Movies like The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell (2025)
The best movies like The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell (2025) are The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998) and Hated: GG Allin and The Murder Junkies (1993). If The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell hooked you with its documentary and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedStop Making Sense (1984)8.4/10 from 407 votes
- NewestOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)Released 2026
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998)
A musical study of Los Angeles in the late 90s, where homeless teens roam the streets and profess to live a punk lifestyle of music, drugs, and flouting authority.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHated: GG Allin and The Murder Junkies (1993)
An overview of the life of the most shocking, vile, and notorious of punk rock legends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEcho in the Canyon (2019)
A look at the roots of the historic music scene in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon featuring the music of iconic music groups such as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and the Papas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
An exploration of the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on glam metal. It features concert footage and interviews of legendary heavy metal and hard rock bands and artists such as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne and W.A.S.P..
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Waltz (1978)
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and other rock legends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnd of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003)
A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Beach Boys (2024)
A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuena Vista Social Club (1999)
In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhen You're Strange (2010)
The creative chemistry of four brilliant artists —drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Kreiger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer Jim Morrison— made The Doors one of America's most iconic and influential rock bands. Using footage shot between their formation in 1965 and Morrison's death in 1971, it follows the band from the corridors of UCLA's film school, where Manzarek and Morrison met, to the stages of sold-out arenas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJustin Bieber's Believe (2013)
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Reputation (2018)
The life and career of rock n' roll icon Joan Jett from her early years ripping it up onstage as the founder and backbone of hard-rock legends The Runaways, to her long time collaboration with Kenny Laguna as Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and her enduring presence in pop culture as a rock pioneer and mentor. With her inimitable singles "I Love Rock n Roll," and "Bad Reputation" Joan Jett inspired a generation of young women to rock.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLive Aid (1985)
Live Aid was held on 13 July 1985, simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States. It was one of the largest scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: watched live by an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations. "It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid...!"
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Band Called Death (2013)
Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Velvet Underground (2021)
Experience the iconic rock band's legacy in the first major documentary to tell their story. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)
The troubled fraternal relationship between songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, the Oscar and Grammy-winning Sherman Brothers, famous for the iconic hits they wrote for Disney.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGimme Danger (2016)
No other band in rock'n'roll history has rivaled The Stooges' combination of heavy primal throb, spiked psychedelia, blues-a-billy grind, complete with succinct angst-ridden lyrics, and a snarling, preening leopard of a frontman who somehow embodies Nijinsky, Bruce Lee, Harpo Marx, and Arthur Rimbaud all rolled into one. There is no precedent for The Stooges, while those inspired by them are now legion. The film will present the context of their emergence musically, culturally, politically, historically, and relate their adventures and misadventures while charting their inspirations and the reasons behind their initial commercial challenges, as well as their long-lasting legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHype! (1996)
This documentary examines the Seattle scene as it became the focus of a merging of punk rock, heavy metal, and innovation. Building from the grass roots, self-promoted and self-recorded until break-out success of bands like Nirvana brought the record industry to the Pacific Northwest, a phenomenon was born.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStop Making Sense (1984)
A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGreen Day: Bullet in a Bible (2005)
Bullet in a Bible documents one of the two biggest shows that Green Day have performed in their career. They played in front of a crowd of over 130,000 people at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in United Kingdom on June 18–19, 2005. The band was supported by Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, and Hard-Fi during their American Idiot world tour. Fourteen of the twenty songs performed at these shows were included on the disc; missing out "Jaded", "Knowledge", "She", "Maria", "Homecoming" and "We Are The Champions". Bullet in a Bible was released as a double-LP set on November 10, 2009, as part of the band's 2009 vinyl re-release campaign.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Ian Dury: On My Life! (1999)
Autobiographical documentary in which Ian Dury, fighting a battle with cancer to which he would later succumb, recalls his life and career. With contributions from painter Peter Blake and members of Dury's band, the Blockheads.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Ian Dury and the Blockheads: Live at Luton (1999)
In one of his last gigs, Ian Dury performs in concert with The Blockheads at Venue 27 in Luton. Hits include Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3, Mash It Up Harry and Bus Drivers' Prayer. First broadcast 28 March 2004
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Long Live The Horror (TBA)
A feature length Concert Documentary about Blitzkid, a seminal Horror-Punk band playing their last show (in the U.S.) at a resurrected Horror-Punk Festival, Ghouls Night Out.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
The Filth and the Fury (2000)
Julien Temple's second documentary profiling punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols is an enlightening, entertaining trip back to a time when the punk movement was just discovering itself. Featuring archival footage, never-before-seen performances, rehearsals, and recording sessions as well as interviews with group members who lived to tell the tale--including the one and only John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRude Boy (1980)
Rude Boy is a semi-documentary, part character study, part 'rockumentary', featuring a British punk band, The Clash. The script includes the story of a fictional fan juxtposed with actual public events of the day, including political demonstrations and Clash concerts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
American Hardcore (2006)
Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)
A rather incoherent post-breakup Sex Pistols "documentary", told from the point of view of Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, whose (arguable) position is that the Sex Pistols in particular and punk rock in general were an elaborate scam perpetrated by him in order to make "a million pounds."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWildlife on the Edge 2: Bears (2025)
Narrated by actor Tim Daly, the show looks at the dilemma of Black Bears living so close Los Angeles. Film features homeowners Brian and Rick who are dealing with Bears swimming in their pool; and features state Fish and Wildlife Officers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Brent Houzenga: Hybrid Pioneer (2010)
A documentary about an Iowa artist who made his career from two antique photo albums that he found in the trash. It has been four years since he originally found the two photo albums and since then he has had featured exhibits around the country. This is the first film in the MADE IN IOWA documentary series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell?
The closest matches to The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell are The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998) and Hated: GG Allin and The Murder Junkies (1993). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell?
Start with The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), the closest match to The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell?
Stop Making Sense (1984), rated 8.4/10 by 407 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell?
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell?
Yes: The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998) and Hated: GG Allin and The Murder Junkies (1993).
How are movies similar to The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.