Patti Cake$

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1:59

Patti Cake$

R

2017

1h 48m

Drama

Music

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

168 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Fed up with life in her New Jersey hometown, Patricia Dombrowski, aka Patti Cake$, hopes to follow in the footsteps of her idol and hit the road to achieve stardom as a rapper. With help from her best friend, a mysterious musician and her loving grandmother, Patti leads the charge against an army of haters, unpaid bills and the broken dreams that are holding her back.

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Critics Consensus

Patti Cake$ hits a number of predictable beats, but adds enough fresh elements -- not least Danielle MacDonald's potentially starmaking turn -- to make its underdog story work.

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Robert Daniels

812filmreviews

08/27/2018

3/4

Patti Cake$ is the outsiders' plea for acceptance, even when those taste makers are deaf to the notes.

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Peter Bradshaw

Gulf News (UAE)

09/21/2017

[Patti Cake$] is a strangely old-fashioned heartwarmer about talent contests and "putting up flyers".

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David Stratton

The Australian

09/15/2017

3.5/5

[Danielle McDonald] carries the movie, and that's no small feat for a newcomer. I'm sure we'll be hearing a great deal more from her.

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Brian T. Carney

Washington Blade

12/15/2022

New York cabaret singer Bridget Everett and acclaimed actress Catherine O’Hara turn in equally strong performances as her bitter alcoholic mother and her feisty grandmother.

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Kip Mooney

College Movie Review

08/24/2021

B+

One of the most entertaining movies you'll see all year, with just the right amount of emotional heft to make it memorable.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

02/28/2021

4/5

What begins as one rapper's a run-of-the-mill journey to get out from under the weight of her dreams snakes around to become a high-energy, fist-pumping story of overcoming odds with dignity and on your own terms.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 07/22/2025

Success in 1 hour and 48 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Crude Sexual References, A Brief Nude Image, Language Throughout and Some Drug Use!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $774,500.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Julia S

@RT16583471 03/31/2024

Ever since I saw this film I have been a BIG fan of Mcdonald. I think she will be a real star one day. I hope so! She is so good in this movie. Love the trio and was really excited about the story! 5 Stars!

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isla s

@RT89656869 09/03/2022

This film made me think of Precious - I suppose as its about a somewhat outcast adolescent/teenager dreaming of better things, getting by with a depressingly bleak urban domestic situation. There's obviously a heavy use of beatboxing and rap/hip hop type music present throughout (this is somewhat of a rap style musical, of sorts). I guess its about self expression, to an extent. It's aan entertaining enough watch, with some amusing scenes and some sobering ones, its quirky and worth a watch, yes.

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05/28/2021

Could not get into it, at all. Don't get the hype.

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Ted W

@RT84494621 08/30/2020

Great fantastic phenomenal heart warming movie starring some great actors that I want to see more of. This movie is legit amazing and everyone I wanted right now at this particular moment in time. The rapping and all the beats in this movie are amazing and I would legit listen to these songs in the car driving. I love the story of Patti cakes and all her ups and downs. Great time.

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07/14/2019

Loved this movie. Bridgett Everett is everything

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Geremy Jasper

Director

Danielle Macdonald

Patti

Bridget Everett

Barb

Cathy Moriarty

Nana

Siddharth Dhananjay

Jheri

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Patti Cake$: International Trailer 1

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Patti Cake$: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Fed up with life in her New Jersey hometown, Patricia Dombrowski, aka Patti Cake$, hopes to follow in the footsteps of her idol and hit the road to achieve stardom as a rapper. With help from her best friend, a mysterious musician and her loving grandmother, Patti leads the charge against an army of haters, unpaid bills and the broken dreams that are holding her back.

Director: Geremy Jasper
Producer: Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl, Rodrigo Teixeira, Dan Janvey, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Chris Columbus
Screenwriter: Geremy Jasper
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Department of Motion Pictures
Rating: R (Crude Sexual References|A Brief Nude Image|Language Throughout|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 18, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $774.5K
Runtime: 1h 48m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)