Movies Like Philomena (2013)

Philomena is a 2013 drama film from Stephen Frears with a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with In the Name of the Father and Amish Grace.

Drama

In the Name of the Father

1993

A small-time Belfast thief, Gerry Conlon, is wrongly convicted of an IRA bombing in London, along with his father and friends, and spends 15 years in prison fighting to prove his innocence.

7.9

MagicScore

Amish Grace

2010

When a gunman killed five Amish children and injured five others in a Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting in October of 2006, the world media attention rapidly turned from the tragic events to the extraordinary forgiveness demonstrated by the Amish community.

6.9

MagicScore

The Kid

1921

A tramp cares for a boy after he's abandoned as a newborn by his mother. Later the mother has a change of heart and aches to be reunited with her son.

8.1

MagicScore

What to Expect When You're Expecting

2012

Challenges of impending parenthood turn the lives of five couples upside down. Two celebrities are unprepared for the surprise demands of pregnancy; hormones wreak havoc on a baby-crazy author, while her husband tries not to be outdone by his father, who's expecting twins with his young trophy wife; a photographer's husband isn't sure about his wife's adoption plans; a one-time hook-up results in a surprise pregnancy for rival food-truck owners.

6.0

MagicScore

The Plot Against the President

2020

Based on Lee Smith's book of the same name, this documentary follows the story of the biggest political scandal in U.S. history.

6.5

MagicScore

Small Things Like These

2024

In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers truths of his own; forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

6.7

MagicScore

Bloody Sunday

2002

The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops.

7.2

MagicScore

Peyton Place

1957

In the outwardly respectable New England community of Peyton Place, shopkeeper Constance McKenzie tries to make up for a past indiscretion -- which resulted in her illegitimate daughter Allison -- by adopting a chaste, prudish attitude towards all things sexual. In spite of herself, Constance can't help but be attracted to handsome new teacher Michael Rossi. Meanwhile, the restless Allison, who'd like to be as footloose and fancy-free as the town's "fast girl" Betty Anderson, falls sincerely in love with mixed-up mama's boy Norman Page.

6.8

MagicScore

Cal

1984

Cal, a young man on the fringes of the IRA, falls in love with Marcella, a Catholic woman whose husband, a Protestant policeman, was killed one year earlier by the IRA.

5.7

MagicScore

#10

The Trials of Oscar Wilde

1960

England, 1890s. The brutal and embittered Marquis of Queensberry, who believes that his youngest son, Bosie, has an inappropriate relationship with the famous Irish writer Oscar Wilde, maintains an ongoing feud with the latter in order to ruin his reputation and cause his fall from grace.

6.3

MagicScore

#11

Saving Zoë

2019

A year after the murder of her sister Zoë, Echo is determined to uncover the truth. With Zoë's diary as her guide, Echo finds herself pulled into the darkness of her sister's secret life and she uncovers how one small decision can lead to tragic consequences.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

The Color Purple

2023

A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

7.0

MagicScore

#13

Red Joan

2018

London, England, May 2000. The peaceful life of elderly Joan Stanley is suddenly disrupted when she is arrested by the British Intelligence Service and accused of providing information to communist Russia during the forties.

6.6

MagicScore

#14

All the President's Men

1976

During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.

7.7

MagicScore

#15

The Post

2017

A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government. Inspired by true events.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

Return to Seoul

2022

After an impulsive travel decision to visit friends, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. Freddie suddenly finds herself embarking on an unexpected journey in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.

6.3

MagicScore

#17

The Search

1948

In postwar Germany, a displaced Czech boy, separated from his family during wartime, is befriended by an American GI while the boy's mother desperately searches for him.

7.0

MagicScore

#18

Patriot Games

1992

When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets Jack and his family as revenge.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Twinsters

2015

Adopted from South Korea, raised on different continents & connected through social media, Samantha & Anaïs believe that they are twin sisters separated at birth.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

Stuart Little

1999

When the Littles adopt Stuart, the mouse, George is initially unwelcoming to his new brother, and the family cat, Snowbell, is even less enthusiastic. Stuart resolves to face these difficulties with as much pluck and courage as he can muster.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Philomena?

The top films similar to Philomena by MovieMagicScore are In the Name of the Father (7.9), Amish Grace (6.9), The Kid (8.1). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Philomena worth watching?

Philomena holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10 from 1,659 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Philomena?

Philomena (2013) is a drama film directed by Stephen Frears, starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark.

Where can I find more recommendations like Philomena?

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 In the Name of the Father Movies like Amish Grace Movies like The Kid Movies like What to Expect When You're Expecting Movies like The Plot Against the President Movies like Small Things Like These

About movies like Philomena

This ranked list pairs Philomena (2013), a drama film from Stephen Frears, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Judi Dench 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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