Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "search-for-birth-mother"

1. Shazam! (2019)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

A newly fostered young boy in search of his mother instead finds unexpected super powers and soon gains a powerful enemy.

Director: David F. Sandberg | Stars: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer

Votes: 385,224 | Gross: $140.37M

2. Three Identical Strangers (2018)

PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.

Director: Tim Wardle | Stars: Robert Shafran, Michael Domnitz, Howard Schneider, Ellen Cervone

Votes: 39,868 | Gross: $12.32M

3. Secrets & Lies (1996)

R | 136 min | Comedy, Drama

Following the death of her adoptive parents, a successful young black optometrist establishes contact with her biological mother -- a lonely white factory worker living in poverty in East London.

Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn, Phyllis Logan, Claire Rushbrook

Votes: 47,222 | Gross: $13.42M

4. I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

R | 98 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

A cop turns con man once he comes out of the closet. Once imprisoned, he meets the second love of his life, whom he'll stop at nothing to be with.

Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa | Stars: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro

Votes: 99,814 | Gross: $2.04M

5. I Am the Night (2019)

TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

In early 1960s, a teenage girl looking for her real father and a disgraced journalist seeking closure find themselves drawn into a web of secrets revolving around L.A.'s most infamous cold case, the Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short) murder.

Stars: Chris Pine, India Eisley, Jefferson Mays, Leland Orser

Votes: 8,658

6. The Short History of the Long Road (2019)

90 min | Adventure, Drama

A teenager has to confront the reality of life on the road after tragedy strikes.

Director: Ani Simon-Kennedy | Stars: Sabrina Carpenter, Steven Ogg, Christina Nuki, Dani Payne

Votes: 1,402

7. Reborn (I) (2018)

Not Rated | 77 min | Horror

A stillborn baby girl is abducted by a morgue attendant and brought back to life by electrokinetic power. On her 16th birthday, she escapes captivity and sets out to find her birth mother, leaving a trail of destruction behind her.

Director: Julian Richards | Stars: Barbara Crampton, Michael Paré, Kayleigh Gilbert, Rae Dawn Chong

Votes: 812

8. Track 29 (1988)

R | 90 min | Drama, Mystery

Linda is still tormented by giving up a baby for adoption at 15. She wants a baby, but her husband has enough in his model trains, mistress and being a doctor.

Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Theresa Russell, Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Colleen Camp

Votes: 2,484 | Gross: $0.43M

9. Rose Plays Julie (2019)

100 min | Drama, Mystery

In this intimate exploration of identity, trauma and power, a young woman seeks out her birth mother, inadvertently triggering a string of events which change both their lives.

Directors: Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy | Stars: Ann Skelly, Orla Brady, Aidan Gillen, Annabell Rickerby

Votes: 1,608

10. C'est magnifique! (2021)

98 min | Comedy, Drama

When Pierre learns that his parents are not his parents, he wants to find out who he is and where he comes from. Raised in nature, Pierre has never been confronted with society. He does not... See full summary »

Director: Clovis Cornillac | Stars: Clovis Cornillac, Alice Pol, Manon Lemoine, Myriam Boyer

Votes: 362

11. Why Would I Lie? (1980)

PG | 105 min | Comedy, Drama

Cletus is a compulsive liar, though he prefers the term 'fabrication' to 'lie.' When he becomes a social worker, he's assigned the case of a boy named Jeorge (with a 'J') who was taken from... See full summary »

Director: Larry Peerce | Stars: Treat Williams, Lisa Eichhorn, Gabriel Macht, Susan Heldfond

Votes: 306 | Gross: $1.18M

12. Sioux City (1994)

PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

A young Lakota Sioux, adopted by a wealthy Jewish couple in Beverly Hills, gets in touch with his cultural roots and solves a mystery in this thriller. Because of his upbringing, Jesse ... See full summary »

Director: Lou Diamond Phillips | Stars: Lou Diamond Phillips, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Melinda Dillon, Lise Cutter

Votes: 520

13. Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)

Not Rated | 136 min | Action, Drama, War

A little girl is told by her parents that she is adopted. Determined to find her real mother, she begs to be taken to Sri Lanka, where her mother works with a militant group of activists.

Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Keerthana Parthiepan, Simran, Madhavan, Nandita Das

Votes: 9,228

14. Up, Down, Fragile (1995)

169 min | Comedy, Musical, Mystery

Adventures of three young women in a hot and lazy Paris in summer.

