Films About People

by BoozeLite | created - 15 Apr 2014 | updated - 09 Feb 2020 | Public

Films that focus on the dynamics of PEOPLE and not just the action or whatever

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1. Down by Law (1986)

R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

75 Metascore

Two men are framed and sent to jail, where they meet a murderer who helps them escape and leave the state.

Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi

Votes: 55,277 | Gross: $1.44M

9/10

2. Frank and Cindy (2007)

73 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

"Frank and Cindy" is a deeply-personal documentary about Frank Garcia, an '80s one-hit wonder musician, and his blonde bombshell wife Cindy, who makes him live in the basement.

Director: G.J. Echternkamp | Stars: Cynthia Brown, Frank Garcia

Votes: 386

6/10 not voyeuristic at all... nice

3. Withnail & I (1987)

R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama

84 Metascore

In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.

Director: Bruce Robinson | Stars: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown

Votes: 47,878 | Gross: $1.54M

not my favorite, but I can see why someone would like it

4. Bottle Rocket (1996)

R | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

67 Metascore

Three friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ned Dowd, Shea Fowler

Votes: 83,484 | Gross: $0.56M

7/10 exaggerated but real.

5. Crumb (1994)

R | 119 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy

93 Metascore

An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.

Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb

Votes: 21,586 | Gross: $3.17M

6. I Am Divine (2013)

Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary

70 Metascore

How Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead, became John Waters' cinematic muse and an international drag icon.

Director: Jeffrey Schwarz | Stars: Divine, Michael Musto, Mark Payne, Greg Gorman

Votes: 3,124 | Gross: $0.06M

7. Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, Biography, History

76 Metascore

A profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.

Director: Richard Press | Stars: Bill Cunningham, Anna Wintour, Michael Kors, Editta Sherman

Votes: 5,670 | Gross: $1.51M

8. The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)

Not Rated | 85 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

A series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro.

Director: Roberto Rossellini | Stars: Aldo Fabrizi, Gianfranco Bellini, Peparuolo, Severino Pisacane

Votes: 4,044

9. Surfwise (2007)

R | 93 min | Documentary, Sport

72 Metascore

Doug Pray explores the life of surfer Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz.

Director: Doug Pray | Stars: Juliette Paskowitz, David Paskowitz, Jonathan Paskowitz, Abraham Paskowitz

Votes: 1,640 | Gross: $0.27M

10. Guest of Cindy Sherman (2008)

Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary

64 Metascore

A documentary on art-scene commentator Paul Hasegawa-Overacker's relationship with enigmatic photographer Cindy Sherman.

Directors: Tom Donahue, Paul Hasegawa-Overacker | Stars: Cindy Sherman, John Waters, Eric Bogosian, Danny DeVito

Votes: 240

11. Hated: GG Allin & the Murder Junkies (1993)

Not Rated | 52 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

Documentary about notorious punk rock performer GG Allin.

Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: GG Allin, Merle Allin, Brian Unk Hunter, Shireen Kadivar

Votes: 3,518

12. Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2003)

R | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

71 Metascore

A look at the history of fame in the world through the eyes of pop star impresario, Rodney Bingenheimer.

Director: George Hickenlooper | Stars: Rodney Bingenheimer, David Bowie, Joey Ramone, Exene Cervenka

Votes: 1,646 | Gross: $0.26M

13. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

R | 104 min | Drama, Music

93 Metascore

A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.

Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund

Votes: 163,409 | Gross: $13.24M

14. The Squid and the Whale (2005)

R | 81 min | Comedy, Drama

82 Metascore

Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Director: Noah Baumbach | Stars: Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg

Votes: 90,401 | Gross: $7.36M

15. The Mist (2007)

R | 126 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

58 Metascore

A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.

Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher

Votes: 340,126 | Gross: $25.59M

16. Man on the Moon (1999)

R | 118 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

58 Metascore

The life and career of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Gerry Becker, Greyson Erik Pendry

Votes: 137,436 | Gross: $34.58M

17. Ghost World (2001)

R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama

90 Metascore

Two eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.

Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro

Votes: 126,800 | Gross: $6.22M

18. Dark Days (2000)

Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary

75 Metascore

A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.

Director: Marc Singer | Star: Marc Singer

Votes: 7,175 | Gross: $0.43M

19. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

90 Metascore

Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.

Director: Andrew Jarecki | Stars: Arnold Friedman, Jesse Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman

Votes: 27,097 | Gross: $3.12M

20. My Own Private Idaho (1991)

R | 104 min | Drama

77 Metascore

Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.

Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert

Votes: 61,719 | Gross: $6.40M

21. Alice Neel (2007)

Not Rated | 81 min | Documentary

60 Metascore

The life and work of Alice Neel (1900-1984), American portrait painter. Part of the narration is chronological, part consists of interviews with friends, other artists, scholars, and family... See full summary »

Director: Andrew Neel | Stars: Alice Neel, Michel Auder, Phillip Bonosky, Chuck Close

Votes: 151 | Gross: $0.05M

22. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama

76 Metascore

The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller

Votes: 313,060 | Gross: $52.36M

23. Ten Canoes (2006)

Unrated | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

82 Metascore

In Australia's Northern Territory, a man tells us a story of his people and his land. It's about an older man, Minygululu, who has three wives and realizes that his younger brother Dayindi may try to steal away the youngest wife.

Directors: Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr | Stars: Crusoe Kurddal, Jamie Gulpilil, Richard Birrinbirrin, Peter Minygululu

Votes: 5,106 | Gross: $0.28M

24. Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine (2008)

Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary

A journey inside the world of a legend of modern art and an icon of feminism. Onscreen, the nonagenarian Louise Bourgeois is magnetic, mercurial and emotionally raw-an uncompromising artist... See full summary »

Directors: Marion Cajori, Amei Wallach | Stars: Pandora Tabatabai Asbaghi, Jean-Louis Bourgeois, Louise Bourgeois, Guerrilla Girls

Votes: 154

25. How to Draw a Bunny (2002)

90 min | Documentary

78 Metascore

Interviews with Christo, Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, Judith Malina, James Rosenquist and others help illuminate the life and work of Warhol contemporary Ray Johnson.

Director: John W. Walter | Stars: Joseph Ialacci, Richard Feigen, Frances Beatty, Mort Janklow

Votes: 610 | Gross: $0.00M

26. Tomboy (2011)

Not Rated | 82 min | Drama

74 Metascore

A family moves into a new neighborhood, and a 10-year-old named Laure deliberately presents as a boy named Mikhael to the neighborhood children.

Director: Céline Sciamma | Stars: Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani

Votes: 22,263 | Gross: $0.13M

27. Louie Bluie (1985)

Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary, Music

About the obscure country-blues musician and idiosyncratic visual artist Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, member of the last known black string band in America.

Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Howard Armstrong, Ted Bogan, Yank Rachell, Ikey Robinson

Votes: 900

28. Eva Hesse (2016)

PG-13 | 108 min | Documentary, Biography, History

69 Metascore

Documentary feature film focusing on the life and times of Eva Hesse, a ground-breaking artist who was active in New York and Germany in the 1960's.

Director: Marcie Begleiter | Stars: Selma Blair, Bob Balaban, Patrick Kennedy, Julia-Maria Köhler

Votes: 182 | Gross: $0.11M

29. Danny Says (2015)

Unrated | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, History

64 Metascore

The life and times of music manager and publicist Danny Fields, who worked with some of the biggest acts of the '60s and '70s, including the Doors, Cream, Lou Reed, Nico, Judy Collins, the Stooges and the Ramones.

Director: Brendan Toller | Stars: Mx Justin Vivian Bond, John Cale, Judy Collins, Alice Cooper

Votes: 850 | Gross: $0.04M

30. Swimming to Cambodia (1987)

R | 85 min | Comedy, Drama

68 Metascore

Spalding Gray discusses his participation in the film The Killing Fields (1984) and the background story about the troubles of Cambodia.

Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Spalding Gray, Sam Waterston, Ira Wheeler

Votes: 2,372 | Gross: $1.09M

31. All This Mayhem (2014)

Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Brothers Tas and Ben Pappas become the kings of professional skateboarding, but their hedonistic ways lead to a hard fall from grace.

Director: Eddie Martin | Stars: Tas Pappas, Ben Pappas, Tommy Caudill, Lance Conklin

Votes: 3,784

32. Two Days, One Night (2014)

PG-13 | 95 min | Drama

89 Metascore

Liège, Belgium. Sandra is a factory worker who discovers that her workmates have opted for a EUR1,000 bonus in exchange for her dismissal. She has only a weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses in order to keep her job.

Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne | Stars: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Catherine Salée, Baptiste Sornin

Votes: 50,528 | Gross: $1.44M

33. Five Easy Pieces (1970)

R | 98 min | Drama

85 Metascore

A dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.

