The 25 best documentaries on Max right now

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (2023)

Rob Reiner’s appropriately reverent examination of Albert Brooks’ career is one of the most comprehensive documentaries of its kind. Through interviews with modern comedy legends such as Jerry Seinfeld, James L. Brooks, and Larry David — all of whom count themselves among Brooks’ disciples — Reiner cannily makes the case that Brooks was the first alternative comedian and that without him, there would be no Steve Martin, no Saturday Night Live, no Borat, nor any modern comedy scene worth noting.

Eschewing any sense of hagiography that these docs often descend into, Reiner offers a wry, truthful examination of Brooks’ remarkable career. —Declan Gallagher

Where to watch Albert Brooks: Defending My Life: Max

Director: Rob Reiner

Cast: Albert Brooks, Rob Reiner, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Alana Haim

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)

Laura Poitras’ beautifully structured documentary profiles artist and activist Nan Goldin’s crusade to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid crisis. Goldin, who dealt with substance abuse issues of her own, founded the advocacy group Prescription Addiction Intervention Now (P.A.I.N.), personifies the pain and desperation of the epidemic in her quest to avenge the destruction wrought on her life and that of others. The Oscar-nominated doc benefits tremendously from putting real faces to the devastation while also grappling with larger issues about those culpable. —D.G.

Where to watch All the Beauty and the Bloodshed: Max

Director: Laura Poitras

Cast: Nan Goldin

The Automat (2021)

Lisa Hurwitz’s nostalgic, dewy-eyed doc looks back at Horn & Hardart automats, a New York City staple that became a cultural institution. An early progenitor to fast food, automats offered an assortment of freshly made dishes (and some damn good coffee) for just a nickel apiece. With the help of Mel Brooks, who composes a delightful song for the closing credits, Hurwitz dives into H&H’s brief but illustrious history.

The Automat is a cheery look into a distinctly antiquated concept. It also serves as a longing paean for a lost sense of community — and instills an almost pathological craving for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie. —D.G.

Where to watch The Automat: Max

Director: Lisa Hurwitz

Cast: Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Colin Powell, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

Wim Wenders’ vibrant film is a deeply moving chronicle of Ry Cooder’s effort to, along with his son Joachim, travel to Cuba and assemble the country’s most famous, forgotten musicians to record a new album. The band eventually comes to America, where they play to rapt houses.

This heartfelt documentary is one of the finest accounts of the perils and pitfalls of artistry in conjunction with its greatest benefits. You’ll likely be struck by the musicians’ fearsome talent and smacked by the unfairness of them not being given their due. Indeed, Wenders’ film is a love letter to their talent, to music, and to cinema itself. —D.G.

Where to watch Buena Vista Social Club: Max

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Wim Wenders

Cast: Ry Cooder, Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Octavio Calderon

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

Andrew Jarecki, creator of The Jinx, directed this somber and utterly chilling account of a seemingly typical suburban family that comes undone when the patriarch and one of his sons are accused of unthinkable crimes.

Jarecki’s sharp, heartbreaking work makes terrific use of the documentary format, utilizing home videos filmed by one of the sons and questioning the compulsions one might have for recording such a personal, slow demise. Much like The Jinx subject Robert Durst, the Friedmans are a gang whose hubris puts their biggest secrets on display in an effort to conceal them. —D.G.

Where to watch Capturing the Friedmans: Max

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Andrew Jarecki

Cast: Arnold Freeman, David Freeman, Jesse Friedman

De Palma (2015)

Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow’s eminently rewatchable dissection of Brian De Palma’s oeuvre — with the man himself serving as the tour guide — is a fascinating, understated look into the mind of one of America’s most influential filmmakers.

Parsing through his filmography one by one (with one very famous music video thrown in), De Palma explores each film with an exhaustive approach. The documentary is a hair over 100 minutes, but it could easily stretch on for days with little complaint from its target audience. There’s nothing quite as exciting as hearing De Palma — at times self-deprecating but always forthright and in control — digest his own work. —D.G.

