter, Milly, with Mr. Right. Meanwhile, her other daughters try to keep their mom's good intentions under control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisLosing Isaiah (1995)
Khaila Richards, a crack-addicted single mother, accidentally leaves her baby in a dumpster while high and returns the next day in a panic to find he is missing. In reality, the baby has been adopted by a warm-hearted social worker, Margaret Lewin, and her husband, Charles. Years later, Khaila has gone through rehab and holds a steady job. After learning that her child is still alive, she challenges Margaret for the custody.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJerry Maguire (1996)
Jerry Maguire used to be a typical sports agent: willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients, plus a nice commission for himself. Then, one day, he suddenly has second thoughts about what he's really doing. When he voices these doubts, he ends up losing his job and all of his clients, save Rod Tidwell, an egomaniacal football player.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhat's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Gilbert Grape is a small-town young man with a lot of responsibility. Chief among his concerns are his mother, who is so overweight that she can't leave the house, and his mentally impaired younger brother, Arnie, who has a knack for finding trouble. Settled into a job at a grocery store and an ongoing affair with local woman Betty Carver, Gilbert finally has his life shaken up by the free-spirited Becky.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMother's Day (2016)
Three generations come together in the week leading up to Mother's Day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLook Who's Talking (1989)
After a single, career-minded woman is left on her own to give birth to the child of a married man, she finds a new romantic chance in a cab driver. Meanwhile, the point-of-view of the newborn baby is narrated through voice-over.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAs Good as It Gets (1997)
A misanthropic author, a single mother and waitress, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBabes (2024)
After getting pregnant from a one-night stand, a single woman leans on her married best friend and mother of two to guide her through gestation and beyond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like The Single Mother and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Single Mother?
The closest matches to The Single Mother are Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017), Wasp (2003) and One Fine Day (1996). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Single Mother?
Start with Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017), the closest match to The Single Mother.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Single Mother?
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), rated 7.7/10 by 4,448 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Single Mother?
Doing Life (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Single Mother?
Yes: Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017), Wasp (2003) and One Fine Day (1996).
How are movies similar to The Single Mother chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Single Mother, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.