Some of cinema’s most outstanding andeye-opening documentarieshave enlightened and inspired audiences with their thought-provoking perspectives. Oftentimes these pictures have captivated moviegoers so much that they receive the full Hollywood treatment and become a full-length feature film (or TV series, as inDispatches From Elsewhere), superbly bringing their original source material to the big screen. It’s not uncommon for the entertainment business to draw on already established and admired works for insight and direction, and documentaries have proven to be a convenient source of creativity. Those who have successfully adapted these narrative flicks have stood out from the pack and prove that audiences can’t get enough of a riveting tale.
Viewers were on the edge of their seats as they watched high-wire artist Philippe Petit defy the odds and walk between the Twin Towers in the biographical dramaThe Walk,whileactor Sean Pennwent on to win the Academy Award for his exceptional performance as gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk in the touching dramaMilk.Both of these exceptional pictures are based on distinguished documentaries, with filmmakers once again bringing their remarkable stories to life. These are some of the best movies based on documentaries.
8Our Brand is Crisis
Jack-of-all-trades David Gordon Green directed the 2015 comedy-dramaOur Brand is Crisis,which touts an impressive A-list cast including Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, and Anthony Mackie, and chronicles the entanglement of Greenberg Carville Shrum (GCS), a renowned American political campaign strategy group, throughout the 2002 Bolivian presidential election. Inspired by Rachel Boynton’s 2005 documentary of the same name, the intriguing picture stars Bullock as “Calamity” Jane Bodine, the campaign manager of the struggling Bolivian politician Pedro Castillo who battles it out against her professional adversary Pat Candy (Thornton), who happens to be representing the opposition’s campaign.
While the documentary focuses on the marketing tactics utilized by GCS and America’s controversial interference with the country’s election, the 2015film is a political satirethat adopts a more comedic approach to the storytelling. Though the dramedy itself garnered mixed reviews, Bullock’s performance was praised by critics, withVarietycalling the character “easily one of the best female roles of the last 10 years.”
7Welcome to Marwen
Based on the documentaryMarwencolthat explores the engrossing life of artist Mark Hogancamp, the 2018 dramaWelcome to Marwenstars Steve Carell as the aforementioned Hogancamp, a manstruggling with PTSDwho cannot afford therapy, so he instead crafts a fabricated miniature village to confront his anguish. The real-life Hogancamp spent nine days in a coma after being savagely beaten outside a bar, and was left with brain damage and little memory of his previous life; he built his own scaled-down World War II village to help in his recovery and cope with his attack.
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Director Robert Zemeckisknew that Carell was the one actor who could beautifully capture the vulnerability and essence of the artist, having toldScreen Rant,“Steve was my first and only choice. Because I knew I needed somebody who was a great comedic actor and then had really great dramatic acting chops. And Steve fit the bill perfectly. Because he’s also got great empathy, and he has that every man quality.”
6Lords of Dogtown
Former professional skateboarder and surfer turned director Stacy Peralta helmed the 2001 documentaryDogtown and Z-Boys,a film that delves into the creation of the Zephyr skateboard team (which he was a member of) and the flourishing sport of skateboarding that led to the 2005 biographical dramaLords of Dogtown.In the adaptation by Catherine Hardwicke, the movie focuses on a band of misfit skateboarders in Santa Monica during the 1970s as they master their craft in empty swimming pools while helping the sport gain widespread recognition.
With a gifted cast including Emile Hirsch, Heath Ledger and Michael Angarano,Lords of Dogtowncelebrates the allure of the rebellious nature that was once associated with the cutting-edge sport, and has developed a passionate cult since its release. Many consider the drama to be one ofthe best skateboarding moviesof all time, with theBoston Globewriting, “The movie is like a daydream, and it’s most infectious when the characters are in motion or misbehaving, which is often.”
5Rescue Dawn
Based on the true story of German-American pilot Dieter Dengler, the 2006 epic war dramaRescue Dawnfeatures Christian Bale as the United States Navy aviator who was ambushed and seized by villagers during the Vietnam War, and was imprisoned and tortured for six months. Dengler and other POWs (prisoners of war) attempted to make their harrowing escape from the prisoner camp, with the aviator becomingthe first captured U.S. airmanto escape enemy captivity during the war.
