Skip to content

Movies like The Secret Life of Brian (2007)

The best movies like The Secret Life of Brian (2007) are The Irishman: In Conversation (2019), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and Fuck (2006). If The Secret Life of Brian hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Irishman: In Conversation (2019)

    Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)

    A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Fuck (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 this
  4. The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012)

    A journey into the labyrinthine heart of ideology, which shapes and justifies both collective and personal beliefs and practices: with an infectious zeal and voracious appetite for popular culture, Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek analyzes several of the most important films in the history of cinema to explain how cinematic narrative helps to reinforce prevailing ethics and political ideas.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. De Palma (2016)

    An intimate conversation between filmmakers, chronicling De Palma’s 55-year career, his life, and his filmmaking process, with revealing anecdotes and, of course, a wealth of film clips.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

    Kirby Dick's provocative documentary investigates the secretive and inconsistent process by which the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rates films, revealing the organization's underhanded efforts to control culture. Dick questions whether certain studios get preferential treatment and exposes the discrepancies in how the MPAA views sex and violence.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. Altman (2014)

    Robert Altman's life and career contained multitudes. This father of American independent cinema left an indelible mark, not merely on the evolution of his art form, but also on the western zeitgeist. With its use of rare interviews, representative film clips, archival images, and musings from his family and most recognizable collaborators, Altman is a dynamic and heartfelt mediation on an artist whose expression, passion and appetite knew few bounds.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)

    Taking inspiration from Peter M. Bracke's definitive book of the same name, this seven-hour documentary dives into the making of all twelve Friday the 13th films, with all-new interviews from the cast and the crew.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. Side by Side (2012)

    Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Keanu Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters, such as James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Soderbergh, and many more.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)

    A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Seduced and Abandoned (2013)

    SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Room 237 (2012)

    A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)

    Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (2016)

    A celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Attack of the Hollywood Clichés! (2021)

    One-man armies, meet-cutes, casual strolls away from huge explosions — stars and industry insiders toast and roast these cinematic chestnuts and more.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. The Making of Star Wars (1977)

    Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2 which includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button (2009)

    A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Deliver Us from Evil (2006)

    Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Sidney (2022)

    This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. Evil 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 this
  21. Mossad L'Histoire Secrète d'Israël (2019)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  22. Somewhere Between New York and LA (2020)

    Since he was 18 years old, Blake Eckard has written and directed six feature length films in his hometown of Stanberry, Missouri (population 1186). Aside from a short distribution deal in Canada and a few festival screenings, his movies have largely gone unseen.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  23. The Paul McCartney Special (1986)

    A program originally produced for the BBC, and aired on television several times in 1986. Originally conceived as a long-form promotional piece for «Press to Play», the BBC staffer (Richard Skinner) persuades Macca to talk about much more, including one of the more in-depth interviews about Wings. All of the interview bits were done at Abbey Road studio 2, leading to some reminiscing on Paul's part. Scattered among the interview are some nice McCartney film rarities (including rarely seen promo clips/videos, concert footage from both the 1973 and 1976 tours, and even a bit of the never released "One Hand Clapping" film).

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  24. Modern Life (2008)

    For ten years, Raymond Depardon has followed the lives of farmer living in the mountain ranges. He allows us to enter their farms with astounding naturalness. This moving film speaks, with great serenity, of our roots and of the future of the people who work on the land. This the last part of Depardon's triptych "Profils paysans" about what it is like to be a farmer today in an isolated highland area in France. "La vie moderne" examines what has become of the persons he has followed for ten years, while featuring younger people who try to farm or raise cattle or poultry, come hell or high water.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. Being and Becoming Chua Ek Kay (2012)

    The film offers exclusive and intimate insights into how and why the classically trained artist risked rejection to revolutionize the traditional Chinese ink art form in Singapore.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  26. Tunnel to Freedom (2021)

    13 August 1961: the GDR closes the sector borders in Berlin. The city is divided overnight. Escape to the West becomes more dangerous every day. But on September 14, 1962, exactly one year, one month and one day after the Wall was built, a group of 29 people from the GDR managed to escape spectacularly through a 135-meter tunnel to the West. For more than 4 months, students from West Berlin, including 2 Italians, dug this tunnel. When the tunnel builders ran out of money after only a few meters of digging, they came up with the idea of marketing the escape tunnel. They sell the film rights to the story exclusively to NBC, an American television station.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  27. Unidentified Followed Objects (UFOs): An Interview with Hisayasu Sato (2026)

    "Unidentified Followed Objects (UFOs)": an interview with director Hisayasu Satô about "Love-Zero=Infinity" (bonus feature on the "Love-Zero=Infinity" Bluray released by Vinegar Syndrome).

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  28. Satan's Blood: recuerdos de «Escalofrío» (2016)

    The story of the shooting of Satan's Blood (Escalofrío), a film directed by Carlos Puerto in 1978.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. Beyond Horror: The History and Sub-Culture of Red Films (2019)

    Delves into the history of the most extreme and shocking films that have ever been made. chronicles the timeline of Red Films: those films that are too extreme for the mainstream and historically have been circulated via the bootleg circuit.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  30. Grizzly Man (2005)

    Follows the story of "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in his attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this

Like The Secret Life of Brian and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Secret Life of Brian?

The closest matches to The Secret Life of Brian are The Irishman: In Conversation (2019), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and Fuck (2006). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Secret Life of Brian?

Start with The Irishman: In Conversation (2019), the closest match to The Secret Life of Brian.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Secret Life of Brian?

Grizzly Man (2005), rated 7.5/10 by 1,004 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Secret Life of Brian?

Unidentified Followed Objects (UFOs): An Interview with Hisayasu Sato (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Secret Life of Brian?

Yes: The Irishman: In Conversation (2019), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and Fuck (2006).

How are movies similar to The Secret Life of Brian chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Secret Life of Brian, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page