6 Best Terminal Illness and Cancer Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 20, 2026

Facing a terminal diagnosis has inspired some of cinema’s most emotionally powerful dramas about love, mortality, and what truly matters. In The Fault in Our Stars (2014): Two teenagers with cancer fall in love while confronting their uncertain futures together. Worth seeking out is Dark Victory (1939): A carefree socialite confronts her mortality after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 81% Metacritic 69

Two teenagers with cancer fall in love while confronting their uncertain futures together.

Directed by Josh Boone · 2h 06m · Rated PG-13

23 wins & 18 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

50/50 (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A young man's cancer diagnosis tests his friendship, romance, and outlook on life.

Directed by Jonathan Levine · 1h 40m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

My Life (1993)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A terminally ill man records video messages for the child he will never get to know.

Directed by Bruce Joel Rubin · 1h 54m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Terms of Endearment (1983)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A mother and daughter's complicated relationship deepens as the daughter faces a terminal illness.

Directed by James L. Brooks · 2h 12m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Love Story (1970)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A wealthy young man's marriage to a working-class woman is tested by a devastating diagnosis.

Directed by Arthur Hiller · 1h 40m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dark Victory (1939)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A carefree socialite confronts her mortality after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Directed by Edmund Goulding · 1h 44m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Terminal Illness and Cancer Movies

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

50/50 (2011)

My Life (1993)

Terms of Endearment (1983)

Love Story (1970)

Dark Victory (1939)

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