Where to watch De Palma: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Directors: Noah Baumbach, Jake Paltrow

Cast: Brian De Palma

Dont Look Back (1967)

Celebrity documentaries can sometimes feel overly flattering, sanding down the edges of flawed artists in exchange for unfettered access. Director D.A. Pennebaker, on the other hand, threads the needle perfectly with this vérité-style examination of Bob Dylan during his 1965 concert tour. The doc gives us an unvarnished look at the now-legendary musician's psyche as he grapples with the intersection of fame and his artistry, bickering with journalists and doing his best to communicate his message to an eager audience. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Dont Look Back: Max

Director: D.A. Pennebaker

Cast: Bob Dylan, Albert Grossman, Bob Neuwirth, Joan Baez, Alan Price, Tito Burns, Donovan, Derroll Adams

Everything Is Copy: Nora Ephron Scripted and Unscripted (2015)

This delightful look at the sprawling career of journalist, screenwriter, and filmmaker Nora Ephron is co-directed by her son, Jacob Bernstein. It’s a terrific overview of Ephron featuring interviews with collaborators like Meryl Streep, spiritual successors like Lena Dunham, and admirers like Reese Witherspoon. Also examined is Ephron’s personal life, which made up the backbone of her autobiographical novel and screenplay for Heartburn — later adapted by Mike Nichols into a 1986 film starring Streep — and her ultimate decision not to inform loved ones about her fatal cancer diagnosis.

Everything Is Copy will undoubtedly make viewers curious to seek out her writings and, if they’ve somehow missed them, her many classic films. —D.G.

Where to watch Everything Is Copy: Nora Ephron Scripted and Unscripted: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review) 

Directors: Jacob Bernstein, Nick Hooker

Cast: Nora Ephron, Carl Bernstein, Nicholas Pileggi, Gaby Hoffman, Meg Ryan

Faye: The Many Lives of Faye Dunaway (2024)

Faye Dunaway’s singular life and career get a forceful recollection in Laurent Bouzereau’s powerful documentary, which bears a structural similarity to De Palma as it walks audiences through Dunaway’s career performance by performance.

The star’s roles in classics like Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Chinatown (1974), and Network (1976) are profiled in full, as are her later works, which are a lot more varied than you probably remember. Crucially, Faye also spotlights Dunaway’s off-screen life in a way no other project has afforded the controversial star. Here, she speaks for herself, illuminating corners of her career and personality that have remained unexplored until now. Bouzerau’s documentary is inspiring and heart-wrenching, reminding us that the greatest talents are often misunderstood in their time. —D.G.

Where to watch Faye: The Many Lives of Faye Dunaway: Max

Director: Laurent Bouzereau

Cast: Faye Dunaway

Gimme Shelter (1970)

This gripping account of the Rolling Stones’ infamous free concert at Altamont is directed with grace by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin. It’s a spectacular document of the tragic event, which culminated in bloodshed after the Stones wrangled the Hell’s Angels to work security for the gig. 

The unblinking lens of Zwerin and the Maysles’ camera catches the carnage as it organically unfolds, making this one of the most unmissable and important music documentaries ever made. —D.G.

Where to watch Gimme Shelter: Max

Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin

Cast: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)

Alex Gibney’s enraging and illuminating documentary profiles the Scientology movement from the ground up, tracing how the niche beliefs of C-grade sci-fi author L. Ron Hubbard led to the establishment of one of the most controversial religious organizations on Earth.

Gibney is an incisive documentarian with an eye for details and a knack for nailing potent points. Going Clear may be his masterwork. It’s admirably clear-eyed in overview of the facts, told with creative flair and respect for the survivors involved. —D.G.

Where to watch Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief: Max

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Alex Gibney

Cast: Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, L. Ron Hubbard, David Miscavige

Grey Gardens (1975)

A classic from filmmaking duo Albert and David Maysles, this time working with Muffie Meyer and Ellen Hovde, follows the bizarre exploits of Jackie O. relatives Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother Edith, a.k.a. Little Edie and Big Edie.

The Bouviers spent their days in a ramshackle Long Island mansion, engaging in a mysteriously co-dependent relationship (when they could tolerate one another). Much like Gimme Shelter, the Maysles let the action unfurl before their lens without commenting upon it or dissecting it, allowing the audience to form their own conclusions about what they’re seeing. Grey Gardens is not only one of the most referenced and parodied documentaries of all time, but one of the most astonishing and rewatchable. —D.G.