Director: Jacques Rivette | Stars: Marianne Denicourt, Nathalie Richard, Laurence Côte, André Marcon

Votes: 704

15. The Griddle House (2018)

Not Rated | 86 min | Drama

The story follows teenager Jack Benson on his hunt for his birthmother; has she been a regular at the nearby Griddle House all along?

Director: Paul Tomborello | Stars: Amber Benson, Charisma Carpenter, Clare Kramer, Miguel A. Núñez Jr.

Votes: 222

16. Strange Relations (2001 TV Movie)

R | 106 min | Drama, Comedy

A 39 y.o. NYC Jewish shrink has leukemia. His mom tells him that he was adopted from a teen Catholic girl in Liverpool, UK. He visits his bio mom and finds that he has two brothers (bone marrow donor?).

Director: Paul Seed | Stars: Paul Reiser, Amber Sealey, Lachele Carl, George Wendt

Votes: 813

17. Chuyen cua Pao (2006)

98 min | Drama

Set in a breath-taking primitive landscape in the mountainous provinces of Vietnam, the film tells the story of a Hmong tribe girl named Pao. She was raised by her stepmother, for her real ... See full summary »

Director: Quang Hai Ngo | Stars: Do Thi Hai Yen, Ta Am, Nguyen Thai An, Thu Diep

Votes: 179

18. I'm Glad My Mother Is Alive (2009)

Not Rated | 91 min | Drama

Given up for adoption as a toddler, troubled teenager Thomas becomes obsessed with tracking down his birth mother. After years of searching, Thomas finds her single, with a small child, ... See full summary »

Directors: Claude Miller, Nathan Miller | Stars: Vincent Rottiers, Sophie Cattani, Christine Citti, Yves Verhoeven

Votes: 580 | Gross: $0.01M

19. Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (1999)

PG-13 | 119 min | Comedy, Drama

A Vietnamese brother and sister raised by an African American couple are reunited with their birth mother after 22 years.

Director: Chi Muoi Lo | Stars: Chi Muoi Lo, Sanaa Lathan, Paul Winfield, Mary Alice

Votes: 516 | Gross: $1.32M

20. Pretty Hattie's Baby (1991)

Biography, Drama

An unreleased film about a white girl adopted by a black family in 1950s Nevada. Based on the early life of Fauna Hodel whose grandfather is prime suspect in the Black Dahlia murder case.

Director: Ivan Passer | Stars: Alfre Woodard, Charles S. Dutton, Jill Clayburgh, Bobby Hosea

Votes: 63

21. Our Son, the Matchmaker (1996 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 95 min | Drama

As seen in flashback, this is the story of 43-year-old Julie a beautician who when 15 was forced by her mother to give up her baby for adoption. Her son, now 28, a minister, with his wife ... See full summary »

Director: Lorraine Senna | Stars: Ann Jillian, David Andrews, Deirdre O'Connell, Drew Ebersole

Votes: 261

22. Looking for Her (2015)

100 min | Drama

Elisa is a physiotherapist who unsuccessfully tried to find her biological mother. But they meet each other without even being aware of it, when the mother is admitted as a patient into the medical office where her unknown daughter works.

Director: Ounie Lecomte | Stars: Céline Sallette, Anne Benoît, Françoise Lebrun, Elyes Aguis

Votes: 120

23. Raakshasudu (1986)

113 min | Action, Drama

The film opens with a widowed woman giving birth to a baby boy. The landlord does not approve of this and has the baby disposed of. A drunkard finds the baby and keeps him for a couple of ... See full summary »

Director: A. Kodandarami Reddy | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Radha, Suhasini, Nagendra Babu

Votes: 114

24. The Stranger Who Looks Like Me (1974 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 74 min | Drama, Romance

A young woman who is looking for the birth parents who gave her up hooks up with a young man who has also been adopted and is looking for his birth parents.

Director: Larry Peerce | Stars: Meredith Baxter, Beau Bridges, Walter Brooke, Neva Patterson

Votes: 84

25. Prodigal Sons (2008)

Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary

Filmmaker Kimberly Reed returns home for her high school reunion, ready to reintroduce herself to the small town as a transgender woman and hoping for reconciliation with her long estranged... See full summary »

Director: Kimberly Reed | Stars: Kimberly Reed, Carol McKerrow, Marc McKerrow, Claire Jones

Votes: 759 | Gross: $0.07M

26. Wonder Boy (2019)

83 min | Documentary, Biography

Autobiographical documentary on Olivier Roustein, artistic director of Balmain.

