Best movies like Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story

Stopping briefly in a small Texas town, an itinerant race car driver finds that his stock car, on a trailer behind his motor home, has just been quickly and expertly stripped. He chases down the miscreants, who turn out to be six orphan children. He has no recourse to the law, for the corrupt local sheriff takes most of the proceeds of their thievery in exchange for not putting them in an orphanage. They are charming rogues who are in turn charmed by him. Disliking their arrangement with the sheriff, they stow away with him, and he finds himself becoming a reluctant stepfather. Thanks to their enthusiasm and incredible mechanical know-how, he begins to make a name for himself on the racing circuit. But the sheriff doesn't take kindly to losing his extra income...

Mamie, an orphan girl who was abused in the orphanage, is taken in by Mrs. Caldwell, a kindly woman with a young son named Alexander. Mamie hits it off with the lad, and nicknames him "Zander". When Mrs. Caldwell dies, the authorities decree that the boy must be placed in the same orphanage where Mamie was mistreated. Horrified, Mamie determines to see to it that the boy will be spared the same treatment that she had to suffer.

The year is 1955, and a great flood is coming to Northfork, Montana. A new hydroelectric dam is about to be installed in the mountains above the town, ready to submerge the valley in the name of progress. It is the charge of a six-man Evacuation Committee to relocate the townsfolk to higher ground. Most have duly departed, but a few stubborn stragglers remain – among them a priest caring for a sickly orphan, a boy whose fevered visions are leading him to believe he is a member of a roaming band of lost angels desperately searching for a way home.

Count Yorga continues to prey on the local community while living by a nearby orphanage. He also intends to take a new wife, while feeding his bevy of female vampires.

The circus comes to town, and the town's orphans are treated to a day at the circus. The circus troupe's 'Jinx' girl causes so many problems for the performers and performances that, to escape punishment, she has to run away. She mingles with the orphans and runs away to join an orphanage.

During the British Raj, the orphan of a British soldier poses as a Hindu and is torn between his loyalty to a Buddhist mystic and aiding the English secret service.

Based on the novel by Hervey Allen, this expansive drama follows the many adventures of the eponymous hero, Anthony Adverse. Abandoned at a convent by his heartless nobleman father, Don Luis, Anthony is later mentored by his kind grandfather, John Bonnyfeather, and falls for the beautiful Angela Giuseppe. When circumstances separate Anthony and Angela and he embarks on a long journey, he must find his way back to her, no matter what the cost.

When a group of small-town teenagers find the “Devil's Diary,” a book that embodies the evil of Satan by physically manifesting any evil thought that is written in it, all hell breaks loose. Unearthed after centuries of concealment, the Devil's Diary wreaks havoc and destruction on the high school students who found it, and their entire community. Can their town be saved from complete ruin?

A young girl comes to an embittered town and confronts its attitude with her determination to see the best in life.

Nick tries to kill his wife to get her money, but when learning of this, she plans the same for him!

A new music teacher in a 1955 West Texas home for wayward boys brings new vision and hope for many of the interned boys.

To save their cash-strapped orphanage, a guardian and his kids partner with a washed-up boat captain for a chance to win a lucrative fishing competition.

Based on the ever-popular children's' novel by Johanna Spyri, "Heidi" follows the adventures of an indomitable young girl, forced to move to her grandfather's hovel high up in the Swiss Alps, where she she surprises all by settling in to a firm friendship, not only with her somewhat grouchy relative, but also with a new friend Peter, the goat-herder.

PK, an English orphan terrorized for his family's political beliefs in Africa, turns to his only friend, a kindly world-wise prisoner, Geel Piet. Geel teaches him how to box with the motto “fight with your fists and lead with your heart”. As he grows to manhood, PK uses these words to take on the system and the injustices he sees around him - and finds that one person really can make a difference.

