Best movies like One True Thing
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: touching, melancholic, emotional, realistic, depressing, clever, serious, contemplative, gloomy, tear jerker
Best tv shows and movies like One True Thing (1998):
Similar in 75%
What If God Were the Sun? (2007)
Plot Summary:
A grieving nurse finds comfort and inspiration in her new assignment, where she meets a terminally ill woman with a quick with and strong faith.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 435
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, psychological, atmospheric, emotional, serious
Similar in 78%
The Other Woman (1995)
Plot Summary:
After the divorce from Michael, Tessa raises her daughters Kate and Lara alone. None of them can stand Michael's new young wife Carolyn, a model. But when Tessa learns that she's suffering from cancer and soon will die, she tries to get her kids to accept Carolyn as new mother. She takes them on a trip across the country to her father Jacob's ranch in Wyoming. During this trip, Tessa tries to teach Carolyn about the responsibilities involved in raising kids.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 238
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: realistic
Similar in 78%
Six Weeks (1982)
Plot Summary:
A wealthy cosmetic tycoon and her 12-year-old daughter who's dying from leukemia, strike up a sentimental friendship with a California politician. Since the girl has only six weeks or less to live, the trio fly to New York City where the daughter skates the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, assumes the lead in The Nutcracker ballet, and sightsees most of the city.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 77%
A Christmas Visitor (2002)
Plot Summary:
A father struggles with the past. A daughter fights for the future. A mother searches for answers. The Boyajians have not celebrated Christmas in 11 years. They lost their faith when they lost their son to the Persian Gulf War. Now a stranger has joined them - around the same age the boy would have been.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 81%
Lullaby (2014)
Plot Summary:
Estranged from his family, Jonathan (Hedlund) discovers his father has decided to take himself off life support in forty-eight hours’ time. During this intensely condensed period, a lifetime of drama plays out. Robert (Jenkins) fights a zero sum game to reclaim all that his illness stole from his family. A debate rages on patients’ rights and what it truly means to be free. Jonathan reconciles with his father, reconnects with his mother (Archer), sister (Brown-Findlay), and his love (Adams) and reclaims his voice through two unlikely catalysts – a young, wise-beyond-her-years patient (Barden) and a no-nonsense nurse (Hudson). Through this intensely life affirming prism, an unexpected and powerful journey of love, laughter, and forgiveness unfolds.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, serious, realistic, sad
Similar in 88%
The Other Woman (2009)
Plot Summary:
Emilia, a law-school graduate, falls in love with her married boss, Jack. After Emilia marries Jack, her happiness turns unexpectedly to grief following the death of her infant daughter. Devastated, Emilia nonetheless carries on, attempting to forge a connection with her stepson William and to resist the interference of Jack's jealous ex-wife.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: serious, touching, emotional, realistic, erotic, sexy, heartbreaking, social, sad, art film
Similar in 82%
The Event (2003)
Plot Summary:
An intense relationship drama that takes the form of a mystery, The Event centers around a series of unexplained deaths that occur among the gay community in New York's fashionable Chelsea district. Nick, a district attorney investigating the most recent case, a suspicious apparent suicide, and her interviews with friends and family of the deceased trigger extensive and intricately interwoven flashbacks that reveal surprising facts about the man's life and death.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, sentimental, sincere, touching, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 85%
Wit (2001)
Plot Summary:
A renowned professor is forced to reassess her life when she is diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: depressing, sincere, emotional, touching, sentimental, thought provoking, contemplative, sad, christian film, clever
Similar in 90%
The Weekend (1999)
Plot Summary:
Marian and John Kerr are expecting an old friend, Lyle for a weekend visit to their beautiful upstate New York home. Emotions run high since it is the one-year anniversary of the death of John's brother, the handsome and charismatic Tony, who had also been Lyle`s lover. Marian, who is still inconsolable after losing Tony to AIDS, is upset when Lyle brings his new boyfriend, a young artist, Robert. Meanwhile, the situation is just as tense at the Kerr`s neighbors' house, where oft-widowed, free spirit Laura Ponti gets a surprise visit from her resentful, angry daughter, Nina, and her married lover, Thierry. Matters worsen when the battling mother-daughter duo joins the Kerr household for a dinner party, where the pain-riddled diners engage in a messy emotional showdown.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 325
