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Movies Like Make a Wish

If you liked Make a Wish (2006), a drama movie directed by Cherien Dabis, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

  1. 1Hala

    Hala (2019)

    ★ 6.3/10Also drama

    Seventeen-year-old Pakistani American teenager Hala struggles to balance desire with her family, cultural, and religious obligations. As she comes into her own, she grapples with a secret that threatens to unravel her…

  2. 2Skin

    Skin (2009)

    ★ 6.4/10Also drama

    Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.

  3. 3Salomé

    Salomé (2013)

    ★ 6.1/10Also drama

    After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé…

  4. 4The President's Cake

    The President's Cake (2026)

    ★ 7.4/10Also drama

    While people across 1990’s Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year-old Lamia has been selected to prepare a cake to celebrate the President’s birthday. In a landscape of fear and scarcity, where basic ingredients are nearly…

  5. 5Kisses

    Kisses (2008)

    ★ 7.1/10Also drama

    Two kids, Dylan and Kylie, run away from home on Christmas Day and spend a night of magic and terror on the streets of inner-city Dublin.

  6. 6Gracie

    Gracie (2007)

    ★ 6.2/10Also drama

    A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.

  7. 7What Maisie Knew

    What Maisie Knew (2013)

    ★ 7.1/10Also drama

    In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.

  8. 8The Kindness of Strangers

    The Kindness of Strangers (2019)

    ★ 6.4/10Also drama

    Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter…

  9. 9Bastard Out of Carolina

    Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)

    ★ 7.1/10Also drama

    A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as…

  10. 10The Color of Friendship

    The Color of Friendship (2000)

    ★ 6.7/10Also drama

    Mahree Bok lives on a farm in South Africa. Her father is a policeman who cannot hide his joy when activist Steve Biko is caught by the South African authorities. Piper Dellums is the daughter of a US congressman from…

  11. 11Edie

    Edie (2018)

    ★ 6.3/10Also drama

    To try and overcome a lifetime of bitterness and resentment, 83-year-old Edie decides that it is never too late. After packing an old camping bag, she leaves her life behind and embarks on an adventure she never got to…

  12. 12The Present

    The Present (2020)

    ★ 7.4/10Also drama

    On his wedding anniversary, Yusef and his young daughter set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift. Between soldiers, segregated roads and checkpoints, how easy would it be to go shopping?

  13. 13Lorelei

    Lorelei (2020)

    ★ 6/10Also drama

    A man is released from prison after 15 years. He reunites with his high school girlfriend, now a single mother of three. What follows is a lyrical take on love, regret and second chances.

  14. 14The Girl in the Book

    The Girl in the Book (2015)

    ★ 5.8/10Also drama

    The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.

  15. 15All Together Now

    All Together Now (2020)

    ★ 6.7/10Also drama

    An optimistic, talented teen clings to a huge secret: she's homeless and living on a school bus. When tragedy strikes, can she learn to accept a helping hand?

  16. 16The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

    The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)

    ★ 7.3/10Also drama

    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…

  17. 17Charm City Kings

    Charm City Kings (2020)

    ★ 7.8/10Also drama

    Mouse desperately wants to join The Midnight Clique, the infamous Baltimore dirt bike riders who rule the summertime streets. When Midnight’s leader, Blax, takes 14-year-old Mouse under his wing, Mouse soon finds…

  18. 18Home

    Home (2021)

    ★ 6.7/10Also drama

    An ex-felon returns home from prison and must confront the demons of his past.

  19. 19Eagles of the Republic

    Eagles of the Republic (2025)

    ★ 6.9/10Also drama

    George Fahmy, Egypt's most adored actor, is pressured to star in a film commissioned by the highest authorities. He reluctantly accepts and finds himself thrown into the inner circle of power. Like moth drawn to flame…

  20. 20The Young One

    The Young One (1960)

    ★ 7/10Also drama

    A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.

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