Movies like The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car (2016)
The best movies like The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car (2016) are Come See Me in the Good Light (2025), Gilbert (2017) and Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show (2014). If The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car hooked you with its documentary, 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
- NewestNorwood, Where Legends Were Born (2026)Released 2026
Come 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 thisGilbert (2017)
The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShowrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show (2014)
“Showrunners” is the first ever feature length documentary film to explore the fascinating world of US television showrunners and the creative forces aligned around them. These are the people responsible for creating, writing and overseeing every element of production on one of the United State’s biggest exports – television drama and comedy series. Often described as the most complex job in the entertainment business, a showrunner is the chief writer / producer on a TV series and, in most instances, the show’s creator. Battling daily between art and commerce, showrunners manage every aspect of a TV show’s development and production: creative, financial and logistical.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMarvel's Behind the Mask (2021)
A documentary special that explores the power of identity behind the iconic superheroes we know and love today. These legendary Marvel creations and stories have not only reflected the world outside our window – they have become a reflection of our own identities and who we truly are.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003)
Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisWho 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010)
In 2001 Jack Cardiff (1914-2009) became the first director of photography in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Honorary Oscar. But the first time he clasped the famous statuette in his hand was a half-century earlier when his Technicolor camerawork was awarded for Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus. Beyond John Huston's The African Queen and King Vidor's War and Peace, the films of the British-Hungarian creative duo (The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death too) guaranteed immortality for the renowned cameraman whose career spanned seventy years.
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 thisFor the Love of Spock (2016)
The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.
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 thisFerrari: Race to Immortality (2017)
The late 1950s were known as golden years in the world of motor racing, champions were made and lost on a Sunday, and no losses were greater than those of Enzo Ferrari’s Scuderia. Based on Chris Nixon’s bestselling biography Mon Ami Mate, Ferrari: Race to Immortality tells the story of the loves and losses, triumphs and tragedy of a turbulent era that shook the motor racing world.
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 thisNo Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad (2013)
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisThe Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)
Hollywood veteran Bing Russell creates the only independent baseball team in the country—alarming the baseball establishment and sparking the meteoric rise of the 1970s Portland Mavericks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020)
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLionel Messi: Destiny (2023)
Behind-the-scenes documentary about how Lionel Messi succeeded in lifting the World Cup – the only trophy to have eluded him in an incredible career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll Cars Go To Heaven - Volume 1: The Washington Discovery Route (2014)
Why did the team behind "The Smoking Tire" decide to drive 600 miles, off-road, in a cheap car that they bought over the phone? Is it because they have deep knowledge of outdoor survival and automotive maintenance? No. Definitely not. They did it because away from roads, street signs, people, and police, they would be free to experience every aspect of driving; the good, the bad, and the ugly. There's no one to say, "Don't stand on that moving car." or "Don't run into that." or, "That seems really stupid." If you love cars, total vehicular freedom is your idea of heaven. This series is about 4 guys testing the limits of automobiles, and bringing them to heaven.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Lovable Beetle (1996)
Documentary about the VW Beetle and its origins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Lotus: A New Dawn (2021)
This short documentary follows the fortunes of iconic car manufacturer Lotus. Once famous for its championship-winning race cars and iconic sports cars, Lotus has struggled to remain in profit. A new investor and managing director set out to build the first new Lotus road cars in over a decade: their final petrol-powered car Emira and their first pure electric British hypercar, the 2000bhp Evija.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Invention of the Ford V8 Engine (1932)
1932 Documentary showcasing the Ford V8 engine.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Norwood, Where Legends Were Born (2026)
Discover the untold story of Norwood Assembly, where legendary cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am were born. Through the voices of the people who built them, this documentary celebrates innovation, perseverance, and American manufacturing. Featuring exclusive interviews with Jay Leno and Burt Reynolds and rare never-before-seen footage, this compelling documentary uncovers the remarkable story of one of America's most influential factories and celebrates American automotive manufacturing in its heyday.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Cars We Drove into Capitalism (2021)
A cinematic, character-driven insight to what it meant to produce and to own a car in communist times: the Socialist propaganda dreams and the hard reality of living that dream. The freedom that these slow and clumsy vehicles were giving to their owners; the cars as an instrument in the Cold War battle; legends and homemade tune-ups as an attempt to stand at least a little bit off the crowd.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Framing John DeLorean (2019)
A documentary interspersed with acted scenes, this portrait of John DeLorean covers the brilliant but tragically flawed automaker's rise to stardom and shocking down fall.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEnzo Ferrari - The Red and the Black (2021)
The Ferrari has become a fetish possession of the stars and an emblem of glamour. But who was Enzo, the man behind the black glasses? A sensitive portrait enamelled with exceptional unpublished archives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
A Faster Horse (2015)
David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) tackles another venerable, beloved, and long-standing institution: the Mustang, crown jewel of the Ford fleet. Only this institution is in turmoil. As the fiftieth anniversary of the Mustang approaches and the car industry struggles through the deepest trough of the financial crisis, Ford launches a redesign. Now the jobs of workers at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant, the expectations of the thousands of Mustang devotees, and the livelihood of the city of Detroit are all placed squarely on the shoulders of Dave Pericak. As chief program engineer, he will guide the 2015 Mustang from assembly floor to showroom—if only he can get that vibration out of the steering wheel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Yugo: A Short Autobiography (2010)
A half-hour fictional documentary film that, through the fates of different people, tries to illuminate the phenomenon of the YUGO car, a cute outsider of small capacities but big ambitions, in the period between 1980 and 2008, when it was manufactured. The film combines statements from authentic workers that were involved in the production of Yugo, archives, along with the reconstruction of different fragments from the Yugo's history which portray him both as a family and a thug's car, as a part of the great American Dream, or as a symbol of betrayed expectations. This film is a small 'commemorative' review of the history of an automobile that for a long time symbolized, in a jocular and veritable way, sometimes even by accident, the times in which he was manufactured.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car?
The closest matches to The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car are Come See Me in the Good Light (2025), Gilbert (2017) and Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car?
Start with Come See Me in the Good Light (2025), the closest match to The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car?
I Am Heath Ledger (2017), rated 7.4/10 by 233 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car?
Norwood, Where Legends Were Born (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car?
Yes: Come See Me in the Good Light (2025), Gilbert (2017) and Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show (2014).
How are movies similar to The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Bug: Life and Times of the People's Car, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.