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Candles on Bay Street (2006)
Plot Summary:
DeeDee returns to her hometown with her 11 year old son, Trooper, 13 years after she ran off with her boyfriend. Her childhood best friend, Sam, is now married and he and his wife, Lydia, are the town's veterinarians. Lydia is a little wary about DeeDee after Sam tells her that they were best friends growing up and DeeDee was his first crush. But DeeDee and Trooper find their way into many hearts of the townspeople with their sweet helpfulness and friendships. DeeDee sets up a candle making business in town square and invites many of the ladies of the town to weekly candle making parties, and through these parties she and Lydia become good friends. One evening after dinner with Lydia and Sam, DeeDee tells Sam she's very sick and she doesn't have much longer to live and she needs his help to find a good family in town to adopt Trooper. Sam later tells Lydia everything and they decide to adopt Trooper themselves if/when something happens to DeeDee.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 76%
Two Against Time (2002)
Plot Summary:
This film finds a mother and her teen daughter both being diagnosed with cancer. This discovery helps to overcome the longtime antagonistic relationship that the two have developed.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 210
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, captivating, humorous
Similar in 76%
...First Do No Harm (1997)
Plot Summary:
When Lori Reimuller learns that her young son Robbie has epilepsy, she first trusts the judgment of the hospital staff in how best to bring it under control. As Robbie's health slides radically downhill, however, she becomes frustrated and desperate, and so does her own research into the existing literature on treatments. When she decides to try an alternative treatment called the Ketogenic Diet, devised long ago by a doctor from Johns Hopkins, she is met with narrow-minded resistance from Robbie's doctor, who is prepared to take legal action to prevent Lori from removing him from the hospital.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: edutainment, sentimental, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, controversial
Similar in 79%
Extraordinary Measures (2010)
Plot Summary:
Working-class father John Crowley is finally on the fast track to corporate success when his two young children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with Pompe disease - a condition that prevents the body from breaking down sugar. With the support of his wife, Aileen, John ditches his career and teams with unconventional specialist Dr. Robert Stonehill to found a bio-tech company and develop a cure in time to save the lives of Megan and Patrick. As Dr. Stonehill works tirelessly to prove the theories that made him the black sheep of the medical community, a powerful bond is forged between the two unlikely allies.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, inspirational, touching, serious, entertaining, intense, cult classic, captivating, realistic
Similar in 80%
Surrender, Dorothy (2005)
Plot Summary:
When her daughter Sara unexpectedly passes away, Natalie retreats to the summer home where she and Sara used to visit. Time with her best friends and some of Sara's friends help her deal with her loss.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 897
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 75%
A Long Way Home (2003)
Plot Summary:
Family members struggle to heal their emotional wounds after an incident of sexual abuse.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 216
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, emotional, realistic, serious, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 89%
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
Plot Summary:
Sara and Brian live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. But their family is rocked by sudden, heartbreaking news that forces them to make a difficult and unorthodox choice in order to save their baby girl's life. The parents' desperate decision raises both ethical and moral questions and rips away at the foundation of their relationship. Their actions ultimately set off a court case that threatens to tear the family apart, while revealing surprising truths that challenge everyone's perceptions of love and loyalty and give new meaning to the definition of healing.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 97000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sad, tear jerker, heartbreaking, touching, sentimental, emotional, thought provoking, compassionate, suspense, dramatic
Similar in 90%
August: Osage County (2013)
Plot Summary:
A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 94000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, melancholic, independent film, depressing, stylized, humorous, realistic, semi serious, black comedy
Similar in 81%
Mildred Pierce (2011)
Plot Summary:
A newly divorced, uniquely independent woman struggles to carve out a new life for herself and her family in Depression-era California.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 336 min
