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.
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
JCVD (2008)
7.2/10
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens, Zinedine Soualem
Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this unique, existential heist thriller with a dark comic streak. Down and out, with only straight-to-DVD title... Read more
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
7.3/10
Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Luenell , Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson, etc ...
Sacha Baron Cohen stirred up a legal hornet's nest when he took his obnoxious Kazakh reporter character, Borat, on the road in the US and A. From dru... Read more
The Grand (2007)
6/10
Director: Zak Penn
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines, David Cross, Dennis Farina, Richard Kind, Ray Rom...
A largely improvised mockumentary with Woody Harrelson as a playboy actor who enters a poker tournament in order to save his grandfather's hotel from... Read more
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
7.3/10
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Gretchen Mol, Samantha Morton, Sean Penn, Uma Thurman, Woody A...
Woody Allen's affectionate, pseudo-documentary centres on Emmet Ray (Sean Penn), "the second best jazz guitarist in the world", a '30s music virtuoso... Read more
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
Sex Sells - The Making of Touche (2005)
4.9/10
Director: Johnathan Liebert
Starring: Mark de Carlo, Adrian Zmed, Priscilla Barnes
A world record orgy, wild sex scenes, ninjas... just a typical day at the office when you happen to work on a porn set. Director Chuck Steak (Mark DeC... Read more
Death of a President (2006)
6.3/10
Director: Gabriel Range
Starring: Hend Ayoub, Brian Boland, Becky Ann Baker, Robert Mangiardi, Jay Patterson, Jay...
Deeply controversial on its release, Gabriel Range's 'mockumentary' is set in the near future and imagines the aftermath to the assassination of curre... Read more
CB4 (1993)
6.2/10
Director: Tamra Davis
Starring: Deezer D, Chris Elliott, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Phil Hartman
A satirical mockumentary look at Gangsta Rap in the spirit of 'This is Spinal Tap', co-written by Chris Rock who also stars. 'Cell Block 4' are three... Read more
Big Man Japan (2007)
6.4/10
Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Claudio Uassouf, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Itsuji Itao
Irresistably hilarious mockumentary about a sad-sack 40-something who is carrying on the family tradition of turning into a superhero, when the need a... Read more