The best mockumentaries of all time

We'll talk about the 2006 classic Borat film that started this all, but his 2020 sequel generated enough buzz. Our favorite journalist and television star (Sacha Baron Cohen) from Kazakhstan returned to have a little fun with some prominent international figures. Most notable is former New York City mayor-turned-national joke Rudy Giuliani. That generated plenty of buzz during the run-up to the 2020 election and drew plenty of attention to a movie that's good for plenty of laughs.

We head to Norway for a highly underrated mock that is literally foreign to most fans of this genre. Get Ready to Be Boyzvoiced follows boy band Boyzvoice and its under-talented frontman M*Pete (Espen Eckbo), which found itself embroiled in a scandal and tried to save face and regain popularity. There are plenty of fun-poking moments in the boy band genre, and Eckbo shines bright in the lead role.

As we'll see, veteran funnyman Eugene Levy has played a prominent role in the history of mockumentary filmmaking. One of the early pictures within the drama was The Last Polka, written by Levy and late buddy John Candy. The two comedy giants star as brothers Yosh (Candy) and Stan (Levy) Shmenge, the biggest polka act in the world that is about to play one last concert. Fellow SCTV regulars Rick Moranis and mockumentary staple Catherine O'Hara also make up the cast.

Irishman Steve Barron made his name directing massively popular music videos such as "Billie Jean" and "Money for Nothing." With his satirical take on the misery and often dysfunction known as England's national soccer team, it's entertaining enough to make this list. Bassett, a lower-division manager, is surprisingly brought in to coach the team as it earns a World Cup spot based on a technicality. The in-depth, behind-the-scenes look of the film is funny enough. Ricky Tomlinson is quite good in the lead role. 

Monty Python icon Eric Idle is the driving force behind this fictional, satirical Beatles knock-off band. Through a series of sketches, the movie mocked Beatlemania's over-the-top craziness and did so in that sideways, comedic way only Idle, who starred as the Paul McCartney-esque Dirk McQuickly, can deliver. As we've seen and will continue to highlight, fictional bands make for stellar mockumentary fare. The Rutles are up there with the best.

Director Jake Szymanski had enjoyed success in the mockumentary scene. This film starred former Saturday Night Live and Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg. Like an HBO Sports documentary, the film hilariously follows tennis foes Aaron Williams (Samberg), the former orphaned turned the sport's bad boy, and child prodigy Charles Poole (Kit Harington), and their fictional historic Wimbledon match that goes on for days.

More from Jake Szymanski and Andy Samberg, two years after 7 Days in Hell. This time, they tackle the world of competitive cycling — more specifically, the fictional events surrounding the 1982 Tour de France and obvious doping among the competitors. Thus, leaving those "clean" athletes to compete in the race. Orlando Bloom is solid as Italian cyclist JuJu Peppi, along with Samberg as Marty Hass. Big-time stars like Jeff Goldblum and Julia Ormond, as well as a cameo by disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong, provide the movie's best moments.

Our first foray into the mind of Christopher Guest, who has directed some of the most renowned and beloved mockumentaries of all time. Mascots, which starred Guest regulars Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, and the late Fred Willard, follows the lives of fictional sports mascots competing for the prestigious Gold Fluffy Award. Mascots might not have enjoyed the high level of acclaim or popularity as Guest's other mocks, but it's still worth viewing.

Throwing some playful mockery at famed surfing documentaries. For starters, it's animated, something truly innovative for the mockumentary genre. In this case, penguin Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) dreams of becoming a surf king. The film comically follows the format of said documentaries that are filled with stunning visuals and gnarly dialogue.

Over the decades, Bob Roberts has grown in cult classic status. Tim Robbins wrote, directed, and starred in this political satire about a right-wing conservative folk singer running for the United States Senate. However, Roberts (Robbins) might not be as wholesome and God-fearing as he comes off in public. This black comedy is told in a documentary format that follows his campaign but in that usual over-the-top mockumentary way. 

