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Movies Like The Self-Made Man

If you were moved by The Self-Made Man, will enjoy these picks that questions the purpose and weight of our choices all while offering targets the intellect with complex, multi-layered ideas. Carefully balances character depth with narrative flow makes this a solid addition to your watchlist.

Mood Breakdown
Runtime Cluster

Standard feature-length experiences.

Viewer Fit

Best for fans of who appreciate concise storytelling.

Top Picks

Dick Johnson Is Dead
7.1

Dick Johnson Is Dead

2020

With this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever. Utilizing moviemaking magic and her family’s dark humor, she celebrates Dr. Dick Johnson’s last years by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all.

Robin's Wish
6.9

Robin's Wish

2021

The final word in the story of what really happened to Robin Williams at the end of his life, focusing on his fight against a deadly neurodegenerative disorder known as Lewy body dementia.

Extremis
7.0

Extremis

2016

A purely observational non-fiction film that takes viewers into the ethically murky world of end-of-life decision making in a public hospital.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
6.2

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.

Heart of a Dog
6.5

Heart of a Dog

2015

Lyrical and powerfully personal essay film that reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother, her beloved dog, and such diverse subjects as family memories, surveillance, and Buddhist teachings.

Hawking
7.6

Hawking

2013

The extraordinary story of the planet’s most famous contemporary scientist, told in his own words and by those closest to him. Made with unique access to Hawking’s private life, this is an intimate and moving journey into Stephen's world, both past and present.

Seduced and Abandoned
6.2

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.

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz
7.9

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

2014

Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz achieved groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26.

More Movies Like The Self-Made Man

Naqoyqatsi
6.1

Naqoyqatsi

2002

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me
6.0

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me

2023

From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.

Whitney: Can I Be Me
6.5

Whitney: Can I Be Me

2017

The life and tragic death of Whitney Houston.

In the Realms of the Unreal
7.1

In the Realms of the Unreal

2004

In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
7.2

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

2008

A chronicle of the life, work and mind that created the Cthulhu mythos.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
7.3

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.

Val
7.2

Val

2021

For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood’s most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies like Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.

The Irishman: In Conversation
7.5

The Irishman: In Conversation

2019

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

Lake of Fire
7.0

Lake of Fire

2006

An unflinching look at the how the battle over abortion rights has played out in the United States over the last 15 years.

More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead
7.4

More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead

2011

Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."

Life in a Day
7.2

Life in a Day

2011

A documentary shot by filmmakers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.

Einstein and the Bomb
6.2

Einstein and the Bomb

2024

What happened after Einstein fled Nazi Germany? Using archival footage and his own words, this docudrama dives into the mind of a tortured genius.

Why These Movies Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with The Self-Made Man (2005): Documentary themes, similar narrative structure, and comparable emotional depth. NoBadPicks uses a combination of TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface films most likely to resonate with fans of The Self-Made Man.

See full details for The Self-Made Man (2005)

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