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.
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
The Pretender: Series 1, Episodes 1-5 (2005)
7.5/10
Director: Michael Bennett, Patrick Gillies
'The Pretender' is a smart, satirical and biting examination of our nation's leaders; the people behind them; and the jealousy, megalomania, fear, con... Read more
Unreal (2004)
6.5/10
Director: Sloan Copeland
Starring: Michael Giese, Amber Ryan, David M Zuber, Kathryn Forsatz, Jessica Morales, Brad...
Filmed in the style of American reality show 'The Real World', this film takes six camera crews and follows three couples after they have split. Watc... Read more
Brothers of the Head (2005)
6.4/10
Director: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe
Starring: Bryan Dick, Sean Harris, Jonathan Pryce, Harry Treadaway, Luke Treadaway
Off-beat tale of rock and roll rebellion chronicles the rise and fall of Bang Bang, a fictional 1970s Brit-rock band comprised of the Howe brothers (H... Read more
Short Poppies (2014)
7.9/10
Starring: Rhys Darby, David Farrier
Journalist David Farrier goes on a quest to small town New Zealand to find the average Kiwi. What he finds in this mockumentary series, is a lovable b... Read more
Life In The Dead Zone (2018)
Director: Peter Tonks
Starring: Des Morgan, Gabe Page, Jake Hurrell, Chester Dextar
A comedy-drama-mockumentary about Council workers, in a zombie infested city, dealing with office politics, government regulations and the ravenous un... Read more
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan ( Blu-ray ) (2006)
7.3/10
Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Pamela Anderson, Sacha Baron Cohen, Luenell , Ken Davitian
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 drun... Read more
Intervista (1987)
7.1/10
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Federico Fellini, Sergio Rubini, Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, etc ...
Apparently conceived as a tribute to the Cinecitta Studios in Rome, Fellini's beloved home base throughout his career, this 'mockumentary' is a magica... 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
This is Spinal Tap (Blu-ray) (1983)
7.9/10
Director: Rob Reiner
Starring: Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Tony Hendra, June...
This hilarious, pseudo-rockumentary follows the U.S. comeback tour of Spinal Tap, a raucous British heavy metal band that has seen better days. The fi... Read more