Top 100 Documentary Movies List

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room movie

#40 Documentary Movie

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.

Director:

Alex Gibney

Writers:

Alex Gibney, Bethany McLean

Stars:

John Beard, Tim Belden, Barbara Boxer

#39 Documentary Movie

March of the Penguins (2005) G

In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.

Director:

Luc Jacquet

Writers:

Luc Jacquet

Stars:

Morgan Freeman, Charles Berling, Romane Bohringer

#38 Documentary Movie

Jesus Camp (2006) PG-13

A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.

Director:

Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

Stars:

Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer

#37 Documentary Movie

Super Size Me (2004) PG

While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.

Director:

Morgan Spurlock

Writers:

Morgan Spurlock

Stars:

Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Chemeeka Walker

#36 Documentary Movie

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) R

Michael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11; and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Director:

Michael Moore

Writers:

Michael Moore

Stars:

Michael Moore, George W. Bush, Ben Affleck

#35 Documentary Movie

Hubble (2010) G

An IMAX 3D camera chronicles the effort of 7 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

Director:

Toni Myers

Writers:

Toni Myers, Frank Summers

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, K. Megan McArthur, Scott D. Altman

#34 Documentary Movie

Hearts and Minds (1974) R

An examination of the conflicting attitudes of the opponents of the Vietnam War.

Director:

Peter Davis

Stars:

Dwight D. Eisenhower, William Marshall, Georges Bidault

#33 Documentary Movie

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) NC-17

Kirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.

Director:

Kirby Dick

Writers:

Kirby Dick, Eddie Schmidt

Stars:

Kirby Dick, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky

#32 Documentary Movie

Murderball (2005) R

Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Director:

Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro

Stars:

Joe Soares, Keith Cavill, Mark Zupan

#31 Documentary Movie

Salesman (1968) G

Four relentless door-to-door salesmen deal with constant rejection, homesickness and inevitable burnout as they go across the country selling very expensive bibles to low-income Catholic families.

Director:

Albert Maysles, David Maysles

Writers:

Jean-Jacques Annaud, Alain Godard

Stars:

Paul Brennan, Charles McDevitt, James Baker

#30 Documentary Movie

The Song Remains the Same (1976) PG

A documentary of a Led Zeppelin tour mixed with lived music, a bizarre fantasy, and interviews with those involved with the band.

Director:

Peter Clifton, Joe Massot

Writers:

Peter Clifton

Stars:

Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones

#29 Documentary Movie

Inside Job (2010) PG-13

Takes a closer look at what brought about the financial meltdown.

Director:

Charles Ferguson

Writers:

Charles Ferguson, Chad Beck

Stars:

Matt Damon, William Ackman, Daniel Alpert

#28 Documentary Movie

Super High Me (2007) R

Stand up comedian and marijuana user Doug Benson documents thirty days of pot free living and thirty days of non-stop use to compare the effects of both.

Director:

Michael Blieden

Stars:

Doug Benson, Brian Unger, Gary Cohan, Robert Gore

#27 Documentary Movie

Lost in La Mancha (2002) R

Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2017), off the ground.

Director:

Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe

Stars:

Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges

#26 Documentary Movie

The King of Kong (2007) PG-13

Die-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.

Director:

Seth Gordon

Writers:

Seth Gordon

Stars:

Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Mark Alpiger

#25 Documentary Movie

Restrepo (2010) R

A year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.

Director:

Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger

Writers:

Mark Boal

Stars:

Juan 'Doc Restrepo, Dan Kearney

#24 Documentary Movie

Monkey Kingdom (2015) G

A nature documentary that follows a newborn monkey and its mother as they struggle to survive within the competitive social hierarchy of the Temple Troop, a dynamic group of monkeys who live in ancient ruins found deep in the storied jungles of South Asia.

Director:

Mark Linfield, Alastair Fothergill

Stars:

Tina Fey

#23 Documentary Movie

The Imposter (2012) R

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

Writers:

Kevin Reynolds, John Milius

Stars:

Adam O'Brian, Nicholas Barclay, Carey Gibson

#22 Documentary Movie

Spellbound (2002) G

Spellbound follows eight teenagers on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

Director:

Jeffrey Blitz

Stars:

Angela Arenivar, Ubaldo Arenivar, Jorge Arenivar

#21 Documentary Movie

Touching the Void (2003) R

The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Writers:

David Darlow, Joe Simpson

Stars:

Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey

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