Movies like Dogtown and Z-Boys (2002)
The best movies like Dogtown and Z-Boys (2002) are Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012), Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018) and The Beach Boys (2024). If Dogtown and Z-Boys hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAnvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)7.6/10 from 285 votes
- NewestCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)Released 2025
Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012)
When six teenage boys came together as a skateboarding team in the 1980s, they reinvented not only their chosen sport but themselves too – as they evolved from insecure outsiders to the most influential athletes in the field.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStruggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)
Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)
A wide-ranging, definitive look at Hawk’s life and iconic career, and his relationship with the sport with which he’s been synonymous for decades, featuring unprecedented access, never-before-seen footage, and interviews with Hawk and prominent figures in the sport including Stacy Peralta, Rodney Mullen, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Neil Blender, Andy MacDonald, Duane Peters, Sean Mortimer, and Christian Hosoi.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll This Mayhem (2014)
A searing account of what happens when raw talent and extreme personalities collide. In this unflinching, never-before-seen account of drugs and the dark side of professional skateboarding, brothers Tas and Ben Pappas' intense bond and charisma take them from the pinnacle of their sport into a spiraling world of self-destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Decade Under the Influence (2003)
A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStrip Down, Rise Up (2021)
The feature documentary follows women of all walks of life, all ages and ethnic backgrounds, as they shed trauma, body image shame, sexual abuse and other issues locked in their bodies, and embark on a journey to reclaim themselves. The film also gives a rare window into the world of Pole artistry and expression.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Mom Jayne (2025)
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLet It Be (1970)
A documentary chronicling the Beatles' rehearsal sessions in January 1969 for their proposed "back to basics" album, "Get Back," later re-envisioned and released as "Let It Be."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeing Eddie (2025)
From teen comedian to Hollywood legend, Eddie Murphy revisits his extraordinary showbiz ride with raw honesty and humor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me (2023)
From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)
Down the road from Woodstock in the early 1970s, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers, transforming their young lives and igniting a landmark movement.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Vanessa Guillen (2022)
Vanessa Guillen was 20 years old when she was found murdered at a US Army base. Rather than submit to silence, her family fought for justice and change.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntold: The Rise and Fall of AND1 (2022)
Inspired by New York City streetball, influential brand AND1 turned local legends on the court into international icons. So why did it come to an end?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)
At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJoy Division (2009)
A chronological account of the influential late 1970s English rock band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sparks Brothers (2021)
Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeastie Boys Story (2020)
Here's a little story they're about to tell... Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz share the story of their band and 40 years of friendship in a live documentary experience directed by friend, collaborator, and their former grandfather, Spike Jonze.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbara ou ma plus belle histoire d'amour (1973)
In the early 70s, Barbara discovered herself backstage on her French tour. The artist plays with intimacy and camera glances. Between concerts, she talks to herself and the men in her life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
New Deal - Useless Wooden Toys (1990)
"a graphic moving picture documentary about a part of life that the common man deems absurd and foolhardy..."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1993)
This intimate ethnographic study of Voudoun dances and rituals was shot by Maya Deren during her years in Haiti (1947-1954); she never edited the footage, so this “finished” version was made by Teiji Ito and Cherel Ito after Deren’s death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
When Liberty Burns (2020)
An in-depth analysis on the 40th Anniversary of the life and untimely death of Arthur Lee McDuffie at the hands of Miami Dade police officers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Veronica (1970)
The film focuses on Veronica Glover, a black teenager who has been elected to the Student Congress of her predominantly white high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Hoping to use her position to encourage conversation between her black and white classmates, Veronica narrates her experience in voiceover as we see brief, revealing scenes from her life: a debate in an African Literature class, discussions with her friends, and time spent with a teacher/counselor.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Canvas: The Skateboarding Documentary (1998)
Documentary following the Hardcore 900 Degrees Tour, Australia, Easter 1998.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust, and ran without gasoline... Ten years later, these cars were destroyed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFuel (2008)
Record high oil prices, global warming, and an insatiable demand for energy: these issues define our generation. The film exposes shocking connections between the auto industry, the oil industry, and the government, while exploring alternative energies such as solar, wind, electricity, and non-food-based biofuels.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Thot-Fal'N (1978)
This film describes a psychological state "kin to moonstruck, its images emblems (not quite symbols) of suspension-of-self within consciousness and then that feeling of falling away from conscious thought. The film can only be said to describe or be emblematic of this state because I cannot imagine symbolizing or otherwise representing an equivalent of thoughtlessness itself. Thus the actors in the film, Jane Brakhage, Tom and Gloria Bartek, Williams Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Olovsky and Phillip Whalen are figments of this 'Thought-Fallen Process', as are their images in the film to find themselves being photographed."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Pouvoir Oublier (2025)
Pouvoir Oublier is a political documentary first constructed from the words of the speakers whose lives changed on the tragic day of May 10, 1972 in Sept-Îles. Their word will be juxtaposed with archival material from the events, some of which are unpublished, which will reflect the collective euphoria in which Sept-Îles and all of Quebec were then bathed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dogtown and Z-Boys?
The closest matches to Dogtown and Z-Boys are Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012), Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018) and The Beach Boys (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dogtown and Z-Boys?
Start with Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012), the closest match to Dogtown and Z-Boys.
What is the highest-rated movie like Dogtown and Z-Boys?
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008), rated 7.6/10 by 285 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dogtown and Z-Boys?
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Dogtown and Z-Boys?
Yes: Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012), Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018) and The Beach Boys (2024).
How are movies similar to Dogtown and Z-Boys chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dogtown and Z-Boys, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.