Documentaries
by iamalyssakirby | created - 05 Sep 2014 | updated - 19 Aug 2016 | PublicDocudramas, biographies,& the historically inspired
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1. Lovelace (2013)
R | 93 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband before taking control of her life.
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman | Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Juno Temple
Votes: 42,755 | Gross: $0.36M
2. End of Watch (2012)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
Director: David Ayer | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera
Votes: 269,193 | Gross: $41.00M
3. Five (2011 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 87 min | Comedy, Drama
An anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people's lives.
Directors: Jennifer Aniston, Patty Jenkins, Alicia Keys, Demi Moore, Penelope Spheeris | Stars: Patricia Clarkson, Rosario Dawson, Lyndsy Fonseca, Ginnifer Goodwin
Votes: 1,207
4. Who the F**K Is Arthur Fogel (2013 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 93 min | Documentary
A look at the high-octane global live music industry and the quiet man at its center, featuring interviews, performances and appearances by a who's who of stars and insiders; with U2, Madonna, The Police, Lady Gaga, Rush and more.
Director: Ron Chapman | Stars: Bono, Ron Chapman, Adam Clayton, Ray Danniels
Votes: 177
5. American Masters (1985– )
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary series focusing on great American artists and personalities.
Stars: Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Tony Bennett, Dick Cavett
Votes: 1,171
6. 21 (2008)
PG-13 | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Inspired by real events and people, 21 is about six MIT students who become trained to be experts in card counting in Black Jack and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.
Director: Robert Luketic | Stars: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Aaron Yoo
Votes: 266,568 | Gross: $81.16M
7. The Life of David Gale (2003)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Cleo King
Votes: 126,114 | Gross: $19.59M
8. When You Remember Me (1990 TV Movie)
91 min | Biography, Drama
Fact-based story of Mike Mills, a teen with muscular dystrophy, whose destitute single mother places him in a state nursing home, where he must contend with being the only young person in the clinic--and with an abusive head nurse.
Director: Harry Winer | Stars: Fred Savage, Kevin Spacey, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Jenkins
Votes: 390
9. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,451,453 | Gross: $96.90M
10. Pregnancy Pact (2010 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 87 min | Biography, Drama
Inspired by the true story of teenagers at Gloucester (Mass.) High School who agreed to get pregnant at the same time.
Director: Rosemary Rodriguez | Stars: Thora Birch, Madisen Beaty, David Clayton Rogers, Max Ehrich
Votes: 2,301
11. 8 (2012 TV Movie)
91 min | Drama, History
Live chronicle of the landmark federal trial of California's Prop. 8 using the actual court transcripts and first-hand interviews.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Dustin Lance Black, David Boies, Matt Bomer
Votes: 609
12. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Author P.L. Travers reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell
Votes: 170,071 | Gross: $83.30M
13. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
R | 157 min | Drama, History, Thriller
A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong
Votes: 319,001 | Gross: $95.72M
14. Pedro (2008)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
In 1994 Pedro Zamora was the first HIV-positive gay man to appear in a reality show on MTV. The audience of 'The Real World: San Francisco' identified easily with this intelligent, ... See full summary »
Director: Nick Oceano | Stars: Alex Loynaz, Justina Machado, Hale Appleman, DaJuan Johnson
Votes: 540
15. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
R | 113 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
An adaptation of the cult memoir of game show impresario Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), in which he purports to have been a C.I.A. hitman.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts
Votes: 92,016 | Gross: $16.00M
16. Acceptance (2009 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 95 min | Comedy
A comedic, sometimes poignant look at the absurdity of today's college-applications process for parents and teens. Joan Cusack stars as a stressed-out mom who is trying to get her teen daughter into college.
Director: Sanaa Hamri | Stars: Mae Whitman, Michael C. 'Mike' Allen, John Atwood, Rachael Bean
Votes: 368
17. Gangs of New York (2002)
R | 167 min | Crime, Drama
In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 473,103 | Gross: $77.81M
18. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
R | 127 min | Biography, Drama
A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 211,433 | Gross: $28.87M
19. Running with Scissors (2006)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama
A teenage boy comes of age in the 1970's, sent by his neurotic, pretentious mother to live with a jolly, vulgar psychiatrist and his eccentric extended family.
Director: Ryan Murphy | Stars: Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow
Votes: 23,170 | Gross: $6.75M
20. Gia (1998 TV Movie)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of the life of Gia Carangi, a top fashion model from the late 1970s, from her meteoric rise to the forefront of the modeling industry, to her untimely death.
Director: Michael Cristofer | Stars: Angelina Jolie, Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mercedes Ruehl
Votes: 50,295
21. When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story (2010 TV Movie)
PG | 92 min | Biography, Drama
Based on the true story of the enduring but troubled love between Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon, and her alcoholic husband Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Director: John Kent Harrison | Stars: Winona Ryder, Barry Pepper, John Bourgeois, Rosemary Dunsmore
Votes: 1,221
22. Changeling (2008)
R | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
After Christine's son goes missing, she reaches out to the LAPD to find him. But when they try to pass off an impostor as her son to quieten public protests, she refuses to accept him or give up hope.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan, Gattlin Griffith
Votes: 265,320 | Gross: $35.74M
23. Milk (I) (2008)
R | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna
Votes: 179,874 | Gross: $31.84M
24. Kinsey (2004)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A look at the life of Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the area of human sexuality research, whose 1948 publication "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" was one of the first recorded works that saw science address sexual behavior.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard
Votes: 50,965 | Gross: $10.21M
25. Breach (2007)
PG-13 | 110 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
FBI upstart Eric O'Neill enters into a power game with his boss, Robert Hanssen, an agent who was put on trial for selling secrets to the Soviet Union.
