Patti Cake$

Play trailer

1:59

Patti Cake$

R

2017

1h 48m

Drama

Music

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Go to Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Gulf News (UAE)

09/21/2017

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

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See more

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!

See more

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.

See more

05/28/2021

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

See more

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.

See more

07/14/2019

Loved this movie. Bridgett Everett is everything

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Geremy Jasper

Director

Danielle Macdonald

Patti

Bridget Everett

Barb

Cathy Moriarty

Nana

Siddharth Dhananjay

Jheri

Mamoudou Athie

Basterd

Vox Lux

62%

36%

Vox Lux

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Vox Lux

Love Beats Rhymes

44%

63%

Love Beats Rhymes

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Love Beats Rhymes

Her Smell

83%

43%

Her Smell

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Her Smell

Whiplash

94%

94%

Whiplash

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Whiplash

Hustle & Flow

83%

83%

Hustle & Flow

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Hustle & Flow

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Patti Cake$: International Trailer 1

1:59

Patti Cake$: Trailer 1

1:42

View more videos

View more photos

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)