Movies like Cardinal (2019)
The best movies like Cardinal (2019) are Penguin Bloom (2021), Big Trouble (2002) and The Big Year (2011). If Cardinal hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedOvercomer (2019)7.7/10 from 312 votes
- NewestThe AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026)Released 2026
Penguin Bloom (2021)
When an unlikely ally enters the Bloom family's world in the form of an injured baby magpie they name Penguin, the bird’s arrival makes a profound difference in the struggling family’s life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig Trouble (2002)
The story of how a mysterious suitcase brings together, and changes, the lives of a divorced dad, an unhappy housewife, two hitmen, a pair of street thugs, two love struck teens, two FBI men and a psychedelic toad. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry's best-selling first novel, "Big Trouble."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Year (2011)
Three fanatical bird-watchers spend an entire year competing to spot the highest number of species as El Nino sends an extraordinary variety of rare breeds flying up into the U.S., but they quickly discover that there are more important things than coming out on top of the competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNapoleon (1995)
The adventures of Golden Retriever pup Napoleon and his friend, the parrot Birdo Lucci.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDancing with the Birds (2019)
Some of the world's most majestic birds display delightfully captivating mating rituals, from flashy dancing to flaunting their colorful feathers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cannonball Run (1981)
A cross-country road race is based on an actual event, the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, organized by Brock Yates to protest the 55 mph speed limit then in effect in the U.S. The Cannonball was named for Erwin G. "Cannonball" Baker, who in the roaring 20's rode his motorcycle across the country. Many of the characters are based on ruses developed by real Cannonball racers over the several years that the event was run.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDuck Duck Goose (2018)
After he’s grounded by an injury, a high-flying bachelor is saddled with two wide-eyed orphans as they come face-to-face with the dangers and beauty of the outside world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaulie (1998)
Paulie, a talking parrot, recounts his travels looking for his original owner to a Russian janitor who helps him to the end of his journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown (2022)
Charlie Brown is determined to win the big baseball game. But things turn into a fiasco right before the matchup, when Sally bonds with a little flower on the pitcher's mound and vows to protect it at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEveryone's Hero (2006)
A boy begins a grand journey to return Babe Ruth's baseball bat before the deciding game of the 1932 World Series comes to a close.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bronze (2016)
In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026)
A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity, and explores the most powerful technology humanity has ever created... and what's at stake if we get it wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThere's Always Tomorrow (1956)
When a toy manufacturer feels ignored and unappreciated by his wife and children, he begins to rekindle a past love when a former employee comes back into his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOvercomer (2019)
After reluctantly agreeing to coach cross-country, high school basketball Coach John Harrison helps the least likely runner attempt the impossible in the biggest race of the year.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSafety Last! (1923)
When a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAlbert Nobbs (2011)
Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most posh hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)
Christopher Robin's bear attempts to raid a beehive in a tall tree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHugo (2011)
Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father. Accompanied by the goddaughter of an embittered toy merchant, Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRoller Coaster Rabbit (1990)
Roger Rabbit struggles to keep wandering Baby Herman safe in an amusement park where the usual havoc ensues.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bad Guys: Haunted Heist (2024)
The crafty Bad Guys crew embarks on a high-stakes Halloween heist to swipe a priceless amulet from a spooky mansion. What could go wrong?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Cardinal?
The closest matches to Cardinal are Penguin Bloom (2021), Big Trouble (2002) and The Big Year (2011). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Cardinal?
Start with Penguin Bloom (2021), the closest match to Cardinal.
What is the highest-rated movie like Cardinal?
Overcomer (2019), rated 7.7/10 by 312 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Cardinal?
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Cardinal?
Yes: Penguin Bloom (2021), Big Trouble (2002) and The Big Year (2011).
How are movies similar to Cardinal chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Cardinal, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.