Movies like On the Trail of Ed Wood (1990)
The best movies like On the Trail of Ed Wood (1990) are Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022), Seduced and Abandoned (2013) and As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000). If On the Trail of Ed Wood hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSpielberg (2017)7.5/10 from 317 votes
- NewestBruce Willis : les secrets d'une icône (2025)Released 2025
Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022)
A feature length documentary about the all-women team at the helm of Pixar's original feature, Turning Red. With unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Director Domee Shi and her core leadership crew, this story shines a light on the powerful professional and personal journeys that brought this incredibly comical, utterly relatable, and deeply heartfelt story to the screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeduced and Abandoned (2013)
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAs I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMore Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)
Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoker: Put on a Happy Face (2020)
Featuring interviews with filmmakers and industry legends, discover the origins and evolution of The Joker, and learn why The Clown Prince of Crime is universally hailed as the greatest comic-book supervillain of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAttack of the Hollywood Clichés! (2021)
One-man armies, meet-cutes, casual strolls away from huge explosions — stars and industry insiders toast and roast these cinematic chestnuts and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaking 'The Shining' (1980)
Directed and edited by Stanley Kubrick's daughter Vivian Kubrick, this film offers a look behind the scenes during the making of The Shining.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeing James Bond (2021)
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisObi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return (2022)
This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they create new heroes and villains that live alongside new incarnations of beloved Star Wars characters, and an epic story that dramatically bridges the saga films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpielberg (2017)
A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisFriedkin Uncut (2018)
An introspective insight into the life and artistic journey of William Friedkin, an extraordinary and offbeat director of cult films such as The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A. and Killer Joe. For the first time Friedkin opens up, guiding the audience on a fascinating journey through the themes and the stories that have influenced his life and his artistic career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThey'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)
As his life comes to its end, famous Hollywood director Orson Welles puts it all on the line at the chance for renewed success with the film The Other Side of the Wind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Heath Ledger (2017)
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010)
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHeart of a Dog (2015)
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDe Palma (2016)
An intimate conversation between filmmakers, chronicling De Palma’s 55-year career, his life, and his filmmaking process, with revealing anecdotes and, of course, a wealth of film clips.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisQT8: The First Eight (2019)
A detailed account of the life and artistic career of legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, from his early days as a video club manager to the scandalous fall in disgrace of producer Harvey Weinstein. A story about how to shoot eight great movies and become an icon of modern pop culture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye (2022)
Join the likes of Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D’Onofrio as they reveal how Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was conceived and created. Witness firsthand what it took to pull off the show’s pulse-pounding action set pieces, and discover how iconic characters from the pages of Marvel Comics such as Kate Bishop were adapted and brought to life for the six-episode series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Tour of Contour (2006)
A behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of Contour, an independent martial arts comedy made for only $6,000.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
One Night with Asterix & Obelix (2023)
On the occasion of the release of the blockbuster "Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom", unpublished images of the preparation of the film and the manufacturing secrets, as well as the crazy story of Asterix and Obelix since its origins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
It's Always About the Story: Conversations with Alan Ladd, Jr. (2016)
During his career, Mr. Ladd has been an agent, studio head, and Academy Award-winning producer. In our film, he shares an intimate oral history of the trials, tribulations, heartbreak, and joy of bringing some of the most iconic and memorable motion pictures to the screen. Mr. Ladd has been associated with films that have garnered over 150 Academy Award nominations and 50 wins. He has green lit or produced such iconic motion pictures as Star Wars, Alien, The Right Stuff, Young Frankenstein Gone Baby Gone, and the Academy Award-winning best pictures, Chariots Of Fire and Braveheart.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)
The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened? feature film documents the process of development of the ill fated "Superman Lives" movie, that was to be directed by Tim Burton and star Nicolas Cage as the man of steel himself, Superman. The project went through years of development before the plug was pulled, and this documentary interviews the major filmmakers: Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, Jon Peters, Dan Gilroy, Colleen Atwood, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and many many more.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeckler (2007)
HECKLER is a comedic feature documentary exploring the increasingly critical world we live in. After starring in a film that was critically bashed, Jamie Kennedy takes on hecklers and critics and ask some interesting questions of people such as George Lucas, Bill Maher, Mike Ditka, Rob Zombie, Howie Mandel and many more. This fast moving, hilarious documentary pulls no punches as you see an uncensored look at just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisBruce Willis : les secrets d'une icône (2025)
Nothing predestined Bruce Willis to become an actor, still less of action movies, and yet in a few years he would become one of the most profitable stars in the entire history of cinema, until his career abruptly changed course. For ten years, Bruce Willis had been going through a dry spell, punctuated by dozens of low-budget films.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Land der Bitterkeit und des Stolzes (1982)
A polemic against Werner Herzog and the making of "Fitzcarraldo", exploring the question of the filmmaker's ethical and moral responsibility.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
An Uncountable Number of Threads (2023)
Travel films have an established format with their own conventions, history and baggage. It is a medium that has all too often sought to control, define and dictate perceptions of ”other” places. Comprised of footage shot while travelling on group excursions across Russia in 2019, An Uncountable Number of Threads is an attempt to draw out the ethical restrictions of a travelogue, while questioning how (and why) to make one. At times there is an awkward tourist-gaze, aware of its outsider position. But as a self-reflexive work that considers its own creation, it ultimately unravels, as the artist rationalises themselves out of a particular way of working, inviting the viewer into their uncertainty.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2010)
A retrospective documentary about the groundbreaking horror series, Friday the 13th, featuring interviews with cast and crew from the twelve films spanning 3 decades.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy (2020)
Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, tells the story of Mike deGruy, an irrepressibly curious and enthusiastic underwater filmmaker who died suddenly in 2012. DeGruy filmed the oceans for more than three decades becoming as famous for his on camera storytelling as for his glorious, intimate visions of the sea and the creatures who live in it. Inspired to share his legacy as a filmmaker and storyteller, and to spread his mission for protecting the ocean, his wife and filmmaking partner Mimi deGruy returned to the edit room to produce Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like On the Trail of Ed Wood?
The closest matches to On the Trail of Ed Wood are Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022), Seduced and Abandoned (2013) and As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after On the Trail of Ed Wood?
Start with Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022), the closest match to On the Trail of Ed Wood.
What is the highest-rated movie like On the Trail of Ed Wood?
Spielberg (2017), rated 7.5/10 by 317 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like On the Trail of Ed Wood?
Bruce Willis : les secrets d'une icône (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like On the Trail of Ed Wood?
Yes: Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022), Seduced and Abandoned (2013) and As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000).
How are movies similar to On the Trail of Ed Wood chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside On the Trail of Ed Wood, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.