Director: Anissa Bonnefont | Stars: Olivier Rousteing, Dani Alves, Alessandra Ambrosio, Imran Amed

Votes: 550

27. Fruit Fly (2009)

Not Rated | 94 min | Comedy, Musical

Filipina performance artist Bethesda moves into an art commune to search for her long missing biological mother. Along the way, she comes to realize that she just might be a fairy princess, fag hag, fruit fly.

Director: H.P. Mendoza | Stars: L.A. Renigen, Mike Curtis, Theresa Navarro, Aaron Zaragoza

Votes: 199

28. 2 to Tangle (2013)

Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance

2 men who have never met inadvertently confuse other people.

Director: Caleb Johnson | Stars: Clay Doss, Payton Patrone, Caleb Johnson, Stephanie Minix

Votes: 103

29. Daughter from Danang (2002)

PG | 83 min | Documentary, War

Separated at the end of the Vietnam war, an "Americanized" woman and her Vietnamese mother are reunited after 22 years.

Directors: Gail Dolgin, Vicente Franco | Stars: Mai Thi Kim, Heidi Neville-Bub, Gerald Ford, Tom Miller

Votes: 622

30. Princess Kate (1988 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Family

Kate McLelland's life is a normal one of a girl her age in the eastern suburbs, until her discovery that she is adopted. This is the story of her search for her natural mother and the resulting relationship.

Director: George Ogilvie | Stars: Justine Clarke, Lyndel Rowe, Alan Cassell, Myra Noblet

Votes: 26

31. Les bêtises (2015)

79 min | Comedy

Thirty-year-old François, dreamy and awkward, is an adopted child. In order to meet his biological mother, he sneaks into a party organized at her home, pretending to be a waiter. He then ... See full summary »

Directors: Alice Philippon, Rose Philippon | Stars: Jérémie Elkaïm, Sara Giraudeau, Jonathan Lambert, Anne Alvaro

Votes: 317

32. Off and Running (2009)

Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary

With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers - one mixed-race and one Korean-Brooklyn teen Avery grew up in a unique and loving household. But when her curiosity about ... See full summary »

Director: Nicole Opper

Votes: 142 | Gross: $0.02M

33. Forgotten Twins (2004 TV Movie)

94 min | Drama

Mathieu Bretagne, an abandoned child who has been brought up by foster parents, has become a petty criminal. One day he incidentally discovers that he has a twin brother, Adrien, who is the... See full summary »

Director: Jérôme Cornuau | Stars: Clément Sibony, Isabelle Renauld, Christian Charmetant, Gabriele Barialai

Votes: 35

34. Matka swojej matki (1996)

91 min | Drama

Add a Plot

Director: Robert Glinski | Stars: Maria Seweryn, Krystyna Janda, Joanna Zólkowska, Wanda Wilkomirska

Votes: 69

35. Haha taru koto wa jigoku no gotoku (1981 TV Movie)

120 min | Biography, Drama

Biography of Miki Sawada who established Elizabeth Saunders Home, an orphanage for biracial children. The story follows Miki Sawada's efforts to raise money in flashbacks, and one orphan's current efforts to find his birth mother.

Director: Yoshiko Sembon | Stars: Machiko Kyô, Daisuke Ryû, Shinobu Ôtake, Yatsuko Tan'ami

36. Family Ties (1982–1989)
Episode: Baby Boy Doe (1984)

TV-PG | 25 min | Comedy, Drama, Family

Skippy finds out he is adopted, and decides to meet his birth mother.

Director: Will Mackenzie | Stars: Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman

Votes: 147

37. Punky Brewster (1984–1988)
Episode: The Search (1985)

Not Rated | 30 min | Comedy, Family

Punky has something in common with her teacher, Mike Fulton: they were both abandoned by their mothers. They work together to try and find the whereabouts of their respective families.

Director: Art Dielhenn | Stars: George Gaynes, Soleil Moon Frye, Susie Garrett, Cherie Johnson

Votes: 36

38. The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
Episode: Adoption (1980)

TV-PG | Comedy, Family

Blair noses into Natalie's business and arranges for her to talk to her birth mother by phone.

Director: Asaad Kelada | Stars: Charlotte Rae, John Lawlor, Lisa Whelchel, Felice Schachter

Votes: 83

39. The ABC Afternoon Playbreak (1972–1975)
Episode: My Secret Mother (1973)

74 min | Comedy, Drama

Single woman discovers she is pregnant, and decides to find her birth mother.

