# Netflix streaming documentary suggestions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318 "2012-01-31T17:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/21 "2012-02-02T15:17:49Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **Hoop Dreams** is something everyone seems to rave about, but I didn’t particularly like it. Working at basketball skills to make it as an NBA star or at least get a foot in the door for an educational opportunity is great, but that was neither. Studying was the answer for those kids’ problems. Ironically both are doing pretty well in life .. “Bogey Man” the doc on Lee Atwater was really really interesting.. Ed Rollins as usual was candid as hell.. Mary Matalin not so much.. The part with Dukakis and Kitty.. was really good.. Kitty tells Mike.. “We answer charges now.. don’t we!!”.. ---
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/22 "2012-02-02T16:16:02Z")
Every Little Step Food, Inc Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work ---
**Author:** ![SnowCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@SnowCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnowCat)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/23 "2012-02-02T16:51:26Z")
I really enjoyed “Paper Clips” about a southern rural school that had a creative way to learn (and teach the town) about what was endured during the Holocaust. It was very touching, especially considering the prejudgments many make about people who live in the rural south. Netflix synopsis: “Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an extraordinary experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of 6 million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect 6 million paper clips.” ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/24 "2012-02-02T16:59:16Z")
I highly recommend _Exit through the Gift Shop_, particularly if you haven’t read anything about the surrounding controversy. Several others I’d recommend have already been mentioned. Most recently, I tried to watch _The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia_ but gave up about 20 minutes in. I found the family simply repulsive, rather than the antiheroes the filmmakers appeared to want to portray them as. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/25 "2012-02-02T17:24:47Z")
Helvetica, the most interesting movie about a font ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/26 "2012-02-02T19:21:18Z")
**Confessions of a Superhero** , about superhero look-a-likes scratching out a living on tourist tips in Hollywood. If The Incredible Hulk’s story doesn’t touch you, you are made of stone. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/27 "2012-02-02T21:53:56Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **Confessions of a Superhero** , about superhero look-a-likes scratching out a living on tourist tips in Hollywood. If The Incredible Hulk’s story doesn’t touch you, you are made of stone. Thank you for recommending this one. I really like documentaries about odd folks. Ones I’ve enjoyed are: Confessions of a Superhero(obviously) Word Wars League of Ordinary Gentlemen - bowling documentary. Great, but no longer streams. Any others I should look for, streaming or not? ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/28 "2012-02-02T22:12:10Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I highly recommend _Exit through the Gift Shop_, particularly if you haven’t read anything about the surrounding controversy. I just watched this. It was excellent. I only had a vague notion of what was going on before watching it. I highly recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/29 "2012-02-03T02:15:56Z")
> [@SnowCat](#): > > I really enjoyed “Paper Clips” about a southern rural school that had a creative way to learn (and teach the town) about what was endured during the Holocaust. > > It was very touching, especially considering the prejudgments many make about people who live in the rural south. Totally forgot about this one, but yes, definitely second the recommendation. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > I really like documentaries about odd folks. Ones I’ve enjoyed are: > > Confessions of a Superhero(obviously) > > Word Wars > > League of Ordinary Gentlemen - bowling documentary. Great, but no longer streams. > > Any others I should look for, streaming or not? The above-mentioned [_Vernon, Florida_](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Vernon_Florida/70035018?trkid=2361637) from Errol Morris is definitely about odd folks. [_Gates of Heaven_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gates_of_heaven) (not available to stream on Netflix) to a somewhat lesser degree (there are definitely odd folks, but there’s also death and bereavement). Oh, look - _[Harlan Ellison: Dreams with Sharp Teeth](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Harlan_Ellison_Dreams_with_Sharp_Teeth/70098603?trkid=4429425)_ is available. That’s a pretty good documentary about a particularly odd folk. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/30 "2012-02-13T15:16:43Z")
[They Came To Play](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1365654/) is a decent documentary that is currently streaming. It’s about amateur piano players who enter a major amateur piano competition. Kind of neat, nothing super amazing. I put it on while I worked and enjoyed it. Amazingly talented folks that hold down regular jobs while being excellent pianists. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/31 "2012-02-13T17:48:23Z")
Riding Giants is fantastic even, or especially, if you have no interest in big wave surfing. The visuals and personalities of these old bastards from back in the 50s are incredible. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/32 "2012-02-13T18:14:15Z")
> [@rock\_party](#): > > Revenge of the Electric Car. Which is the follow up to _Who Killed the Electric Car_. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/33 "2012-02-15T20:08:40Z")
[Just watched Winnebago Man, about that guy who had a funny collection of bloopers making a Winnebago films.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWUWPx2VeQ) Very interesting movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318/34 "2012-02-15T20:27:10Z")
I watched **Talhotblond** on the recommendation of someone here on the Dope, and I thought it was a really interesting cautionary tale. It’s another doc that’s best not to know too much about before you watch it. (it’s not streaming, DVD only right now) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-documentary-suggestions/611318.md?page=1)