Patti Cake$

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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

Aug 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)

Sep 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

Sep 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

Dec 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

Aug 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

Feb 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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Sam K

@PatchOfTime Sep 10, 2026

Absolute must see! If you are an aspiring rapper, you MUST see this movie, its So well done and such a great portrayal of an artist STRIVING to make it. Just SO inspiring. 10/10 5 stars! YES YES YES YES!

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 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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isla s

@RT89656869 Sep 3, 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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May 28, 2021

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

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Ted W

@RT84494621 Aug 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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Jul 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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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)

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