NoBadPicks

Movies Like Happy

If you loved Happy's Documentary storytelling, these films deliver a similar experience — carefully selected for tone, themes, and emotional depth. Each pick includes where to watch it right now.

Top Picks

Cameraperson
6.7

Cameraperson

2016

As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What emerges is an elegant meditation on the relationship between truth and the camera frame, as Johnson transforms scenes that have been presented on Festival screens as one kind of truth into another kind of story—one about personal journey, craft, and direct human connection.

High School
7.3

High School

1969

Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside Northeast High School as a fly on the wall to observe the teachers and how they interact with the students.

That's Entertainment!
7.4

That's Entertainment!

1974

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.

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.

One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper
5.9

One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper

2015

Join director Clint Eastwood and his creative team, along with Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, as they overcome enormous creative and logistic obstacles to make a film that brings the truth of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle's story to the screen.

A Plastic Ocean
7.6

A Plastic Ocean

2016

A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.

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.

Samsara
8.1

Samsara

2011

Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.

More Movies Like Happy

Being James Bond
7.8

Being James Bond

2021

Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

I Am Heath Ledger
7.4

I Am Heath Ledger

2017

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends
7.1

The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends

2019

This documentary focuses on the actors and their journey over two summers to create the remake to the original IT, by Stephen King. The documentary originally released as bonus material, bundled with IT: Chapter Two.

Wormwood
6.9

Wormwood

2017

In this genre-bending tale, Errol Morris explores the mysterious death of a U.S. scientist entangled in a secret Cold War program known as MK-Ultra.

Elstree 1976
6.1

Elstree 1976

2015

A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.

Naqoyqatsi
6.1

Naqoyqatsi

2002

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

American Pie: Revealed
6.0

American Pie: Revealed

2004

Documentary about the making of American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001) and American Wedding (2003).

Baraka
8.2

Baraka

1992

A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision—an odyssey through landscape and time—that attempts to capture the essence of life.

To Be Takei
7.3

To Be Takei

2014

Over seven decades, actor and activist George Takei journeyed from a World War II internment camp to the helm of the Starship Enterprise, and then to the daily news feeds of five million Facebook fans. Join George and his husband, Brad, on a wacky and profound trek for life, liberty, and love.

The September Issue
6.5

The September Issue

2009

A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.

Wick Is Pain
7.4

Wick Is Pain

2025

Witness the never-before-seen footage and true story behind the John Wick phenomenon – from independent film to billion-dollar franchise.

My Mom Jayne
8.0

My Mom Jayne

2025

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 complex woman.

Why These Movies Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Happy (2012): 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 Happy.

See full details for Happy (2012)

People Also Search For