After their orphanage burns down, a group of children are being transported west by train to Manitoba. All of them are available for adoption and at a stop at Scourie, Ontario little Patsy meets Victoria McChesney. Victoria and her husband Patrick have no children and she immediately decides to adopt the girl. The only condition imposed on them is that as Patsy has been baptized a Roman Catholic the Protestant McChesneys agree to raise her as a Catholic. Patsy is a well-behaved little girl whose only real problem is a school bully, also one of the orphans, who spreads stories that she set their orphanage on fire.

A tale about two young boys, Prosper and Bo, who flee to Venice after being orphaned and dumped in the care of a cruel auntie. Hiding in the canals and alleyways of the city, the boys are befriended by a gang of young urchins and their enigmatic leader, the Thief Lord. From their home base of an old cinema theater, the children steal from the rich to support themselves and soon capture the interest of a bumbling detective. However, a greater threat to the children is something from a forgotten past - a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself

A young boy thinks he's got a lookalike around him, but nobody believes him. Then, he meets Thomas and they switch homes.

When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble, for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger and his criminal mentor, Fagin. When kindly Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes plots to kidnap the boy.

After directing him as the title character in Huckleberry Finn, William Desmond Taylor again used boy actor Lewis Sargent in this picture. His character, known merely as "the boy," has been raised in an orphanage where he has caused as much trouble as possible. He finally can't stand living there anymore and runs away. On the streets he finds a friend in Mike (Ernest Butterworth), a newsboy. Mike teaches him how to survive but inevitably the boy gets hauled into court. However, the judge sees potential in him and hands him over to be adopted by a young politician. The judge, incidentally, is played by Judge Ben Lindsey, who was famous in his day for his efforts to give delinquent boys a decent chance in life.

The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage, run by a religious community in Newfoundland.

Sam, Trish, Beth, and Annie are four Valley Girls bored with shopping and frat parties. They come across kind Mr. Stanton, who is running a home for orphaned boys. Mr. Stanton and his charges are in danger of being evicted from their home if they don't come up with the rent money that is due, and one of the boys has taken to selling drugs for a couple of sleazy dealers. When Trish's prized "TUBUL R" Mercedes convertible is lost in a bet in which their Beverly Hills rivals have cheated, mayhem ensues as the Vals, with the help of their frat boy boyfriends, save Mr. Stanton and his boys from being evicted, give the drug dealers their just desserts, and exact revenge on the Beverly Hills brats in a rematch.

An orphaned boy named Tomás is adopted by Maire O’Donnell to live on a whimsical Irish isle filled with new friends, secret caves and a lost baby pup seal stranded on the coast. But when Maire's reluctant husband Alec refuses to accept Tomás as his own son, the boy drifts down a fateful path of adventure and self-discovery, illuminating how rainbows can shine around - and within - us all.

Fifteen years after the events of The Boys of St. Vincent took place, the various boys involved are brought in to testify against the brothers, now finally standing trial, who assaulted them when they were children.

Centers on Missy's adopted daughter Belinda Tyler as she follows her dream. Belinda wants to be a doctor, but this time period does not look kindly on women with careers, especially one in the medical field. But Belinda is a strong-minded woman and deeply wants a career as a doctor. She manages to prove her abilities while assisting the local doctor and caring for an old woman who recently experienced a stroke. Belinda nurses her back to health and helps her regain the use of her arm again. Belinda also meets the nephew of their deceased neighbor. Drew comes to town to get his uncle's farm in shape to sell. After that he intends on returning to New York to join his father's law practice. He has no desire to stay in this small, unsophisticated town. But after meeting Belinda he has second thoughts. Belinda also feels something for Drew, but she is conflicted because she wants to be a doctor...

In Los Angeles, photographer Peter Mitchell learns that he has inherited a palatial estate in Sweden from his unknown relative, Annie Holst. He, his girlfriend Sarah, and her deaf son Dennis, head overseas to decide whether to live in the property or to sell it. But when they arrive, they find the locals offer a chilly reception whenever Annie's name is mentioned. It turns out that Annie had lost her son some 50 years ago in a tragedy at the nearby orphanage where she had placed him temporarily, due to circumstances beyond her control. But she had continued to see her son even after his death. Now, young Dennis is drawn to the derelict orphanage, and to a new friend who only he can see. And Peter must solve a decades-old mystery of how the orphans died before his family faces a similar fate.