Where to watch Grey Gardens: Max

Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Muffie Meyer, Ellen Hovde

Cast: Edith Bouvier, Edie Bouvier, Albert Maysles, David Maysles

Hoop Dreams (1994)

Steve James’ affecting feature debut chronicles two Black teenagers in Chicago who get recruited to play basketball at a well-heeled white school. Filmed over five years, James’ documentary follows the players on the court and at home, providing first-hand insight into how young athletes are shaped by social obstacles, not to mention the institutions seeking to monetize them. Hoop Dreams is a spectacular piece of work that has stood the test of time, an “almost novelistic tapestry of cinéma vérité and talking-head interviews,” says EW’s critic. —D.G.

Where to watch Hoop Dreams: Max

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Steve James

Cast: William Gates, Arthur Agee

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019)

Alex Gibney brings his laser focus to the story of Elizabeth Holmes, who through her start-up Theranos defrauded investors with the promise of a revolutionary blood testing device. Holmes is another fraud whose story has been dissected in several documentaries and in dramatizations like Hulu’s The Dropout, but Gibney brings specific insights and a fresh perspective to this truly unbelievable story. —D.G.

Where to watch The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley: Max

Director: Alex Gibney

Cast: Elizabeth Holmes, Alex Gibney, Ken Auletta, Erika Cheung

Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018)

Jane Fonda has lived many lives — and been labeled in various ways. To some, she's one of the icons of the silver screen, a two-time Oscar winner with a résumé full of fiercely committed performances on top of being a dedicated activist. To others, she's a traitor after taking a controversial photo during the Vietnam War. The legendary star addresses the many twists and turns of her life in this fascinating doc, including her experiences as the daughter of Henry Fonda, her emergence in film, her outspoken advocacy for her political beliefs, her tumultuous marriages, and more.

EW's critic writes that the film feels like "a cross between the most revealing celebrity memoir you've ever read and a two-hour session on a shrink's couch." —K.J.

Where to watch Jane Fonda in Five Acts: Max

Cast: Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Robert Redford, Lily Tomlin, Ted Turner, Paula Weinstein, Troy Garity, Sam Waterston

Julia (2021)

Julia is a charming trip through the life, love, and culinary prowess of Julia Child. For those looking for an overview of the chef’s career, you will be well rewarded; and for those with a passing knowledge of Child wanting to explore more of her work, Julia satisfyingly fits the bill.

Betsy West and Julie Cohen faithfully capture Child’s vibrant spirit in the tone of their work. Also addressed with great care and emotion is her marriage to Paul Cushing, which seems like one of history’s great love affairs, as well as her sense of never being fully appreciated in the field due to her age and gender. One comes away from Julia considering how culture’s most influential figures never live to see the breadth of their own influence. —D.G.

Where to watch Julia: Max

Directors: Betsy West, Julie Cohen

Cast: Julia Child, Paul Cushing Child, Alex Prud'homme, Ina Garten, Ruth Reichl

Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)

Little Richard gets his due in this vibrant gem of a documentary directed by Lisa Cortés. I Am Everything tracks the rock star’s meteoric rise and wildly influential career with interviews from contemporaries such as Paul McCartney and Keith Richards, plus those, like John Waters, influenced by Richard’s anarchic, proto-glam rock act. 

Of particular note here is the film’s terrific original soundtrack and score, which pays tribute to and celebrates Little Richard’s work through several toe-tapping compositions. —D.G.

Where to watch Little Richard: I Am Everything: Max

Director: Lisa Cortés

Cast: Little Richard, John Waters, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Elton John

Mel Brooks Unwrapped (2018)

Mel Brooks guides viewers through his early days and career in this jaunty documentary. Through rare archival footage, Brooks tells audiences in his own words how he came to be one of the preeminent comedic voices of his day.

Director Alan Yentob bookends Unwrapped with a wry pseudo-bit in which Brooks does his best to hijack the documentary’s production. (One gets the sense it’s impossible to make Brooks a part of something without it becoming A Mel Brooks Production.) If there’s any criticism to be had here, it’s that Yentob is perhaps too deferential to Brooks in terms of structure; those expecting an A-to-Z summary of Brooks’ career will be left wanting. However, those who know Brooks’ work and are seeking more niche details will be in heaven. —D.G.

Where to watch Mel Brooks Unwrapped: Max

Director: Alan Yentob

Cast: Mel Brooks, Alan Yentob, Carl Reiner

Moonage Daydream (2022)

Brett Morgen takes us on a kaleidoscopic journey through the life and career of David Bowie. With well-rendered visual sequences and a brilliant playlist of Bowie’s catalog — tracks both well-known and obscure — Morgen charts the enigmatic musician’s rise from a cloistered English schoolboy to the larger-than-life glam rocker we all love.

