Movies like The Big Johnson (2025)
The best movies like The Big Johnson (2025) are Paris Is Burning (1991), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) and Trainwreck: The Real Project X (2025). If The Big Johnson hooked you with its documentary, 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 406 votes
- NewestIf You Can Make It Here (2026)Released 2026
Paris Is Burning (1991)
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAll the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)
The life of internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin is told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrainwreck: The Real Project X (2025)
A night of drunken chaos rocks a quiet Dutch town in this shocking documentary about a teen's birthday invite that accidentally went viral on Facebook.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisHoward (2018)
Though legendary lyricist Howard Ashman died far too young, his impact on Broadway, movies, and the culture at large were incalculable. Told entirely through rare archival footage and interviews with Ashman’s family, friends, associates, and longtime partner Bill Lauch, Howard is an intimate tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent and a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrixie Mattel: Moving Parts (2019)
Trixie charmed audiences and judges as winner of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. But the grind of performing and the pressure of the title proves that heavy is the head that wears the tiara.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFuck (2006)
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLCD Soundsystem: Shut Up and Play the Hits (2012)
An intimate portrait of Brooklyn-based electronic rock band LCD Soundsystem's then-final live show on April 2, 2011, capturing both the exuberant, three-hour farewell concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden and frontman James Murphy's introspective 48 hours surrounding it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDavid Byrne's American Utopia (2020)
A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNever Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary (2019)
A feature-length documentary about the film Galaxy Quest and its legacy, celebrating its milestone 20th anniversary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFeminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018)
In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening - women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. This documentary revisits those photos, those women and those times and takes aim at our culture today that alarmingly shows the need for continued change.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDisclosure (2020)
An investigation of how Hollywood's fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
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
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNas: Time Is Illmatic (2014)
Time Is Illmatic is a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of Nas' 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBecoming (2020)
Join former first lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes and connection with others as she tours with "Becoming."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWoodstock (1970)
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisHappier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles (2021)
Fresh off the heels of her brand-new album, "Happier Than Ever," this cinematic concert experience features an intimate performance of every song in the album's sequential order – for the first and only time – from the stage of the legendary Hollywood Bowl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEyes on Ukraine (2025)
This powerful documentary explores the intersection of two crises — war and the HIV epidemic. The film follows HIV-positive Ukrainian activist Yana Panfilova as she joins “Through Positive Eyes,” a global photo-storytelling project. The film looks to the resilience of a new generation, navigating survival and community through art and activism.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
AIDS: What Everyone Needs to Know (1985)
The film provides information about the course and symptoms of AIDS, the effect of AIDS viruses on the immune system, the routes of infection, the main risks of infection and the protective measures against them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Victorian Queens (2022)
Victorian Queens takes a deep dive into the weird, wonderful and utterly unique landscape of Melbourne's drag community.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Positive Gymnastik (2025)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Get By: Making It on the Streets of NYC (2010)
A Queens man has discovered enough hidden treasure — bits of diamonds, rubies, platinum and gold — on the gritty sidewalks of Midtown’s Diamond District to make a living.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Who Killed Michael Stewart? (1986)
A documentary about a case of police brutality in the 80's NYC, the killing of graffiti artist Michael Stewart
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
How to Squash a Squat (1989)
1989, New York City's Alphabet City and East Village. A year after the Tompkins Square Park Riot, squatters and their community allies try to stop the demolition of their building after an arson. Police forces occupy the neighborhood while the demolition continues. A portrait of an East Village that is no more. An homage to the voices and sounds of a neighborhood before its gentrification.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Banded Together: The Boys from Glen Rock High (2022)
From high school band practice to playing alongside such legends as Bruce Springsteen, Donald Fagen, and Al Kooper, the eight "boys" from Glen Rock High all have remarkable journeys.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Brotherhood: Life in the FDNY (2004)
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, the world gained a new respect for New York City's firefighters. At the same time, the tragedy brought about a cascade of changes that would affect the lives of present and future firefighters forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
If You Can Make It Here (2026)
Kingsley, Kevin, and Hailey are three ambitious eighth graders preparing for a single exam that could determine their futures. They’re competing for admission to New York City’s Specialized High Schools, elite public institutions that have produced Nobel Prize laureates, astronauts, judges, artists, and national leaders. But as the kids await their test results, a citywide battle is raging over who should attend these schools—the kids who score highest on the entrance exam or the kids who improve diversity. Featuring interviews with kids, parents, and education leaders, If You Can Make It Here places young students at the center of a high-stakes cultural conflict over the future of equity and excellence in public education.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Big Johnson?
The closest matches to The Big Johnson are Paris Is Burning (1991), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) and Trainwreck: The Real Project X (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Big Johnson?
Start with Paris Is Burning (1991), the closest match to The Big Johnson.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Big Johnson?
Stop Making Sense (1984), rated 8.4/10 by 406 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Big Johnson?
If You Can Make It Here (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Big Johnson?
Yes: Paris Is Burning (1991), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) and Trainwreck: The Real Project X (2025).
How are movies similar to The Big Johnson chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Big Johnson, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.