Movies like Failure Is Not an Option (2003)
The best movies like Failure Is Not an Option (2003) are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Apollo: Missions to the Moon (2019) and 9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021). If Failure Is Not an Option hooked you with its documentary and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedI Am Heath Ledger (2017)7.4/10 from 233 votes
- NewestCover-Up (2025)Released 2025
The Untold History Of The United States (2012)
Oliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisApollo: Missions to the Moon (2019)
National Geographic's riveting effort recounts all 12 crewed missions using only archival footage, photos and audio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like this9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021)
Experience the events of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of President Bush and his closest advisors as they personally detail the crucial hours and key decisions from that historic day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRonaldo (2015)
Filmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the first time ever, the world gets vividly candid and un-paralleled, behind-closed-doors access to the footballer, father, family-man and friend in this moving & fascinating documentary. Through in-depth conversations, state of the art football footage and never before seen archival footage, the film gives an astonishing insight into the sporting and personal life of triple Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his career. From the makers of ‘Senna’ and ‘Amy’, Ronaldo takes audiences on an intimate and revealing journey of what it’s like to live as an iconic athlete in the eye of the storm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
Archival material from the original NASA film footage – much of it seen for the first time – plus interviews with the surviving astronauts, including Jim Lovell, Dave Scott, John Young, Gene Cernan, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Unknown Known (2013)
Former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Army (2015)
A documentary highlighting the Soviet Union's legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team's Captain Slava Fetisov, following his shift from hockey star and celebrated national hero to political enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVisions of Light (1992)
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCover-Up (2025)
He's devoted his career to uncovering stories the powerful want buried. From My Lai to Abu Ghraib, dig into the life's work of journalist Seymour Hersh.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)
This documentary brings to life the stories of four people believed by their family and friends to be “DB Cooper,” a man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle and jumped from the plane over the wilds of Washington State with a parachute and $200,000, never to be heard from again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
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 thisMission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo (2017)
At the heart of the Apollo program was the special team in Mission Control who put a man on the moon and helped create the future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Captains (2011)
The Captains is a feature-length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed starship captains in the Star Trek franchise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDirected by John Ford (1971)
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisHarmontown (2014)
A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon as he takes his live podcast on a national tour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisWhat We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2018)
A documentary exploring the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the reasons it went from the black sheep of Star Trek to a beloved mainstay of the franchise, and a brainstorm with the original writers on what a theoretical eighth season of the show could look like.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Class of ‘92 (2013)
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHarry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisApollo Soyuz Mission Overview & Space Shuttle Mission Profile (1978)
Produced by NASA contractor Rockwell International, this circa 1978 film was made shortly before the successful Apollo-Soyuz space mission. It is followed by a second film SPACESHIP EARTH showing on-going work on the new Space Shuttle. APOLLO-SOYUZ was created prior to the actual mission, and uses footage from prior Apollo missions and concept art. The film also shows the construction and assembly process for the Apollo side of the mission with Deke Slaton and crew shown. The docking module is shown at 1:52 and again at 2:43 when it was displayed at the 1973 Paris Air Show.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & history
For All Mankind (1989)
A testament to NASA's Apollo program of the 1960s and '70s. Composed of actual NASA footage of the missions and astronaut interviews, the documentary offers the viewpoint of the individuals who braved the remarkable journey to the moon and back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Small Step, One Small Town: Neil Armstrong (2019)
WBGU-TV celebrates the 50th anniversary of the moon landing (July 2019) with a special collection of interviews from the friends and family of Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to step on the moon. Through never-before-seen footage and home movies, interviewees share memories of growing up in Northwest Ohio. The documentary also includes as a look at the momentous 1969 Homecoming Celebration.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Apollo 17: The Untold Story of the Last Men on the Moon (2011)
The remarkable story of the determination and courage of a generation. A tribute to three brave astronauts and the thousands of men and women behind them during the final days of NASA's Apollo program.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Moonscape (2013)
Moonscape is a free and freely downloadable high-definition documentary about the first manned Moon landing. Funded and produced by space enthusiasts from all over the world, it shows the full, unedited Apollo 11 landing and moonwalk, using only the original TV and film footage and the original audio and photographs. All this material has been scanned, digitized and restored from the best available sources. The live TV broadcast, the 16mm color film footage shot on the Moon and in Mission Control, and the Hasselblad 70mm color photographs taken by astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, have been fully synchronized with the audio recordings (including the onboard and Mission Control recordings) and are presented in real time, as they happened, with full subtitles in English or Italian.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Destiny in Space (1994)
Travel alongside the astronauts as they deploy and repair the Hubble Space Telescope, soar above Venus and Mars, and find proof of new planets and the possibility of other life forming around distant stars.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Mission to Mir (1997)
This film shows how far we have come since the cold-war days of the 50s and 60s. Back then the Russians were our "enemies". And to them the Americans were their "enemies" who couldn't be trusted. Somewhere in all this a young girl in Oklahoma named Shannon set her sights on becoming one of those space explorers, even though she was told "girls can't do that." But she did.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Dish (2000)
A group of maverick scientists on a remote Australian sheep farm are the globe's only hope for obtaining the epic images of man's first steps on the moon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Voyagers (2010)
In the summer of 1977, NASA sent Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 on an epic journey into interstellar space. Together and alone, they will travel until the end of the universe. Each spacecraft carries a golden record album, a massive compilation of images and sounds embodying the best of Planet Earth. According to Carl Sagan, “[t]he spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet.” While working on the golden record, Sagan met and fell madly in love with his future wife Annie Druyan. The record became their love letter to humankind and to each other. In the summer of 2010, I began my own hopeful voyage into the unknown. This film is a love letter to my fellow traveler. - Penny Lane
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Project Gemini: Bridge to the Moon (2003)
All of the necessary technologies required to reach the Moon was first tested during Project Gemini, which comprised of ten missions in the mid-1960s.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like Failure Is Not an Option and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Failure Is Not an Option?
The closest matches to Failure Is Not an Option are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Apollo: Missions to the Moon (2019) and 9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Failure Is Not an Option?
Start with The Untold History Of The United States (2012), the closest match to Failure Is Not an Option.
What is the highest-rated movie like Failure Is Not an Option?
I Am Heath Ledger (2017), rated 7.4/10 by 233 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Failure Is Not an Option?
Cover-Up (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Failure Is Not an Option?
Yes: The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Apollo: Missions to the Moon (2019) and 9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021).
How are movies similar to Failure Is Not an Option chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Failure Is Not an Option, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.