Director: Lela Swift | Stars: Sondra Locke, Lola Albright, Rue McClanahan, Marge Redmond

40. Hanna (2019–2021)
Episode: Safe (2020)

TV-MA | 49 min | Action, Drama

Deep in the Romanian forest, Hanna and Clara can taste their freedom. Hanna persuades Clara to remove her Utrax drug-implant and to banish her past identity. Clara seems content. But when ... See full summary »

Director: Eva Husson | Stars: Esme Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Dermot Mulroney, Khalid Abdalla

Votes: 922

41. Hanna (2019–2021)
Episode: Tacitus (2020)

TV-MA | 46 min | Action, Drama

Following Nicola and Mannion's deaths, Hanna hides in a Heathrow airport, where she changes her appearance and flies out to Barcelona. Clara is handed a gun by a Utrax agent and ordered to ... See full summary »

Director: David Farr | Stars: Esme Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Dermot Mulroney, Luis Angulo

Votes: 809

42. Taken at Birth (2019– )
Episode: Mausoleum Break-In (2019)

TV-14 | Documentary, History

Dr. Hicks' granddaughter opens the family crypt, where papers are believed to be buried. How did Dr. Hicks begin his career illegally selling black-market babies?

Stars: Jane Blasio, Chris Jacobs, Lisa Joyner

Votes: 10

43. Numb3rs (2005–2010)
Episode: Jack of All Trades (2008)

TV-PG | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Charlie and Don's fates hang in the balance as the team tracks a white-collar criminal through Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Alan finds out that one of his old planning projects may disappear with a new development by the city.

Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal | Stars: Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, Judd Hirsch, Alimi Ballard

Votes: 244

44. This Is Us (2016–2022)
Episode: A Long Road Home (2021)

TV-14 | 43 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Kate confronts her past. Randall's viral fame leans to an unexpected discovery. Kevin debates his future.

Director: Anne Fletcher | Stars: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz

Votes: 1,334

45. The Flash (2014–2023)
Episode: Reckless (2022)

TV-PG | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Barry's desire to keep the team safe is tested when Frost recklessly courts danger while trying to stop the Black Flame; Iris tries to help a teen girl reunite with her mother but unintentionally does more harm than good.

Director: Kellie Cyrus | Stars: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Danielle Nicolet

Votes: 1,096

46. In Plain Sight (2008–2012)
Episode: The Born Identity (2010)

TV-PG | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Mary helps her latest witness, a homeless man who's struggling with the program, find his birth parents. But the search could cause more problems than she anticipated. Elsewhere, Scott asks... See full summary »

Director: Bryan Spicer | Stars: Mary McCormack, Frederick Weller, Nichole Hiltz, Paul Ben-Victor

Votes: 114

47. Maalaala Mo Kaya (1991–2022)
Episode: Piyesa (2011)

TV-14 | Biography, Drama, Romance

The story of Star Power grand winner Angeline Quinto who struggled with her complicated family ties as well as her dream to become a singer.

Director: Nuel C. Naval | Stars: KC Concepcion, Irma Adlawan, Yul Servo, Jane Oineza

48. Maalaala Mo Kaya (1991–2022)
Episode: Birth Certificate (2011)

TV-14 | Biography, Drama, Romance

Carol (Pokwang) was given away by her mother when she was still a baby. History repeats itself when she's also forced to give up her own son because of her financial situation. The fact ... See full summary »

Director: Veronica Velasco | Stars: Pokwang, Melai Cantiveros, Jaime Fabregas, Nonie Buencamino

49. Rizzoli & Isles (2010–2016)
Episode: Throwing Down the Gauntlet (2012)

TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Jane looks for a way for Maura to meet her biological mother, Dr. Hope Martin. Angela gets involved in a political campaign. And a nun from Jane and Frankie Jr.'s past returns.

Director: Jamie Babbit | Stars: Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Brian Goodman, Jordan Bridges

Votes: 474

50. Grace and Frankie (2015–2022)
Episode: The Sex (2015)

TV-MA | 27 min | Comedy

Frankie takes a new look at her Yam Man Jacob, while Grace and Guy get closer. Bud and Coyote have a brotherly talk. Sol is terrified of Brianna.

Director: Dennie Gordon | Stars: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston, Martin Sheen

Votes: 800