Morgen’s approach is much more interested in the feeling of Bowie’s music, and the impression his career left on fans, than in Bowie’s work ethic or recording method, which comes as a bit of a relief after the numerous works charting Bowie’s discography. This documentary feels like a much more personal, ground-level view of the singer that peeks behind his mystique without doing away with it. —D.G.

Where to watch Moonage Daydream: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Brett Morgen

MoviePass, MovieCrash (2024)

This is a succinct, rather depressing look at the spectacular rise and just-as-sudden flameout of MoviePass, the subscription service beloved by many cinephiles. (MoviePass has since been revived, albeit in a curtailed form.)

Mark Wahlberg produced this look at the short-lived phenomenon, which aimed to boost multiplex visitation but eventually crashed and burned due to corporate greed and shoddy upkeep. The documentary shows that, while it may never have been the most sustainable model, MoviePass was certainly a well-intentioned idea that could’ve had a more successful run under better leadership. —D.G.

Where to watch MoviePass, MovieCrash: Max

Director: Muta'Ali

Cast: Mitch Lowe, Nathan McAlone, Stacy Spikes

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)

A rousing and tremendously exciting look at one of history’s most notorious unsolved heists, this documentary concerns a crime undertaken by the mysterious D.B. Cooper, who vanished without a trace after a daring mid-air escape.

Cooper’s case has inspired rampant speculation for decades, but John Dower’s precise film distills the story down to 85 minutes of essentials through interviews with those present for the astonishing incident. This is one of the most concise and fascinating accounts about Cooper, and it’s well worth a watch for any true crime fan. —D.G.

Where to watch The Mystery of D.B. Cooper: Max

Director: John Dower 

Cast: Jo Weber, Jim Weber, Duane Collins, William Rataczak

Paris Is Burning (1990)

Jennie Livingston’s groundbreaking film chronicles the “golden age” of New York City’s drag scene. To call Paris Is Burning revolutionary would be short-changing its contribution to queer culture and the documentary format as a whole. It’s such an evocative memory of a specific time and place that you can practically taste the hairspray. Livingston’s eye is both sensitive and quizzical, and her film is at its best when it focuses on the community’s specific members, many of whom left their real families in search of a more welcoming home. —D.G.

Where to watch Paris Is Burning: Max

EW grade: A (read our review)

Director: Jennie Livingston

Cast: Paris Dupree, Pepper LaBeija, Octavia Saint Laurent

The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring (2023)

The sordid Hollywood Bling Ring theft saga, chronicled in a Vanity Fair feature and adapted by Sofia Coppola, is the documentary treatment in this perfectly calibrated feature about the ring’s leader, Rachel Lee. In her own words, Lee explains why she felt compelled to recruit a group of celebrity-obsessed pals to rob the homes of people like Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom. This is a remarkably compelling, well-told recitation of events that benefits greatly from Lee’s cooperation. —D.G.

Where to watch The Ringleader: Max

Director: Erin Lee Carr

Cast: Rachel Lee, David Lee, Christine Kee, Sarika Kim

The Super Bob Einstein Movie (2021)

Bob Einstein was a brilliant comedic actor best known for his recurring failed stuntman character Super Dave Osborne and playing Marty Funkhouser on Curb Your Enthusiasm. This affectionate documentary explores how Einstein, the brother of Albert Brooks, was a remarkably thoughtful and committed entertainer whose biggest laughs were often generated by his no-nonsense demeanor. As Sarah Silverman notes in the charmed feature, Einstein is perhaps the only comedian to ever make a career out of playing the straight man to himself. —D.G.

Where to watch The Super Bob Einstein Movie: Max

Director: Danny Gold

Cast: Bob Einstein, Albert Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Jeff Garlin, Larry David

The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

One of the finest documentaries on this list, The Times of Harvey Milk is a stunning portrait of the late San Francisco politician’s crusade for equality. This film was made just six years after Milk’s assassination at the hands of Dan White, a fellow government worker, and deals with the aftermath of that tragedy as well as White’s infamous trial. Rob Epstein’s incomparable feature serves as one of the definitive statements on Milk’s legacy and as a vibrant time capsule of his beloved city. —D.G.

Where to watch The Times of Harvey Milk: Max

Director: Rob Epstein