Documentary Now!: 51st season

September 15, 2016 7:49 AM - Season 2 (Full Season)

Dame Helen Mirren returns to host the best documentaries of the past 51 years.

This season will feature six mockumentaries based on actual documentaries: The Bunker (The War Room), Juan Likes Rice & Chicken (Jiro Dreams of Sushi), Parker Gail's Location Is Everything (Swimming to Cambodia), Final Transmission (Stop Making Sense), Globesmen (Salesman), and the two part finale, Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid (The Kid Stays in the Picture)

Last year, it was renewed for two additional seasons even before the premiere.

posted by lmfsilva (10 comments total)

This one was just OK for me -- Hader has done his James Carville elsewhere so it almost felt like an excuse to trot that out again. The happy birthday commercial was hilarious, though, and I liked Fred's "woman rating" strategy. Psyched for the Stop Making Sense one!
posted by Clustercuss at 2:17 PM on September 16, 2016

I'm also curious with Stop Making Sense, because they have been spoofing regular documentaries so far, and SMS is a live performance.
posted by lmfsilva at 11:20 AM on September 17, 2016

If anyone is following, Juan Likes Rice & Chicken is brilliant.
posted by lmfsilva at 3:15 PM on September 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I think Globesman is one of those that kinda needs knowing the source material.

Meanwhile, two Talking Heads take a look at Final Transmission.
posted by lmfsilva at 12:35 PM on October 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

I really hope the complete "Final Transmission" concert gets some kind of stand-alone release without the interview segments.
posted by SansPoint at 10:57 AM on October 14, 2016

There's a full version of the album here. Missing Save Time for Me, probably because that's Anita's song. Not theirs.
posted by lmfsilva at 1:50 PM on October 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Juan Likes Rice & Chicken is Amazing, and Hader’s Spaulding Grey is perfect.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:14 PM on April 11, 2017 [1 favorite]

And man, I want to see both Detective Rabbi and Kenny.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:23 PM on April 12, 2017

It felt like the "Final Transmission" was channeling a bit of "Last Waltz" during the interview segments. So far, I've watched that and the Robert Evans one. My wife thought the Evans one was hilarious and she's never seen "The Kids Stay in The Picture"
posted by drezdn at 4:54 PM on April 23, 2017

Juan Likes Rice & Chicken is Amazing, and Hader’s Spaulding Grey is perfect.

As someone who can't stand Spaulding Grey, I had to stop watching it. It was absolutely perfect. (Cheers to those who love him. I don't claim he's bad in any way and his work makes a lot of people happy. I'm glad he exists. But, I can't listen to him without feeling angry. This documentary evoked the exact same response.)

Fred Armisen pretending to be David Byrne pretending to be Tom Waits was really strange and absolutely brilliant. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

They're all beautifully specific.
posted by eotvos at 10:44 AM on June 29, 2019 [1 favorite]