Director: Billy Ray | Stars: Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Haysbert, Laura Linney
Votes: 61,771 | Gross: $33.23M
26. The Runaways (2010)
R | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways. The relationship between band members Cherie Currie and Joan Jett is also explored.
Director: Floria Sigismondi | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Stella Maeve
Votes: 50,958 | Gross: $3.57M
27. Gandhi (1982)
PG | 191 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth
Votes: 240,233 | Gross: $52.77M
28. The Social Network (2010)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara
Votes: 759,045 | Gross: $96.96M
29. Into the Wild (2007)
R | 148 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden
Votes: 658,349 | Gross: $18.35M
30. The Theory of Everything (2014)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Stephen Hawking gets unprecedented success in the field of physics despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of 21. He defeats awful odds as his first wife Jane aids him loyally.
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Tom Prior, Sophie Perry
Votes: 482,253 | Gross: $35.89M
31. Patch Adams (1998)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The true story of a heroic man, Hunter "Patch" Adams, determined to become a medical doctor because he enjoys helping people. He ventured where no doctor had ventured before, using humour and pathos.
Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 122,339 | Gross: $135.03M
32. Awakenings (1990)
PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama
The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson
Votes: 158,830 | Gross: $52.10M
33. Kink (2013)
Unrated | 80 min | Documentary
A documentary on fetish website Kink.com.
Director: Christina Alexandra Voros | Stars: Peter Acworth, Maitresse Madeline, Chris Norris, Tomcat
Votes: 1,301
34. Rich Hill (2014)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Rich Hill intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.
Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos | Stars: Alyssa Jewell, Andrew Jewell, Elizabeth Jewell, Willie Jewell
Votes: 2,509
35. 20,000 Days on Earth (2014)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Drama, Music
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: 11,971 | Gross: $0.28M
36. The Imposter (2012)
R | 99 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
Director: Bart Layton | Stars: Adam O'Brian, Nicholas Barclay, Carey Gibson, Bryan Gibson
Votes: 50,471 | Gross: $0.89M
37. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby
Votes: 40,736 | Gross: $0.02M
38. UnHung Hero (2013)
Unrated | 84 min | Documentary
UnHung Hero charts a humiliated man's fact-finding journey as he consults porn stars, doctors and anthropologists to learn whether the size of one's manhood matters.
Director: Brian Spitz | Stars: Patrick Moote, Wendy Suzann Miller, Axel Braun, Jonah Falcon
Votes: 2,723
39. Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction (2009 TV Special)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Comedy
The master comedian performs in Washington DC and gives his wry observations about life, politics and his health.
Director: Marty Callner | Star: Robin Williams
Votes: 3,511
40. Stories We Tell (2012)
PG-13 | 108 min | Documentary
A film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers.
Director: Sarah Polley | Stars: Michael Polley, John Buchan, Mark Polley, Joanna Polley
Votes: 14,118 | Gross: $1.60M
41. Video Games: The Movie (2014)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, History
Learn how video games are made, marketed, and consumed by looking back at gaming history and culture through the eyes of game developers, publishers, and consumers.
Director: Jeremy Snead | Stars: Sean Astin, Al Alcorn, Peter Armstrong, Cliff Bleszinski
Votes: 5,594 | Gross: $0.02M
42. This Is It (2009)
PG | 111 min | Documentary, Music
A compilation of interviews, rehearsals, and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.
Director: Kenny Ortega | Stars: Michael Jackson, Alex Al, Alexandra Apjarova, Nick Bass
Votes: 41,908 | Gross: $72.09M
43. The Dog (I) (2013)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Adventure, Biography
A documentary portrait of the late John Wojtowicz, whose attempted robbery of a Brooklyn bank to finance his lover's gender-reassignment surgery was the real-life inspiration for Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
Directors: Allison Berg, Frank Keraudren | Stars: John Wojtowicz, Carmen Bifulco, Jeremy Bowker, Liz Debbie Eden
Votes: 978 | Gross: $0.04M
44. Bridegroom (2013)
R | 80 min | Documentary
Shane Bitney Crone's plans to marry Tom Bridegroom in California after the same-sex marriage law is passed takes a tragic turn when his partner of six years accidentally dies and Tom's family refuses Shane from attending the funeral.
Director: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | Stars: Cindy Bitney, David Crone, Jessica Mitchell, Lizzy Mohl
Votes: 4,632
45. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
Two sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.
Director: Justin Chadwick | Stars: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess
Votes: 119,992 | Gross: $26.81M
46. Pocahontas (I) (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.
Directors: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg | Stars: Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale, Joe Baker
Votes: 203,097 | Gross: $141.60M
47. Russell Brand from Addiction to Recovery (2012 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary
After the death of his friend Amy Winehouse from an overdose, Russel Brand looks back on his own years of addiction and wants to show that not all addicts turn out the same way.
Director: Ross Wilson | Stars: Russell Brand, Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse
Votes: 448
48. Miss Representation (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
Explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.
Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom | Stars: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Jean Kilbourne, Jim Steyer, Katie Couric
Votes: 3,866
49. Long Lost Family (II) (2016– )
Documentary, Drama
This American television series helps people reunite with long lost family members.
Stars: Chris Jacobs, Lisa Joyner, Jeanette Yoffe, Joanna Fiore
Votes: 270
50. Black Mass (2015)
R | 123 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.
Director: Scott Cooper | Stars: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton
Votes: 192,419 | Gross: $62.58M
51. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Filmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
Stars: Steven Avery, Dolores Avery, Laura Nirider, Allan Avery
Votes: 102,879
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