Movies Like Awakenings (1990)

Awakenings is a 1990 drama film from Penny Marshall with a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Miracles from Heaven and Patch Adams.

Drama

Miracles from Heaven

2016

When Christy discovers her 10-year-old daughter Anna has a rare, incurable disease, she becomes a ferocious advocate for her daughter’s healing as she searches for a solution. After Anna has a freak accident and falls three stories, a miracle unfolds in the wake of her dramatic rescue that leaves medical specialists mystified, her family restored and their community inspired.

7.4

MagicScore

Patch Adams

1998

The true story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, who in the 1970s found that humor is the best medicine, and was willing to do just anything to make his patients laugh—even if it meant risking his own career.

7.3

MagicScore

Saint Ralph

2005

This Canadian made comedy/drama, set in Hamilton, Ontario in 1954, is a sweet and - at times - goofy story that becomes increasingly poignant as the minutes tick by. It's the fictional tale of a wayward 9th grader, Ralph (Adam Butcher), who is secretly living on his own while his widowed, hospitalized mother remains immersed in a coma. Frequently in trouble with Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), the principal of his all-boys, Catholic school, Ralph is considered something of a joke among peers until he decides to pull off a miracle that could save his mother, i.e., winning the Boston Marathon. Coached by a younger priest and former runner, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), whose cynicism has been lifted by the boy's pure hope, Ralph applies himself to his unlikely mission, fending off naysayers and getting help along a very challenging path from sundry allies and friends.

6.9

MagicScore

Something the Lord Made

2004

A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.

7.8

MagicScore

Breakthrough

2019

Tragedy strikes when a woman named Joyce's son falls through the ice on a frozen lake and is trapped underwater for over 15 minutes. After being rushed to the hospital, the 14-year-old boy continues to fight for his life as Joyce, her husband and their pastor stay by his bedside and pray for a miracle.

7.6

MagicScore

Brain on Fire

2017

Susannah Cahalan, an up-and-coming journalist at the New York Post becomes plagued by voices in her head and seizures, causing a rapid descent into insanity.

7.0

MagicScore

Unrest

2017

When Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea is struck down at 28 by a fever that leaves her bedridden, doctors tell her it’s "all in her head." Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families' stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot.

6.9

MagicScore

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1975

A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patients—and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.

8.4

MagicScore

The Big Sick

2017

Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.

7.3

MagicScore

#10

Bringing Out the Dead

1999

Once called "Father Frank" for his efforts to rescue lives, Frank Pierce sees the ghosts of those he failed to save around every turn. He has tried everything he can to get fired, calling in sick, delaying taking calls where he might have to face one more victim he couldn't help, yet cannot quit the job on his own.

6.6

MagicScore

#11

Girl, Interrupted

1999

Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line between normal and crazy. Susanna soon realizes how hard it is to get out once she has been committed, and she ultimately has to choose between the world of people who belong inside or the difficult world of reality outside.

7.6

MagicScore

#12

Patrick

1978

A comatose hospital patient harasses and kills through his powers of telekinesis to claim his private nurse as his own.

6.1

MagicScore

#13

Patrick

2013

Patrick lays comatose in a small private hospital, his only action being his involuntary spitting. When a pretty young nurse, just separated from her husband, begins work at the hospital, she senses that Patrick is communicating with her, and he seems to be using his psychic powers to manipulate events in her life.

5.0

MagicScore

#14

The Night Listener

2006

In the midst of his crumbling relationship, a radio show host begins speaking to his biggest fan—a young boy—via the telephone. But when questions about the boy's identity come up, the host's life is thrown into chaos.

5.5

MagicScore

#15

Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.

2003

A gangster sets out to fulfill his father's dream of becoming a doctor.

7.2

MagicScore

#16

Extreme Measures

1996

Guy Luthan, a British doctor working at a hospital in New York, starts making unwelcome enquiries when the body of a man who died in his emergency room disappears. After the trail leads Luthan to the door of an eminent surgeon at the hospital, Luthan soon finds himself in extreme danger people who want the hospital's secret to remain undiscovered.

6.0

MagicScore

#17

White Coats

2004

Follows the misadventures of a group of young interns at a hospital/medical school - dealing with the pressures of school and love.

4.9

MagicScore

#18

Hot Milk

2025

Rose and her daughter Sofia travel to the Spanish seaside town of Almería to consult with the shamanic Dr. Gomez, a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose’s mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair. But in the sultry atmosphere of this sun-bleached town Sofia, who has been trapped by her mother’s illness all her life, finally starts to shed her inhibitions, enticed by the persuasive charms of enigmatic traveller Ingrid.

6.0

MagicScore

#19

The Captive

2000

Ariane and Simon met down by the water. Simon has managed to prize Ariane away from her friends, a bunch of free and arrogant girls, and move her into his place, with her own room at the end of the hall and her own bathroom next to his. He has taken on Andrée, one of the girls from the bunch by the water, to watch over Ariane, escort her wherever she goes and report back to him on everything she does. Andrée becomes Ariane’s accomplice. She’ll tell lies for her, and with her, and most likely they’ll make love together when the mood takes them.

5.6

MagicScore

#20

Talk to Her

2002

Two men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas.

7.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Awakenings?

The top films similar to Awakenings by MovieMagicScore are Miracles from Heaven (7.4), Patch Adams (7.3), Saint Ralph (6.9). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Awakenings worth watching?

Awakenings holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10 from 2,718 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Awakenings?

Awakenings (1990) is a drama film directed by Penny Marshall, starring Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, John Heard.

Where can I find more recommendations like Awakenings?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Miracles from Heaven Movies like Patch Adams Movies like Saint Ralph Movies like Something the Lord Made Movies like Breakthrough Movies like Brain on Fire

About movies like Awakenings

This ranked list pairs Awakenings (1990), a drama film from Penny Marshall, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Robert De Niro take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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