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Movies Like Ptown Diaries

If you liked Ptown Diaries (2009), a documentary movie directed by Joseph Mantegna, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

  1. 1McQueen

    McQueen (2018)

    ★ 7.4/10Also documentary

    Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own…

  2. 235 Up

    35 Up (1991)

    ★ 7.6/10Also documentary

    Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

  3. 321 Up

    21 Up (1977)

    ★ 7.4/10Also documentary

    After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives…

  4. 4Dawg Fight

    Dawg Fight (2015)

    ★ 6.4/10Also documentary

    In a crime-plagued neighborhood near Miami, brutal, bare-knuckled backyard fights give young men a chance to earn money -- and self-respect.

  5. 5Tongues Untied

    Tongues Untied (1990)

    ★ 6.7/10Also documentary

    Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs…

  6. 6The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

    The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026)

    ★ 6.9/10Also documentary

    A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity, and explores the most powerful technology humanity has ever created... and what's at stake if we get it wrong.

  7. 7A Toxic Love Story

    A Toxic Love Story (2026)

    ★ 6.4/10Also documentary

    A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.

  8. 828 Up

    28 Up (1985)

    ★ 7.5/10Also documentary

    Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.

  9. 9My Mom Jayne

    My Mom Jayne (2025)

    ★ 8/10Also documentary

    Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and…

  10. 10I Am Vanessa Guillen

    I Am Vanessa Guillen (2022)

    ★ 7.5/10Also documentary

    Vanessa Guillen was 20 years old when she was found murdered at a US Army base. Rather than submit to silence, her family fought for justice and change.

  11. 1149 Up

    49 Up (2006)

    ★ 7.4/10Also documentary

    49 Up is the seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's World in Action team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give…

  12. 12Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear

    Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)

    ★ 7/10Also documentary

    Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and…

  13. 13Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20

    Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)

    ★ 7.2/10Also documentary

    An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.

  14. 14Welcome to Chechnya

    Welcome to Chechnya (2020)

    ★ 7/10Also documentary

    This searing investigative work shadows a group of activists risking unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ program raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. Unfettered access and a…

  15. 15180° South

    180° South (2010)

    ★ 7.2/10Also documentary

    The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.

  16. 16Vernon, Florida

    Vernon, Florida (1981)

    ★ 6.8/10Also documentary

    Errol Morris intersplices random chatter he captured on film of the genuinely eccentric residents of Vernon, Florida. A few examples? The preacher giving a sermon on the definition of the word 'Therefore', and the…

  17. 17The Class of ‘92

    The Class of ‘92 (2013)

    ★ 7.1/10Also documentary

    A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville)…

  18. 18Come See Me in the Good Light

    Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)

    ★ 7.1/10Also documentary

    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.

  19. 19Directed by John Ford

    Directed by John Ford (1971)

    ★ 7/10Also documentary

    A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.

  20. 2042 Up

    42 Up (1999)

    ★ 7.6/10Also documentary

    Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

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