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Director Werner Herzog was enamored by humanity’s true nature and their innate penchant for malice, having been inspired to create the 1997 documentaryLittle Dieter Needs to Flyand wanting to revisit the gripping story in a feature film. Though not a box office success,Rescue Dawnearned widespread praise for Bale’s riveting performance and Herzog’s brilliant direction;Slatecommended the war flick in their review: “If you’re looking for a weekend movie that’s heart-stoppingly suspenseful and inspiring, as well as brainy, funny, and strange, seek outRescue Dawn.”
With a brilliant cast of gifted performers like Liev Schreiber, John Malkovich and Melanie Griffith, the 1999 historical dramaRKO 281sheds a light on the difficult production behind one of cinema’s most revered pictures: 1941’sCitizen Kane.The stimulating film follows notorious Hollywood director and actor Orson Welles (Schreiber) as he produces arguably his greatest professional accomplishment withCitizen Kane,while combating the opposition of the drama’s real-life inspiration, businessman William Randolph Hearst.
Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein helmed the 1996 documentaryThe Battle Over Citizen Kane,which depicted the rivalry between Welles and Hearst, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film. The HBO adaptation was equally well-received, nabbing Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and Writings Guild of America Award while garnering rave reviews for the sharp screenplay and Schreiber’s noteworthy performance as the eccentric Welles.
Chronicling the anxiety-inducing dangerous stunt performed by French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, the 2015 3D biographical dramaThe Walktells the electrifying story of the 24-year-old Petit’s perilous walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Inspired by the award-winning James Marsh documentaryMan on Wire,which includes adrenaline-pumping rare footage of the event and still photographs of the stunt, the big-screen adaptation was directed by Robert Zemeckis, who at first questioned whether the stunt was even real.
The famed filmmaker toldDeadline:“To me, it had everything that you want in a movie. It had an interesting character who’s driven, and obsessed, and passionate. It had all this caper stuff. He was an outlaw. There was suspense. And then he did this death-defying thing.” Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers a commanding performance as Petit, and trained with the real-life artist to be able to walk on the wire himself and prepare for the role.The Walkis a big-screen extravaganza, allowing moviegoers to feel as though they’re high in the sky while constantly reminding them that one slip-up could lead to their grisly demise.
2Grey Gardens
The immensely talented Drew Barrymoreand Jessica Lange headlined the 2009 biographical drama television filmGrey Gardens,which depicts the lives of socialites Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith, the aunt and cousin of former first lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.Grey Gardenssegues between Little Edie’s days as a prominent debutante in the 1930s to moving in with her mother at their Grey Gardens estate and culminating in the actual premiere of the documentary.
The intimate 1975 picture and source material from the Maysles brothers follows the everyday lives of the two reclusive, upper-class women who lived in squalor at the sprawling estate, and while being considered one of the greatest documentaries ever made,Grey Gardenswas also highly controversial upon its release due to the Beale’s portrayals. The HBO drama was lauded by critics for Barrymore andJessica Lange’s performances, going on to win numerous accolades such as Golden Globes, Primetime Emmy Awards, and Satellite Awards.
Sean Penn won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his riveting portrayal of gay rights activist and politician Harey Milk in the 2008 biographical dramaMilk,which centers on the first openly gay individual to hold public office and his role as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The emotionally-driven picture with fanciful direction from Gus Van Sant depicts Milk’s relationship with his partner and fellow activist Scott Smith, while illustrating the tragic assassinatin of the respected politician and San Francisco mayor George Moscone at the hands of Dan White in 1978.
Milkdrew upon the poignant 1984 documentaryThe Times of Harvey Milkdirected by Rob Epstein, who won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for his intimate project. On portraying the monumental historical figure, Penn revealed to theHuffington Post, “If you see the documentary, the guy is a movie star in it – he is electric, a warm guy. You just reach and reach and reach, but never assume you’re going to get there all the way. You figure that with the help of the director and the screenwriter and all the other things that a movie is, that you’re able to get the spirit of him out there the best you can.”
