Can you recommend an uplifting or entertaining documentary film?

Murderball is an excellent documentary. It is more interesting and informative than anything. It is uplifting in the sense that it shows these young men facing life altering circumstance overcome obsticles and have tremendous perseverance and committment, but it is not the type of movie you smile and laugh constantly. But, it isn’t a tear jerker, not depressing at all.

In the same boat as you for various other reasons. Check out Best in Show and/or This is Spinal Tap for your type of movie. (Spinal Tap is one of my favs and has a cult following… it goes up to 11)

@JLeslie That’s an excellent suggestion. It looks like a terrific film, exactly what I had in mind. Unfortunately not available instantly but added to my DVD queue. Thank you.

@tedd Christopher Guest films are the best. If I don’t find something new, I’ll definitely play one from my collection. it isn’t just the weather, but the weather isn’t helping matters

@Blueroses oh good :). I am very close friends with Mark’s parents, the red head who is featured in the film, and probably is on the cover of the DVD packaging. Let me know if you liked it. I don’t only recommend it because I know him, I truly think everyone should see it. I think it should be shown in senior high school classes around the country, because I learned so much watching it.

@JLeslie That’s very cool! I remember hearing great things about the film. I’d watch it right now but Redbox and Netflix killed all the local video rental stores. :P

Liar, Liar

@YARNLADY Thanks. I haven’t seen that and it has a “play now” option.

American Movie is incredible. I laugh my ass off every time I watch it.

Crumb was impossible to stop watching. A real look into the mind of a counter-culture icon.

@Blondesjon American Movie is awesome. Boy was I rooting for Coven to be a good movie… alas.

Crumb, I have not seen but I really liked Fritz the Cat. It goes in the queue. Thank you

The Education of Shelby Knox is really great. To me, it was uplifting because it was so inspirational. It’s about a girl’s battle to bring better sex education into her high school, and this girl, for her age especially, blew me away. It’s very religious (takes places in Texas) – but this girl is the kind of Christian I have no problem respecting – because she respects others. She hopes to run for President someday, and this girl really has what it takes to get there.

Some parts are really sad, because she is being smothered by the town she grew up in, but you see her growing beyond it, which was enough to make me teary-eyed in a good way.

King of Kong is a fantastic documentary about the aging men (and one 90 something year old woman) who compete at the highest level, achieving remarkable scores on classic arcade games. It’s nerd to the extreme, but it is very enjoyable, even if ancient video games aren’t your thing. It’s a great good versus evil story. The born winner, the undisputed champion for more than 20 years, an army of nerds at the ready, and the born loser, who fails at everything in life, but has found one thing that he’s really good at.

@DrasticDreamer Excellent! That is precisely the kind of film I was looking for and… yay! It’s Instant too!

@Smashley King of Kong was great. I really enjoyed it and it’s kind of the benchmark for other films I’m hoping to find.

Paper Clips is really awesome and available on Netflix

Young@Heart

@Kayak8 Thank you. It’s in the Instant queue.
@cockswain That just looks great! Moved to top of DVD queue.
@barnaclebill Perfect. Both available. Thank you!

Man on Wire Philippe Petit captured the world’s attention in 1974 when he successfully walked across a high wire between New York’s Twin Towers. This Oscar winner for Best Documentary explores the preparations that went into the stunt as well as the event and its aftermath. Obsessed with the towers even before they were fully constructed, Petit sneaked into the buildings several times to determine the equipment he needed to accomplish his daring feat.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill his poignant documentary chronicles the true story of a modern-day St. Francis of Assisi, a homeless San Francisco street musician by the name of Mark Bittner who adopts a flock of wild parrots as he searches for meaning in his life. With a surprise ending that left festival audiences cheering, director Judy Irving’s film celebrates urban wildness—human and avian—and links parrot antics to human behavior.

@BarnacleBill I’ve seen both of those, and they definitely fit the bill. I think I liked Telegraph Hill a bit better.

I just wanted to list one that I saw recently for anyone else who likes docs. Dear Zachary: A letter to a Son About his Father.

Very moving and enraging.

Thanks again for all of your contributions. That should keep me occupied while the snow flies.

There’s always the old classic The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Was that the one where he ate the mice? Or was that Never Cry Wolf?

The wolf one

I also like Alone In the Wilderness, which is the Richard Proenekke story. In 1968, Proenekke, age 51, retired and went to Twin Lakes, AK by himself. He built a cabin in the woods, and filmed his life and cabin-building with an 8 mm camera. The film usually airs on PBS, but is worth seeking out. Intro segment from YouTube

The Ramen Girl is pretty uplifting but isn’t a documentary. It is just a nice fun movie.

49 Up is just interesting. They interviewed the same group of kids from the time they were seven, now they are 49. It shows clips going back all the way to age 7 and is just very curious.

Praying with Lior was also uplifting.

You will love Harvard beats Yale 29–29. Although it appears to be about a football game, it is sooo much more!

St Ralph (also not a documentary) is also very lighthearted and good.

All above are on Netflix.

I saw this recently:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pacific_(TV_series)

made by the BBC. Excellent!

Pearl- it’s about a man in South Carolina who taught himself to garden topiaries.

@Neizvestnaya Good one. I thought that documentary was really cute.

@Kayak8 You really nailed my taste in films! I’ve seen Saint Ralph, Ramen Girl and the 49-Up series (that is fascinating) I’m looking forward to Lior and Harvard Beats Yale based on your recommendations.
@mattbrowne I’ll check the BBC America shop for that. Thank you.

@Neizvestnaya Do you have any links for that film? I can find similar names but not about what you described.
@BarnacleBill That looks great. I’ll have to figure out where to watch it.

@Blueroses Keep your eye on all the famous people who show up in Harvard Beats Yale!

@Blueroses: I found it in my Netflix.

@Neizvestnaya Ah, thank you. I found it listed as A Man Named Pearl. Looks great!

Animals are beautiful people is fucking amazing and thoroughly entertaining.

Thank you @bob_ . I never heard of that one and I love The Gods Must Be Crazy!

@Blueroses That movie has @bob_‘s personal money-back guarantee! XD

You take pesos, right?

@bob_ If it isn’t great, I just see the complaints dept. located in the backseat of your car?

@Blueroses You’d be the first to complain in the backseat of my car.

Dang, you’re quick! @bob_ see, that would be a potential complaint

@Blueroses I’m only quick when quickness is called for.