The abandoned home of Wilfred Butler, a wealthy but troubled man who committed suicide in 1987, has been willed to his grandson, Jeffrey. The house has sat in disarray since Wilfred's death, standing in the way of developers who want to turn the property into residential homes. Just before Christmas 2012, many years after Wilfred's death, Jeffrey and his lawyer appear in town to negotiate the sale of the property. But an Axe wielding maniac has set up residence in the house, and he doesn't take kindly to strangers.

Father Flanagan raises funds, helps a disabled boy, and saves an older boy from reform school.

Passionate BMX dirt jumper, Phin Cooper, wants nothing in life but to attain fame in his sport. After missing a competition when he lands in jail for unpaid citations, he is court-ordered for community service and reluctantly mentors one of the toughest boys, Blue Espinosa. As Phin leads the troubled teen on exciting adventures of riding dirt trails, big jumps and cityscapes, Blue becomes more than an obligation - an unlikely friend whose secret world of drug trafficking threatens Phin's ultimate dream. Featuring some of the best stunts in dirt jumping by legendary pros and hardcore locals, Heroes of Dirt is more than adrenaline rush. It embarks on an unforgettable journey into real significance, and the price it takes to get there.

Kyle (Markiss McFadden), one of the many orphans raised in an orphanage by Father Antonio (Paul Sorvino) is an assassin who is sent on missions; from God. For years Father Antonio led these boys to believe they are killing in the name of God. Kyle was one of the best executioners of Father Antonio’s men. After placing a bomb in a little coffee shop to execute the owner a little boy Matthew (Aiden Wind) and his mother walks in the restaurant just seconds before the explosion. Kyle decided to save both of them but unfortunately he was only able to save the little boy. A reluctant Kyle takes him in and keeps him hidden for seven days. Through a very complex relationship Kyle discovers a different side in him he didn’t know existed. With all the fights, bullets flying, and explosions it's going to be harder than he thought keeping Matthew safe. But with the help of Kyle's beautiful neighbor Tara (Mischa Barton) it just might be possible.

Manny coaches soccer for the fashionable Creighton Hall school, but is relieved of duty because he is 'not a good match' for the school. He finds a job at a Catholic home for orphans, where he forms a new soccer team, with the help of one very good player Pepe who turns out to be a girl. 'Pepe' is the sister of one of the orphans, who comes to the all-boy orphanage posing as a boy, because her former foster home was an abusive environment. Along the way, Manny has incurred a gambling debt, his creditors begin to lean on him, and the boys find out. They set up a soccer game and stake the outcome against Manny's debt. If they win, the debt will be forgiven.

An American priest working in Mexico is considered a saint by many local parishioners. However, due to a botched exorcism, he carries a secret that’s eating him alive until he gets an opportunity to face his demon one final time.

Johnny Casar runs away from the orphanage to start a successful career as a roller skater and after setbacks learns to curb his ruthlessness and ambition.

Threatened with separation, two young brothers escape from an orphanage and make a perilous journey from New York to Boys' Town in Nebraska.

A ranch owner turns his place into a home for boys who have lost their fathers in World War II. His evil female lawyer covets the ranch and uses a gang of local toughs, a pack of killer dogs, and a phoney rancher's beneficiary to get it. U.S. Marshal Rogers opens an investigation when the rancher is killed.

A young shepherd, Lucas, is blinded by lightening, and some kindly nuns at a nearby abbey take him in. Sister Catherine describes snow to Lucas, who has never seen it. Lucas gets chosen to play an angel in the abbey's Christmas pageant, and the Christmas snow that falls during the pageant works a small miracle.