Top 11 Mockumentary Movies
- CJ Tiernan
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
By CJ Tiernan
A mockumentary is a film that is crafted like a documentary in almost every way. It is telling a story with talking heads, wherein the characters are interviewed. They may break the fourth wall and the camera work will often utilize techniques like “shaky cam” that mimic a handheld, improvisational style. The difference is, the story and the characters (almost always) aren’t real. It is a small, but important difference, allowing what is otherwise an often stodgy and upper-crust entertainment option to be a vehicle for comedy or horror. These tend to be the two exclusive directions this format has taken. Because you are boxing yourselves in with the style, the writing can be a very important element in mockumentaries. However, (and I apologize for the immediate contradiction) it’s also conducive to improv. You get a big ensemble cast together and just let them riff. It can craft comedy magic. Below is my list of my Top 11 Favorite Mockumentary movies I’ve ever seen.
1. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
This movie had to be number one. Not only is This Is Spinal Tap the reason that my lists go to eleven, it is also the foundation of the genre. “Spinal Tap” is widely considered to be the first feature-length film to use the documentary format for a work of fiction that gained enough notoriety to actually necessitate the name of the genre. It is endlessly quotable and laid the groundwork for an impressive run of movies directed by Christopher Guest (although this movie was directed by Rob Reiner). If you’ve never seen: 1) you should and 2) it has nothing to do with the medical procedure (although the drummers of the band tend to have a tough time, medically).
2a. District 9 (2009)
I consider this movie to be a mockumentary, but it does have a slight departure from the style after the first half. I have therefore added a 12th movie to the list. What can I say except, “you’re welcome.” Aliens and body horror paired with the documentary style is the dream. Sprinkle in some South African accent like Salt Bae, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a great movie.
2b. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
This is a comedy that is so wholesome. It takes place in the fictional town of Blaine, Missouri and features an eccentric cast of small-town folks who love their town and want to show it off. The town harbors pride in two separate (arguable) claims to fame: they are both the stool capital of the world and the first place where aliens landed. They put on a play for the celebration of the sesquicentennial (a word that just missed my Top 11 Words List) and, well, reread the title for whomst they’re hoping attends. The characters and the play within the movie make the whole thing.
3. Late Night with the Devil (2023)
This is one of the greatest horror movies I’ve ever seen. When you place the word “Devil” in the title, you are warning audiences that this is not a comedy. It would be a delightful misdirect, placing words like “night” and “dead” and “evil” in a title and then the film is a 19th century costume drama. But, that’s not what we’re doing here. This is a found-footage/mockumentary hybrid that depicts an episode of a late-night talk show in the late ‘70s. Things go awry in a wonderful way (unless, you know, you’re a character in that show).
4. Zelig (1983)
This is probably one of the movies you are least likely to know or recognize on this list. It is the oldest on the list (which doesn’t help) and was created by a guy who was kinda super cancelled (Woody Allen). However, the movie is fantastically entertaining and perfectly understated. The main character, Leonard Zelig, has chameleon capabilities. He can physically transform himself into anyone and even adopt their mannerisms. It’s weird and wild and wonderful. It also used the Forrest Gump insert-a-character-into-archival-footage method a decade before Tom Hanks showed LBJ his butt.
5. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
This movie is NOT bad. Sacha Baron Cohen goes so totally and completely all in on his characters that you can’t help but laugh. If you think the title is long, wait until you get to the scene where the two guys are running around naked. Kazakhstan may not be thrilled at the message this movie sent about their country but, to play devil’s advocate: I’d never heard of this country until this movie came out.
6. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Marcel is an anthropomorphic one-inch-tall shell animated in stop-motion glory and voiced by Jenny Slate. He lives with his grandma and loves watching Lesley Stahl on 60 minutes. It is a sweet story crafted in a unique way, blending live-action with stop-motion animation. I have difficulty in describing it because it’s so singular but I can’t recommend it highly enough. I’m anxiously awaiting the possible spin-off opportunities such as Miguel the Bell with Boots On and Adele the Single-Cell in Gel.
