Movies like The American Game (1979)
The best movies like The American Game (1979) are The Curse of the Dragon (1993), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025). If The American Game hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedZero Days (2016)7.4/10 from 273 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
The Curse of the Dragon (1993)
A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Toxic Love Story (2026)
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
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 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 thisTony Parker: The Final Shot (2021)
The background and career of Tony Parker, whose determination led him to become arguably the greatest French basketball player.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond the Mat (1999)
A heartfelt documentary focusing on the day-to-day lives of professional wrestlers, some on the rise, some on the wane, and others fighting for their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisFuck (2006)
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo Kill a Tiger (2023)
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOrgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (2022)
A sexual wellness company gains fame and followers, then members come forward with shocking allegations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Walking Dead: The Return (2024)
Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025)
Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMemories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes (2021)
Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story (2020)
After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to life in prison, questions about her past, physiology and the law itself call her guilt into question.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUntold: Jake Paul the Problem Child (2023)
Pro boxing sensation — and perennial troublemaker — Jake Paul shares his unlikely journey from online prankster to power puncher in this documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisFacing Ali (2009)
Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZero Days (2016)
Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to specifically sabotage Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the complex computer worm ended up not only infecting its intended target but also spreading uncontrollably.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBoys State (2020)
This raucous journey into the heart of democracy captures an unusual rite of passage: 1,100 teenage boys from across Texas coming together to build a representative government from the ground up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGirl Rising (2013)
Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOur Little One (2023)
Warm, poetic, educational, and emotional story will paint for us the phenomenon of Dražen Petrović, one of the greatest basketball players in the world who, despite his premature death, left an incredible mark on people's lives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ugo: A Homecoming Story (2024)
Greek-Nigerian NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to Nigeria for the first time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey (2024)
A documentary that chronicles the extraordinary odyssey of NBA mega-star Giannis Antetokounmpo from an impoverished childhood in Greece as the son of Nigerian immigrants to the very top of the basketball world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Fly: Spud Webb (TBA)
Centers on the titular 5'7" athlete, who was drafted into the NBA in 1985 and went on to play for four teams in a professional career that spanned more than a decade
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
We The North: From Prehistoric to Historic (2025)
A basketball team born out of an egg, in a hockey-crazed city, playing in a baseball stadium, fights for survival and ultimately conquers a nation and the league. This documentary offers an in-depth look at how a fledgling franchise transformed into a cultural phenomenon, uniting communities and reshaping Canada's identity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Inbound (2025)
Documenting the shared trajectory between Canada’s rise as a global basketball powerhouse and the circumstances that helped shape the country’s multicultural identity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Touched by Gold: '72 Lakers (2012)
Many consider the 1971-72 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers one of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA. But despite a remarkable run to the title that included a record 33-game winning streak, this group was the unlikeliest of champions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Kornél on Tour (2017)
The story of the first Hungarian NBA player.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Class That Saved Coach K (2019)
The Class That Saved Coach K is a 90-minute documentary that tells the story of Duke Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and how his 1982 recruiting class overcame a bumpy start to change the narrative -- turning the Blue Devils around and setting its coach on an historic course.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
We Beat the Dream Team (2025)
Discover the little-known story of a group of college basketball players who were tasked with preparing Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan and the rest of the legendary "Dream Team" for their Olympic debut in 1992.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The American Game?
The closest matches to The American Game are The Curse of the Dragon (1993), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The American Game?
Start with The Curse of the Dragon (1993), the closest match to The American Game.
What is the highest-rated movie like The American Game?
Zero Days (2016), rated 7.4/10 by 273 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The American Game?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The American Game?
Yes: The Curse of the Dragon (1993), A Toxic Love Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025).
How are movies similar to The American Game chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The American Game, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.