Plot tags: emotional, serious, costume drama, atmospheric, period piece, thought provoking, romantic, social, cute, clever
Similar in 84%
I'm Losing You (1998)
Plot Summary:
A wealthy businessman Perry Krohn attempts to juggle the needs of his dedicated wife, demanding mistress and grown children while facing his own certain death from lung cancer.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 501
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, talky, serious, emotional, independent film, clever, gloomy, biting, suspense
Similar in 81%
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
Plot Summary:
A headstrong young woman returns to New Orleans after the death of her estranged mother.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sincere, realistic, sentimental, atmospheric, serious, cult classic, sad, romantic
Similar in 88%
You're Not You (2014)
Plot Summary:
A drama centered on a classical pianist who has been diagnosed with ALS and the brash college student who becomes her caregiver.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, sweet, lyrical, heartbreaking, dramatic, sad, emotional, depressing, serious
Similar in 79%
Ironweed (1987)
Plot Summary:
Albany, New York, Halloween, 1938. Francis Phelan and Helen Archer are bums, back in their birth city. She was a singer on the radio, he a major league pitcher. Death surrounds them: she's sick, a pal has cancer, he digs graves at the cemetery and visits the grave of his infant son whom he dropped; visions of his past haunt him, including ghosts of two men he killed. That night, out drinking, Helen tries to sing at a bar. Next day, Fran visits his wife and children and meets a grandson. He could stay, but decides it's not for him. Helen gets their things out of storage and finds a hotel. Amidst their mistakes and dereliction, the film explores their code of fairness and loyalty.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, intense, sincere, serious, realistic, depressing, compassionate, cult classic, gloomy
Similar in 81%
Marvin's Room (1996)
Plot Summary:
A leukemia patient attempts to end a 20-year feud with her sister to get her bone marrow.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, sincere, realistic, semi serious, sad, talky, compassionate, epic
Similar in 83%
Interiors (1978)
Plot Summary:
A look at a dysfunctional family dominated by the controlling madness of its matriarch, Eve. Her reluctant husband and their three daughters make doomed efforts to cope with Eve's demands, while also trying to get on with their own lives. But, all bets are off when an ebullient stranger enters the picture.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, realistic, melancholic, touching, depressing, heartbreaking, emotional, disturbing, serious
Similar in 79%
Life as a House (2001)
Plot Summary:
When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, touching, sincere, sad, inspirational, tear jerker, realistic, feel good, captivating
Similar in 83%
My Life (1993)
Plot Summary:
It seems that Bob Jones has everything a man could want, namely a fulfilling job and a beautiful, pregnant wife, Gail. But Bob's life is turned upside-down when he is diagnosed with cancer and given four months to live -- not even enough time to see his first child's birth. To cleanse himself of demons in his remaining days, Bob makes a video diary, hoping to pass along some wisdom to his future child. Along the way, he discovers a lot about himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: sad, emotional, touching, heartbreaking, melancholic, sincere, sentimental, depressing, compassionate, philosophical
Similar in 83%
The Descendants (2011)
Plot Summary:
With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron, Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront the young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 248000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: touching, depressing, emotional, sad, tragicomedy, thought provoking, sentimental, heartbreaking, suspense, talky
Similar in 81%
Still Alice (2014)
Plot Summary:
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 142000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, UK, France
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sad, heartbreaking, touching, emotional, inspirational, depressing, tear jerker, psychological, compassionate, sentimental
Similar in 87%
The Doctor (1991)
Plot Summary:
Jack McKee is a doctor with it all: he's successful, he's rich, and he has no problems.... until he is diagnosed with throat cancer. Now that he has seen medicine, hospitals, and doctors from a patient's perspective, he realises that there is more to being a doctor than surgery and prescriptions.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, touching, emotional, uplifting, scary, depressing, sincere, serious, realistic
Similar in 79%
Philadelphia (1993)
Plot Summary:
No one would take his case until one man was willing to take on the system. Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 254000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, tear jerker, sincere, emotional, thought provoking, compassionate, inspirational, lgbt cinema, crying