Movies like Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005)
The best movies like Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005) are Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014), Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show (2017) and Earth: One Amazing Day (2017). If Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool hooked you with its documentary and tv movie, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRonaldo (2015)7.0/10 from 433 votes
- NewestThe Seat (2025)Released 2025
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014)
A look at the story behind Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from all of the Marvel films, the Marvel One-Shots and "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisToo Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show (2017)
It had all the makings of a huge television success: a white-hot comic at the helm, a coveted primetime slot, and a pantheon of future comedy legends in the cast and crew. So why did The Dana Carvey Show—with a writers room and cast including then unknowns Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Louis C.K., Robert Smigel, Charlie Kaufman, and more— crash and burn so spectacularly? TOO FUNNY TO FAIL tells the hilarious true story of a crew of genius misfits who set out to make comedy history… and succeeded in a way they never intended.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEarth: One Amazing Day (2017)
An astonishing journey revealing the awesome power of the natural world. Over the course of one single day, we track the sun from the highest mountains to the remotest islands to exotic jungles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe September Issue (2009)
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHitting the Apex (2015)
The inside story of six fighters – six of the fastest motorcycle racers of all time – and of the fates that awaited them at the peak of the sport. It's the story of what is at stake for all of them: all that can be won, and all that can be lost, when you go chasing glory at over two hundred miles an hour – on a motorcycle. But this documentary is also an opportunity to understand the passionate relationship that links the pilots, the technical teams and the legions of fans to the spirit of GP Moto.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Life (2011)
One Life captures unprecedented and beautiful sequences of animal behaviour guaranteed to bring you closer to nature than ever before, as well as a second disc packed full of never before seen extras including an exclusive making of featurette narrated by Daniel Craig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Secret (2006)
Interviews with leading authors, philosophers and scientists, with an in-depth discussion of the Law of Attraction. The audience is shown how they can learn and use 'The Secret' in their everyday lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Seat (2025)
'The Seat' is an unprecedented inside look that led to a once-in-a-generation driver change in Mercedes and F1 history. It reveals the private conversations that led the Mercedes team and Toto Wolff, its Team Principal and CEO, to its decision to promote 18-year-old Italian-born Kimi Antonelli to a Formula 1 Driver, making him the third-youngest rookie in the sport's history. The film follows Kimi, in the lead up to his first Formula 1 season as he takes on his destiny.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNecessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics (2013)
A documentary detailing the epic Rogues' Gallery of DC Comics from The Joker and Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Darkseid and more, this documentary will explore the Super Villains of DC Comics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCristiano Ronaldo: World at His Feet (2014)
Cristiano Ronaldo: The World at His Feet follows the footballer from his beginnings in Portugal, breakthrough start with Manchester United and current career at Real Madrid.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mole: Undercover in North Korea (2020)
A real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world's most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.
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 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011)
A presentation of a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society. This subject matter will transcend the issues of cultural relativism and traditional ideology and move to relate the core, empirical 'life ground' attributes of human and social survival, extrapolating those immutable natural laws into a new sustainable social paradigm called a 'Resource-Based Economy'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLemmy (2010)
Over four decades, Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has registered an immeasurable impact on music history. Nearly 65, he remains the living embodiment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and this feature-length documentary tells his story, one of a hard-living rock icon who continues to enjoy the life of a man half his age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
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
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special (2020)
The cast of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” delivers an abundance of feel-good holiday cheer as they perform their favorite Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s songs and share their fondest holiday memories.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLooking for Richard (1996)
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Doctor, The Tornado & The Kentucky Kid (2006)
THE DOCTOR, THE TORNADO & THE KENTUCKY KID is the electrifying follow-up to Mark Neale’s 2004 MotoGP smash hit FASTER. Narrated by Ewan McGregor, the movie tells the story of the biggest motorcycle race in American history, the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, California. It’s a tale of extraordinary characters chasing a dream in the face of real danger, under unimaginable pressure, with no margin for error. For lovers of maximum adrenaline action, this is the pure, unadulterated, 100% genuine article.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Cleo's Real Itinerary Through Paris (2005)
In this short film from 2005, Pierre-William Glenn, shooting from the back of a motorcycle, retraces the steps Cléo takes through Paris in CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Anna Nicole Smith: Exposed (1998)
A fictionalized day in the life of Anna Nicole Smith, revealing her innermost thoughts on the people (friends, servants, lawyers, photographers) and events (photoshoots, bathing, sexual exploits) that make up her life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Racing Scene (1969)
The story of James Garner's year with his racing team, from the time he bought the car, and assembled his team through Mexico, England, Florida and Canada.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Scuderia Filibusta (2012)
Ennio Zani, a former rider and mechanic, remembers in his workshop the story of the first motorcycle racing team ever in the Republic of San Marino, a little independent country located in the Italian peninsula. The story of his childhood, when he gets in touch with bikes and starts to work as a mechanic, is the previous part of a story that involves other riders and motorcycle lovers from the late 50s, like his brother Italo, Glauco Sansovini, Piergiovanni Volpinari, Glulio Manzaroli and Alfio Beccari. Through interviews, vintage photos and old videos, a lot of crazy anecdotes describe the spirit and the passion of the racing team. The protagonists explain how the first motorcycles were built (using old scrap parts), how they organized the first road races, how they built the first motocross track in San Marino, how they fought against rivals all around Italy, supported by their love for this sport but with no money at all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Acting and Reality (1990)
TV drama set in the modern settings of an artistic couple from well-off background, between their working and sleeping room, as well as Croatian national theater.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Super Speedway (1997)
We follow the Newman-Haas (Andretti) racing team through the process of building, testing, and racing for a season. This includes extensive race speed on-track footage, including some pre-race footage with a full squad of cars. From time to time, we check in with a small shop building/restoring one of the first roadsters Mario Andretti raced; the finale includes him taking it for a spin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Kilometer-Devourer (1925)
Sports enthusiast Ernest is to cover 6,000 kilometers on his motorcycle in 15 days, crossing Austria, Italy, Switzerland, the Balkans and Czechoslovakia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Crusty Demons: The Next Level (2000)
Crusty Demons: The Next Level is the follow up release to the successful action sports feature Crusty Demons Of Dirt. This feature follows the same successful formula of massive jumps and stunts set to a music soundtrack. During this feature there are numerous shots of people riding BMX bikes and snowmobiles as well as the more familiar dirt bikes. Seth Enslow returns in this feature and shows why he has become one of the most recognized people associated with this sport. During the feature we briefly see Seth's world record attempt to jump his friends house, as well as an attempt by Paul Fernandez on a BMX bike to jump onto an apartment roof after being pulled up to speed by a car.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Crusty Demons: The 7th Mission (2001)
The 7th Mission is the latest installment in the groundbreaking Crusty Demons series, launched in 1995. The film features their trademark fast-paced style and an innovative Heli-Moto segment where helicopters transport dirt bikes up insanely steep Canadian mountains so fearless riders can let loose on uncharted trails.The film also chronicles the Crusty World Tour, a live show shot on location throughout Australia, which highlights the antics that Crusty is so well known for and presents top riders performing tricks for crowds of enthusiasts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool?
The closest matches to Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool are Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014), Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show (2017) and Earth: One Amazing Day (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool?
Start with Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014), the closest match to Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool.
What is the highest-rated movie like Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool?
Ronaldo (2015), rated 7.0/10 by 433 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool?
The Seat (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool?
Yes: Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014), Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show (2017) and Earth: One Amazing Day (2017).
How are movies similar to Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.