Top Documentary Movies


The Top Documentary Movies List is calculated by overall movie ratings and members' "Top Documentary List". Lists are calculated daily.

161. Hot Coffee

Year of Release: 2011
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Susan Saladoff
Actors: Al Franken, John Grisham, Victor Schwartz, Joanne Doroshow, Joan Claybrook, Stella Liebeck
Plot: Documentary that seeks the truth behind the McDonald's coffee-spilling lawsuit.

162. Island of Lemurs: Madagascar

Year of Release: 2014
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: G
Director: David Douglas
Actors: Morgan Freeman, Patricia Wright
Plot: Morgan Freeman narrates this IMAX documentary, along with conservationist Patricia Wright, as they travel to Madagascar where Lemurs - nature own explorers - have evolved into hundreds of diverse species - all of which are now highly endangered.

163. The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Year of Release: 2006
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary/Biography
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Jeff Feuerzeig
Actors: Daniel Johnston, Matt Groening, Thurston Moore, Louis Black, Don Goede, Mabel Johnston

164. Aliens of the Deep

Year of Release: 2005
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: G
Director: James Cameron, Steven Quale
Actors: Loretta Hidalgo, James Cameron, Anatoly M. Sagalevitch, David L. Dubois, Pamela Conrad, Arthur 'Lonne' Lane

165. The Unbelievers

Year of Release: 2013
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary/Biography
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Gus Holwerda
Actors: Woody Allen, Richard Dawkins, Cameron Diaz, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Hawking, Werner Herzog
Plot: Follows a a globe-spanning journey of renowned scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss as they speak about embracing science and reason over religion and politics with hopes of making the world a better place for all.

166. The Wolfpack

Year of Release: 2015
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary/Biography
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Crystal Moselle
Actors: Bhagavan Angulo, Govinda Angulo, Jagadisa Angulo, Krsna Angulo, Mukunda Angulo, Narayana Angulo
Plot: In Lower East Side Manhattan, the Angulo are kept locked away from society, learning everything they know about the world around them through the films they watch. This "Wolfpack" spend their childhood reenacting their favorite scenes using elaborate props and set-ups. But their world is changed when one of the brothers escapes.

167. F for Fake ( Vérités et mensonges )

Year of Release: 1977
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Orson Welles
Actors: Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Peter Bogdanovich, Joseph Cotten, François Reichenbach, Richard Wilson
Plot: Orson Welles directs this documentary about fakes and forgeries while focusing on his own history and maybe fooling the audience as well.

168. Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary/Biography
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Werner Herzog
Actors: Dieter Dengler, Werner Herzog, Eugene Deatrick
Plot: A story of sorrow and survival - Dieter Dengler grew up in German postwar poverty and suffered abuse before leaving at age 18 for the United States. From peeling potatoes to enlisting in the Navy he learns to fly. In 1966, he shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War. Captured, and emaciated, he still escapes and manages to survive the harsh conditions and finally rescue. This is his story.

169. Birth of the Living Dead

Year of Release: 2013
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Rob Kuhns
Actors: George A. Romero, Larry Fessenden, Gale Anne Hurd, Jason Zinoman, Mark Harris, Elvis Mitchell
Plot: In 1968 director George Romero and a group of Pittsburgh natives, filmed what was to become one of the seminal horror movies classics, Night of the Living Dead. This documentary offers an insight behind the making of the film.

170. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks

Year of Release: 2013
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Alex Gibney
Actors: Julian Assange, Adrian Lamo
Plot: Documentary about Julian Assange, his website and the largest security breach in U.S history.

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