Movies like Red Penguins (2019)
The best movies like Red Penguins (2019) are The Russian Five (2018), Knuckleball! (2012) and Tough Guy (2018). If Red Penguins hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIcarus (2017)7.6/10 from 873 votes
- NewestMiracle: The Boys of '80 (2026)Released 2026
The Russian Five (2018)
The story of the five Russian hockey stars who helped the Detroit Red Wings win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and created one of the most memorable chapters in Motor City sports history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Knuckleball! (2012)
Follows the Boston Red Sox' Tim Wakefield and the New York Mets' R.A. Dickey - the only two major league pitchers who use the unpredictable knuckleball - during the 2011 season.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Tough Guy (2018)
Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career and death of NHL tough guy Bob Probert.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Murderball (2005)
Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Gladiators (2012)
In ice hockey, no one is tougher than the "goon". Those players have one mission: to protect the star players at any price. Exploring the violent world of hockey fights, Academy Award winner Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side") looks at the world of the NHL enforcers and specifically the career of Chris "Knuckles" Nilan who helped the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Boxing Gym (2010)
Veteran award-winning documentarian Frederick Wiseman turns his lens on the world of boxing, specifically on a gym in Austin, Texas. Unobtrusively recording the simple comings and goings at the facility, Wiseman documents daily life at the gym, its many patrons, their routines, and its owner, Richard Lord.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice (2011)
The film chronicles their back stories, prolific tennis careers and spirited rivalry, which propelled tennis into the international sports headlines of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. In addition, McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice spotlights their post-tennis careers as the two men went their separate ways, with McEnroe launching a high-profile broadcasting career, while Borg chose a more private life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
No No: A Dockumentary (2014)
Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD, then worked for decades counseling drug abusers. Dock's soulful style defined 1970s baseball as he kept hitters honest and embarrassed the establishment. An ensemble cast of teammates, friends, and family investigate his life on the field, in the media, and out of the spotlight.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Streif: One Hell of a Ride (2014)
While the ski racers leave Kitzbühel for the next World Cup location, the members of the Kitzbüheler Ski Club (KSC) are already starting preparations for next year’s race. “Streif – One Hell of a Ride” documents this work – both the spectacular and the small tasks – over the course of one year. At the same time, the film follows five athletes – Aksel Lund Svindal, Max Franz, Hannes Reichelt, Erik Guay and Yuri Danilochkin – in their respective native countries, during their summer training and in their free time. As the 2014 Hahnenkamm Race approaches, these two narratives become more and more interwoven, interspersed with stories from the event’s past – until the athletes arrive back in Kitzbühel.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Broke (2012)
According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 60 percent of former NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress. Sucked into bad investments, stalked by freeloaders, saddled with medical problems, and naturally prone to showing off, many pro athletes get shocked by harsh economic realities after years of living the high life. Drawing surprisingly vulnerable confessions from retired stars like Keith McCants, Bernie Kosar and Andre Rison, as well as Marvin Miller, the former executive director of the MLB Players Association, this fascinating documentary digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature can carry them to victory on the field and ruin off it.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Depth Perception (2017)
What happens when you take a Young Gun, a veteran, some chick and this other guy and drop them off in the middle of the snow-coated Canadian wilderness with a few boards and enough lenses to make even Marilyn Monroe blush? We wanted to find out. And so we did all that. Then we made Depth Perception. The film invites you to join Austen Sweetin, Travis Rice, Robin Van Gyn and Bryan Fox on an expedition. It'n to learn about nature. An expedition to ride some of the best backcountry on the planet. And, occasionally, an expedition to violently fall down a mountain to the peaceful hum of a violin. Mmm. Yeah. Depth Perception is somehow as earnest as it is tongue-in-cheek.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Red 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: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIce Guardians (2016)
On-ice enforcers struggle to rise through the professional ranks of the world's most prestigious hockey league, only to be confronted with a new found fight for the existence of the role itself.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIcarus (2017)
While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country's "anti-doping" program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia's state-sponsored Olympic doping program.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeing Evel (2015)
In the history of sports, few names are more recognizable than that of Evel Knievel. Long after the man hung up his famous white leather jumpsuit and rode his Harley into the sunset, his name is still synonymous with the death-defying lifestyle he led. Notoriously brash, bold, and daring, Knievel stared death in the face from the seat of his motorcycle, but few know the larger-than-life story of the boy from Butte, Montana.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Dennis Rodman's Big Bang in PyongYang (2015)
Dennis Rodman is on a mission. After forging an unlikely friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he wants to improve relations between North Korea and the US by staging a historic basketball game between the two countries. But the North Korean team isn't the only opposition he'll face... Condemned by the NBA and The Whitehouse, and hounded every step of the way by the press, can Dennis keep it together and make the game happen? Or will it go up in a mushroom cloud of smoke? For the first time, discover the true story of what happened when Dennis Rodman took a team of former-NBA players to North Korea and staged the most controversial game of basketball the world has never seen.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912 (2017)
Newly restored and assembled by the International Olympic Committee - the earliest comprehensive moving-image record of the modern Olympic Games that survives today.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Miracle: The Boys of '80 (2026)
