Top 15 Mockumentaries (from best to worst)

An American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. The film satirizes the wild personal behavior and musical pretensions of hard rock and heavy metal musical bands, as well as the hagiographic tendencies of rock documentaries of the time.

The film was co-produced by the production companies of Eric Idle and Lorne Michaels, and combines both the cast of Monty Python and the Saturday Night Live players as the mockumentarie follows the lives and music of the Rutles, which paralleled that of The Beatles almost to the letter, spoofing many of the latter's career highlights.

Take the Money and Run is a 1969 comedy film co-written by, directed by, and starring Woody Allen. It is an early mockumentary, chronicling the life of Virgil Starkwell, a bungling petty thief. His entry into a life of crime at a young age, his crime spree, his first prison term and eventual escape, the birth and growth of his family, as well as his eventual capture at the hands of the FBI are some of the notable events depicted.

Bob Roberts is a 1992 film written and directed by Tim Robbins. It is a satirical mockumentary, chronicling the rise of Bob Roberts, a conservative politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election. Roberts is well financed, due mainly to past business dealings, and is well known for his music, which presents conservative ideas with gusto.

Fear of a Black Hat is a 1994 American mockumentary film on the evolution and state of American hip hop music. The film's title is derived from the 1990 Public Enemy album Fear of a Black Planet. Released on June 3, 1994, Fear of a Black Hat was written, produced and directed by, and co-stars, Rusty Cundieff.

Incident at Loch Ness is a mockumentary starring, and written by, Werner Herzog and Zak Penn. The small cast film follows Herzog and his crew (Gabriel Beristain, Russell Williams II) while working on the production of an abandoned movie project on the Loch Ness Monster entitled Enigma of Loch Ness. It won the New American Cinema Award at the 2004 Seattle International Film Festival.

A mockumentary by Woody Allen about a man who changes his physical appearance in order to fit in.

A Mighty Wind is a 2003 mockumentary about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands must reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. It was directed (and co-written) by Christopher Guest. The film is thought to reference the 2003 tribute concert to folk music producer Harold Leventhal that reunited several of the folk groups that Leventhal had managed.

Larry approaches HBO about having his own hour-long HBO special. After a long hiatus, Larry begins performing stand-up comedy again in order to prepare for the special. However, hours away from the show's scheduled filming, Larry becomes nervous and lies to the HBO executives about the illness of his nonexistent stepfather in order to get the special canceled.

Real Life is an American comedy film released in 1979. The first feature directed by Albert Brooks, who also co-authored the screenplay, it is a spoof of the 1973 reality television program An American Family and portrays a documentary filmmaker named Albert Brooks who attempts to live with and film a dysfunctional family for one full year.

Best in Show is a 2000 independent film that follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show. The film focuses on the slightly surreal interactions among the various owners and handlers as they travel to the show and compete.

A political mockumentary miniseries written by Garry Trudeau and directed by Robert Altman. First broadcast by HBO during the months leading up to the 1988 U.S. presidential election, it purports to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the campaign of a former Michigan U.S. representative Jack Tanner during his bid to secure the Democratic party's nomination for the national race for President of the United States.

The Last Polka follows the life, careers, and the final concert of Yosh (Candy) and Stan (Levy) Shmenge, two brothers from the fictional country of Leutonia who become the biggest polka duo the world has ever seen. It is presented as a mixture of live concert performance and filmed scenes.

An American fictional boy band whose composition, songs, and formation story is a satirical approach to the boy bands of the 1990s, such as New Kids on the Block, 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys.

A 2006 comedy mockumentary about teaching focusing on the lives of three teachers and one assistant principal. It stars Chris Mass as Mr. Stroope and Troy Schremmer as Mr. Lowrey. It is directed by Mike Akel. The movie is based on both Akel's and Mass' real life experiences in the teaching profession.