Mockumentary
Though the term was coined in reference to the groundbreaking 'This is Spinal Tap', Rob Reiner cannot claim ownership of the fake documentary genre. Woody Allen's debut as director 'Take the Money and Run' is an early example, but undoubtedly the number of these satirical slices of life has risen of late, reflecting the popularity (and banality) of reality television. Christopher Guest took the format and ran with it ('Best in Show', 'A MIghty Wind', 'Waiting for Guffman'), and classics include serial killer profile 'Man Bites Dog', Lars von Trier oddity 'The Idiots' and of course the cringingly accurate 'The Office'. Check out Alice's collection below.
Morris - A Life With Bells On (2008)
6.7/10
Director: Lucy Akhurst
Starring: Derek Jacobi, Greg Wise, Ian Hart, Thomas Oldham
A pastoral indie mockumentary, made on a shoestring by the husband-and-wife team of Lucy Akhurst and Charles Thomas Oldham, Its a success story to... Read more
My Winnipeg (2007)
7.7/10
Director: Guy Maddin
Starring: Ann Savage, Louis Negin, Amy Stewart, Darcy Fehr
Visionary Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin pays tribute to his beloved hometown with this goodbye letter and self-described 'docu-fantasia' that is equal... Read more
People Like Us: Series 1 (1999)
8.3/10
Director: John Morton, Willy Smax
Starring: Chris Langham
An inspired, award-winning spoof documentary series, pre-dating 'The Office' that follows hapless (and virtually unseen) filmmaker Roy Mallard (the br... Read more
People Like Us: Series 2 (2001)
8.3/10
Director: John Morton, Willy Smax
Starring: Chris Langham
'Documentary' filmmaker Roy Mallard (Chris Langham) is back on the job in the second series of this wicked fly-on-the-wall spoof, spending a day in th... Read more
Radiant City (2006)
7/10
Director: Jim Brown, Gary Burns
Shot in Alberta, Canada, this mock documentary takes a satiric look at 21st-century suburban sprawl...and dislikes what it finds! Taking a harsh but h... Read more
Razor Eaters (2003)
6.1/10
Director: Shannon Young
Starring: Paul Moder, Richard Cawthorne, Fletcher Humphreys, Teague Rooke, Shannon Young,...
Loosely based on recent events in Australia, this provocative and shockingly violent film tracks the rise of a group of misfits who take it on themsel... Read more
Razzle Dazzle (2007)
6.5/10
Director: Darren Ashton
Starring: Kerry Armstrong, Ben Miller, Nadine Garner, Tara Morice, Denise Roberts, Jane Ha...
The bizarre world of children's dance competitions gets the satirical treatment in this Australian mockumentary about a dance teacher and his troupe a... Read more
Real Life (1978)
7.2/10
Director: Albert Brooks
Starring: Albert Brooks, Charles Grodin
Hilarious satire that was director Albert Brooks' feature film debut takes a lighthearted poke at cinema verite filmmaking. A documentarian (Brooks) t... Read more
Redacted (2007)
6.1/10
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Rob Devaney, Patrick Carroll, Izzy Diaz, Mike Figueroa, Ty Jones, Kel O'Neill, B...
Brian De Palma makes a strong anti-war statement with this chilling documentary-style drama about a group of soldiers who commit a devastating atrocit... Read more
Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch (2003)
6/10
Director: Eric Idle
Starring: Eric Idle, Billy Connolly, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Bill Murray, Robin Williams
Dirk, Nasty, Stig and Barry - the 'pre-fab four' strike again!. Python-alum Eric Idle directs and stars in this sequel to his 1978 mockumentary, 'The... Read more