This is the story of the “Miracle on Ice,” when the 1980 US Hockey Team beat the USSR in the Olympic semi-finals at the height of the Cold War to bring home a gold medal. Their iconic underdog story is told with never-before-seen 16mm footage and firsthand reflections from the players who were brought back to the scene of their historic victory.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Team (2014)
Documentary about the victorious German national football team - called "Die Mannschaft" - and their journey to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOf Miracles and Men (2015)
On a Friday evening in Lake Placid, New York, a plucky band of American collegians stunned the vaunted Soviet national team, 4-3 in the medal round of the 1980 Winter Olympic hockey competition. Americans couldn't help but believe in miracles that night, and when the members of Team USA won the gold medal two days later, they became a team for the ages. This film explores the "Miracle on Ice" through the Soviet lens. While focused on the game itself, the journey of the stunned Soviet team didn't begin -- or end -- in Lake Placid.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Undefeated (2011)
Set against the backdrop of a high school football season, Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin’s documentary UNDEFEATED is an intimate chronicle of three underprivileged student-athletes from inner-city Memphis and the volunteer coach trying to help them beat the odds on and off the field. For players and coaches alike, the season will be not only about winning games — it will be about how they grapple with the unforeseeable events that are part of football and part of life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFacing Nolan (2022)
In the world of Major League Baseball no one has created a mythology like Nolan Ryan. Told from the point of view of the hitters who faced him and the teammates who revered him, Facing Nolan is the definitive documentary of a Texas legend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Broad Street Bullies (2010)
The HBO Sports documentary Broad Street Bullies, a look at one of pro sport’s most polarizing teams, the legendary Philadelphia Flyers Stanley Cup championship squads of the 1970s. This exclusive presentation tells the backstories of these engaging and colorful athletes, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975 with a bold, aggressive style that sparked controversy and criticism.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Best That Never Was (2010)
In 1981, college athletic recruiting changed forever as a dozen big-time football programs sat waiting for the decision by a physically powerful and lightning-quick high school running back named Marcus Dupree. On his way to eclipsing Herschel Walker’s record for the most touchdowns in high school history, Dupree attracted recruiters from schools in every major conference to his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss. More than a decade removed from being a flashpoint in the civil-rights struggle, Philadelphia was once again thrust back into the national spotlight. Dupree took the attention in stride, and committed to Oklahoma. What followed, though, was a forgettable college career littered with conflict, injury and oversized expectations. Eight-time Emmy Award winner Jonathan Hock will examine why this star burned out so young and how he ultimately used football to redeem himself.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Pony Excess (2010)
From 1981-1984, a small private school in Dallas owned the best record in college football. The Mustangs of Southern Methodist University were riding high on the backs of the vaunted "Pony Express" backfield. But as the middle of the decade approached, the program was coming apart at the seams. Wins became the only thing that mattered as the University increasingly ceded power of the football program to the city's oil barons and real estate tycoons and flagrant and frequent NCAA violations became the norm. In 1987, the school and the sport were rocked, as the NCAA meted out "the death penalty" on a college football program for the first and only time in its history. SMU would be without football for two years, and the fan base would be without an identity for 20 more until the win in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl. This is the story of Dallas in the 1980's and the greed, power, and corruption that spilled from the oil fields onto the football field and all the way to the Governor's Mansion.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Chasing Great (2016)
Chasing Great is an insightful portrayal that weaves Richie McCaw's life story into his final season as an All Black, revealing the determination and mental toughness of an international sporting legend who still sees himself as an 'ordinary guy' from small town New Zealand.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Buck (2011)
An examination of the life of acclaimed 'horse whisperer' Buck Brannaman, who recovered from years of child abuse to become a well-known expert in the interactions between horses and people.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Whale (2011)
The true story of a young, wild killer whale - an orca - nicknamed Luna, who lost contact with his family on the coast of British Columbia and turned up alone in a narrow stretch of sea between mountains, a place called Nootka Sound.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Nagano Tapes (2018)
Five Rings Films presents the inspiring story of how Czech Republic won gold at the first Olympics to feature professionals from the NHL.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Harry & Snowman (2015)
Dutch immigrant, Harry deLeyer, journeyed to the United States after World War II and developed a transformative relationship with a broken down Amish plow horse he rescued off a slaughter truck bound for the glue factory. Harry paid eighty dollars for the horse and named him Snowman. In less than two years, Harry & Snowman went on to win the triple crown of show jumping, beating the nations blue bloods and they became famous and traveled around the world together. Their chance meeting at a Pennsylvania horse auction saved them both and crafted a friendship that lasted a lifetime. Eighty-six year old Harry tells their Cinderella love story firsthand, as he continues to train on today's show jumping circuit.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Red Penguins?
The closest matches to Red Penguins are The Russian Five (2018), Knuckleball! (2012) and Tough Guy (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Red Penguins?
People who watched Red Penguins most often go on to The Russian Five (2018), Knuckleball! (2012) and Tough Guy (2018).
What is the highest-rated movie like Red Penguins?
Icarus (2017), rated 7.6/10 by 873 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Red Penguins?
Miracle: The Boys of '80 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Red Penguins?
Yes: The Russian Five (2018), Knuckleball! (2012) and Tough Guy (2018).
How are movies similar to Red Penguins chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Red Penguins, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.