Sacha Baron Cohen's talent expands beyond Borat. Directed by Larry Charles, Brüno follows journalist Brüno Gehard, who covers fashion and lives life as if he was a male model. Cohen co-wrote and co-produced the film about another character from Da Ali G Show. Cohen has gotten plenty of mileage out of those characters, and while Brüno hasn't reached the same level as Borat, he's watchable.

Not even rap could be spared from the world of mockumentary filmmaking. Fear of a Black Hat is told from the perspective of sociologist Nina Blackburn (Kasi Lemmons), who is studying the world of rap and hip-hop. Her subjects are rappers N.W.H. (a play on real-life rap giants N.W.A.), Ice Cold, Tasty Taste, and Tone Def. The movie superbly covers all the stereotypes that come along with the genre.

Andy Samberg is once again featured. He played Conner Friel, the leader of pop-rappers The Style Boyz. After his band breaks up, Conner goes solo, and the fun begins. Fellow Saturday Night Live alums Maya Rudolph and Tim Meadows also star in a fun film that Samberg co-wrote, and Judd Apatow served as one of the producers. 

We're starting to get into the really special Christopher Guest films. In For Your Consideration, which isn't a full-blown mock but should still qualify, Guest follows the production of the buzz-worthy film Home for Purim (later changed to Home for Thanksgiving) — a period piece about a Jewish family coping with their mother's impending death as well as potential Oscar nominations for has-been actors Victor Allan Miller (Harry Schearer), Marilyn Hack (Catherine O'Hara), and Callie Webb (Parker Posey), who are each subtly humorous.

Cohen's Borat travels America, offending many with his antics, language, and beliefs. Not to mention trying to court Pamela Anderson's Baywatch character, C.J. Parker. While Borat tends to be an acquired taste for some, there's no denying how talented Cohen is in making this fictional goofball totally believable. 

More greatness from Christopher Guest. This time, we head to Blaine, Mo., where a theatrical production celebrating the town's 150th anniversary is all the rage. Eccentric director Corky St. Clair (Guest) is hilariously dealing with a novice cast that includes a town dentist (Eugene Levy) and peppy/ditzy Dairy Queen worker Libby Mae Brown (Parker Posey), with dreams of bringing the play to Broadway.

Mocking the world of teen beauty pageants could not be funnier than this Michael Patrick Jann flick. Kirsten Dunst is solid as the considerate and optimistic Amber Atkins competing in the Sarah Rose Cosmetics Mount Rose (Minn.) American Teen Princess Pageant. Of course, Becky Leeman (Denise Richards) and her pageant-obsessed mother Gladys (Kirstie Alley) are standing in the way of Amber's victory. While Dunst and Alley are worth watching, Ellen Barkin and Allison Janney steal the show as Amber's beer-guzzling, white-trash mom and aunt, respectively.

Who thought a tale about folk music could be so funny? Another special moment from Christopher Guest. In the wake of the death of legendary folk music producer Irving Steinbloom, his three most popular acts, The New Main Street Singers, The Folksmen, and beloved duo Mitch & Mickey, are brought together by his family for a tribute concert — and all the baggage that comes along the way. Guest stalwarts Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Lynch, and the late Fred Willard particularly stand out.

Regardless of the genre, Rob Reiner's This Is Spinal Tap has long been hailed as a classic. Before Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean took the stage as The Folksmen from A Mighty Wind, they were Derek Smalls, Nigel Tufnel, and David St. Hubbins, a.k.a. English heavy metal band Spinal Tap. This hilarious satire of a touring rock band that takes itself way too seriously became iconic. Turn it up to 11, and enjoy.

It's tough to go against This Is Spinal Tap, but the laughs never seem to stop with Christopher Guest's Best in Show. The movie rides along with five dogs and their owners competing at the famed Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. Once again, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Coolidge, and Fred Willard are especially strong in their roles within a picture that just might be the gold standard among mockumentaries.