Director: Bob Rafelson | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Billy Green Bush, Fannie Flagg

Votes: 40,514 | Gross: $19.40M

34. Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

87 Metascore

Cleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor.

Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, Dorothée Blanck

Votes: 27,266

35. Vagabond (1985)

Not Rated | 105 min | Drama

A young woman's body is found frozen in a ditch. Through flashbacks and interviews, we see the events that led to her inevitable death.

Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Sandrine Bonnaire, Macha Méril, Stéphane Freiss, Setti Ramdane

Votes: 13,640

36. The Gleaners & I (2000)

Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary

86 Metascore

Varda films and interviews gleaners in France in all forms, from those picking fields after the harvest to those scouring the dumpsters of Paris.

Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: François Wertheimer, Agnès Varda, Jean La Planche, Bodan Litnanski

Votes: 8,788 | Gross: $0.15M

37. Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World (2017)

103 min | Documentary, Music

73 Metascore

A documentary about the role of Native Americans in popular music history.

Directors: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana | Stars: George Clinton, Robbie Robertson, Gary Giddins, Martin Scorsese

Votes: 1,078 | Gross: $0.23M

38. Dealt (2017)

Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Biography

66 Metascore

Sixty-two year old Richard Turner is renowned as one of the world's greatest card magicians, yet he is completely blind. This is an in-depth look at a complex character who is one of magic's greatest hidden treasures.

Director: Luke Korem | Stars: Richard Turner, Johnny Thompson, Max Maven, Armando Lucero

Votes: 1,955 | Gross: $0.03M

39. Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017)

Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary

73 Metascore

A famous television personality struggles to restore science to its rightful place in a world hostile to evidence and reason.

Directors: David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg | Stars: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Ann Druyan, Heather Berlin

Votes: 1,298 | Gross: $0.07M

40. Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015)

TV-MA | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

74 Metascore

Musician Cat Power narrates this documentary on Janis Joplin's evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators.

Director: Amy Berg | Stars: Cat Power, Janis Joplin, Karleen Bennett, Laura Joplin

Votes: 5,642 | Gross: $0.41M

41. The B-Side (2016)

R | 76 min | Documentary

77 Metascore

A look at the life and work of photographer Elsa Dorfman.

Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Elsa Dorfman, Jorge Luis Borges, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg

Votes: 840 | Gross: $0.07M

42. The Other Side of Everything (2017)

100 min | Documentary, Biography

83 Metascore

For Serbian filmmaker Mila Turajlic, a locked door in her mother's apartment in Belgrade provides the gateway to both her remarkable family history and her country's tumultuous political inheritance.

Director: Mila Turajlic | Stars: Srbijanka Turajlic, Mila Turajlic, Mira Boskic, Mladen Kostic

Votes: 1,262 | Gross: $0.00M

43. Jane (II) (2017)

PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography

87 Metascore

The life and work of the renowned primatology scientist, Jane Goodall, especially on her research about chimpanzees.

Director: Brett Morgen | Stars: Jane Goodall, Hugo Van Lawick, Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick

Votes: 5,659 | Gross: $1.72M

44. The Florida Project (2017)

R | 111 min | Drama

92 Metascore

Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.

Director: Sean Baker | Stars: Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Rivera

Votes: 128,255 | Gross: $5.90M

45. First Person (2000–2001)

Not Rated | 491 min | Documentary, Biography

Amazing series primarily using Errol Morris' invention the Interrotron for unusual people to tell their outré stories directly into the camera to the viewer. Almost every half-hour ... See full summary »

Stars: Errol Morris, Michael Stone, Charles Butler, Antonio Mendez

Votes: 371

46. This Filthy World (2006)

Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy

68 Metascore

Jeff Garlin's documentary on the work of John Waters.

Director: Jeff Garlin | Star: John Waters

Votes: 1,742

47. Umberto D. (1952)

Not Rated | 89 min | Drama

92 Metascore

An elderly man and his dog struggle to survive on his government pension in Rome.

Director: Vittorio De Sica | Stars: Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Ileana Simova

Votes: 28,164 | Gross: $0.07M

48. Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America (2016)

96 min | Documentary, Biography, History

63 Metascore

Daryl Davis is an accomplished musician who was played all over the world. He also has an unusual hobby, particularly for a middle aged black man. When not displaying his musical chops, ... See full summary »

Director: Matthew Ornstein | Stars: Daryl D. Davis, Kenneth Nwadike, Jeff Schoep, Michael Wood Jr.