7. Theater Camp (2023)
Theater people can be… a lot. You know how in Nuclear Fission, the process of splitting an unstable atom can create projectiles that will strike and split additional atoms, creating a chain reaction? That’s kinda what happens when theater people get around other theater people. The energy is self-perpetuating as they all feed off each other, creating a level of verve that doesn’t occur naturally in the wild. They’re both entertaining and akin to be around the use of cocaine without partaking yourself. Anyway, the movie is fantastic and features Jimmy Tatro, who was also in American Vandal, which was one of the greatest TV Show mocumentaries ever.
8. Best in Show (2000)
This is perhaps the best known of the Christopher Guest movies. His other mocumentaries include Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots. He is, pretty unquestionably, the king of the mockumentary (which fits, because he’s also a member of British royalty). Some of the other actors that frequently show up in his movies include (but are certainly not limited to) Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Williard, Jane Lynch, and the lyrically named Bob Balaban. The comedy these geniuses squeeze out of mundanity knows no bounds. Fun fact: the movie had a real-world impact on the dog show tail trail, as the American Kennel Club first held their national championship in 2001 and the National Dog Show followed suit in 2002 (that’s the one aired every year on NBC after the Macy’s parade, causing battles for the remote nationwide between football fans and dog people).
9. Surf's Up (2007)
An animated mockumentary: that alone is a delicious twist but we’re not done yet. No, we’re also following anthropomorphic animals. Shia LaBeouf (of Even Stevens fame) plays the voice of a young penguin who wants to be a pro-surfer, and manages to join a competition. The movie also features the talents of Diedrich Bader and James Woods (who both have all-time voices), plus stars like Zooey Deschanel and Jeff Bridges. Plus, to remind that you that Napoleon Dynamite had just come out a few years prior, Jon Heder is among the voice cast. My favorite part is when they cut to the talking head of a sea urchin that has been stepped on (he has opinions on the experience).
10. I, Tonya (2017)
One of the more under-dissected elements of a documentary is the fact that you are relying on the human mind. The thing about memories is that they’re filtered through the brain, the same brain that also harbors biases and opinions. It is therefore an accepted reality that the human memory is unreliable. That is played with in I, Tonya. We are getting a one-sided account of history, an incident as told by the villain. It is a delightful twist on the mockumentary to tell a true story with real characters, but in a comedic and exaggerated manner. Margot Robbie is always great, but this movie will be remembered for Allison Janney (who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar) and Paul Walter Hauser (who burst on the scene and stole the show in this movie and most of his others since).
11. Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
The Minnesota Beauty Pageant: the comedy goldmine we didn’t know existed until this movie. Featuring up and comers like Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, and Denise Richards mixed with legends like Allison Janney (for the second movie in a row), Kristie Alley, and Ellen Barkin, this movie is a glorious dark comedy. What makes it dark, you ask? An outbreak of beauty contestants being eliminated from contention via bizarre, sometimes fatal, accidents. What makes it comedy? Everything from the Minnesota accents to the curious cast of characters.
Final Thoughts
The Office was probably the most ubiquitous use of the mockumentary in pop culture history. It brought a cast of unusual characters to the masses in a unique way. Since the show exploded, many have attempted the same method, to mostly positive results. I love the format for so many reasons. One of my favorites is that the information is delivered so earnestly and in such a classic documentary format that, for the uninitiated, you may not even realize what you’re watching is fiction. That is apparently a real thing that happened to some when This Is Spinal Tap was released. It was mistaken for a real documentary about a band and met with mixed reviews. I will always leap at the opportunity to take in a movie in this genre and anxiously await the next one. Below is a list of some of the mocumentaries that just missed my Top 11 List. Please let me know in the comments if I missed any of your favorites. Thanks! Have a great day!
Comments