Votes: 1,186 | Gross: $0.00M

49. Trouble the Water (2008)

Unrated | 93 min | Documentary

83 Metascore

A redemptive tale of an aspiring rap artist surviving failed levees and her own troubled past and seizing a chance for a new beginning.

Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin | Stars: Michael Brown, George W. Bush, Julie Chen Moonves, Ray Nagin

Votes: 2,071 | Gross: $0.52M

50. An Angel at My Table (1990)

R | 158 min | Biography, Drama

79 Metascore

Janet Frame was a brilliant child who, as a teen, was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Explore Janet's discovery of the world and her life in Europe as her books are published to acclaim.

Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson, Iris Churn

Votes: 8,678 | Gross: $1.05M

51. Do the Right Thing (1989)

R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama

93 Metascore

On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson

Votes: 112,354 | Gross: $27.55M

52. Tabloid (2010)

R | 87 min | Documentary, Crime

74 Metascore

A documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary.

Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Joyce McKinney, Peter Tory, Troy Williams, Jackson Shaw

Votes: 7,280 | Gross: $0.68M

53. Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History

85 Metascore

An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.

Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Fred Rogers, Margaret Whitmer, Tom Junod, Joanne Rogers

Votes: 27,105 | Gross: $22.84M

54. Force Majeure (2014)

R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama

87 Metascore

A family vacationing in the French Alps is confronted with a devastating avalanche.

Director: Ruben Östlund | Stars: Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren

Votes: 67,071 | Gross: $1.36M

55. Finding Vivian Maier (2013)

Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Mystery

75 Metascore

A documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.

Directors: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel | Stars: Vivian Maier, John Maloof, Daniel Arnaud, Simon Amédé

Votes: 15,078 | Gross: $1.51M

56. Beware of Mr. Baker (2012)

Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

78 Metascore

Ginger Baker looks back on his musical career with Cream and Blind Faith; his introduction to Fela Kuti; his self-destructive patterns and losses of fortune; and his current life inside a fortified South African compound.

Director: Jay Bulger | Stars: Ginger Baker, Femi Kuti, Eric Clapton, Stewart Copeland

Votes: 3,615 | Gross: $0.11M

57. Wyeth (2018)

TV-PG | 87 min | Documentary

WYETH tells the story of one of America's most popular, but least understood, artists. While his exhibitions routinely broke attendance records, art world critics continually assaulted his work.

Director: Glenn Holsten

Votes: 65

58. Find Me Guilty (2006)

R | 125 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

65 Metascore

In the late 1980s, a low level gangster named Jackie DiNorscio defends himself in court in what became the longest criminal trial in American judicial history.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage, Ron Silver, Alex Rocco

Votes: 36,230 | Gross: $1.17M

59. The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)

TV-MA | 112 min | Comedy, Drama

80 Metascore

An estranged family gathers together in New York City for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father.

Director: Noah Baumbach | Stars: Adam Sandler, Grace Van Patten, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Marvel

Votes: 54,101

60. Code Unknown (2000)

Not Rated | 118 min | Drama

74 Metascore

A young man harasses a homeless woman, another man protests, the police arrest both and the woman has to leave the country. What were their various story-lines leading up to this event?

Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Thierry Neuvic, Josef Bierbichler, Alexandre Hamidi

Votes: 15,154 | Gross: $0.10M

61. Marwencol (2010)

Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Fantasy

82 Metascore

Documentary about Mark Hogancamp. After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard. Inspired the movie Welcome to Marwen (2018)

Director: Jeff Malmberg | Stars: Mark Hogancamp, Emmanuel Nneji, Edda Hogancamp, Tom Neubauer

Votes: 3,704 | Gross: $0.11M

62. The Beach Bum (2019)

R | 95 min | Comedy

55 Metascore

A rebellious stoner named Moondog lives life by his own rules.

Director: Harmony Korine | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Stefania LaVie Owen

Votes: 24,812 | Gross: $3.49M

63. 20,000 Days on Earth (2014)

Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Drama, Music

83 Metascore

Writer and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.

Directors: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard | Stars: Nick Cave, Susie Bick, Warren Ellis, Darian Leader

Votes: 11,967 | Gross: $0.28M

64. Uncut Gems (2019)

R | 135 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

93 Metascore

With his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.

Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie | Stars: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, Mesfin Lamengo

Votes: 317,920



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