25. Religulous (2008)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $16.6 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (59,190 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 78% (39,285 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (157 reviews)
> Directed by: Larry Charles
TV host and comedian Bill Maher channels his views on religion into this surprisingly open-minded — but nevertheless critical — documentary. Interviewing people from various backgrounds in different locations, the film paints a broad portrait of modern faith without resorting to outright mockery.
24. Super Size Me (2004)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $17.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (108,660 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 72% (271,890 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (171 reviews)
> Directed by: Morgan Spurlock
Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock became an overnight sensation with the release of this blockbuster documentary. It finds him eating nothing but McDonald’s food over the course of 30 day and suffering all kinds of negative health consequences as a result. An alternate title could have been, “Well, Duh.”
23. Hoop Dreams (1994)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $17.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (26,427 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 93% (12,623 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: Steve James
One of the greatest documentaries of all time follows two inner-city Chicago athletes as they become high school basketball phenoms. Their subsequent pursuit of playing for the NBA isn’t nearly as pre-determined as it might seem. One doesn’t have to care about sports to partake in this utterly emotional journey.
22. Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $17.5 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (42,689 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 74% (70,721 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (190 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Moore
Documentarian Michael Moore has been examining and excoriating American capitalism since his acclaimed feature debut, 1989’s “Roger & Me.” In this top-grossing effort, Moore aims to show that corporate greed is still alive and well in the modern globalist marketplace. It also searches for positive solutions to economic inequality.
21. Free Solo (2018)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $17.6 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (67,508 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 93% (3,005 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (156 reviews)
> Directed by: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Follow rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts a record-breaking free solo ascent (i.e. no rope or gear) in this thrilling adventure. Writing for the Chicago Reader, critic Andrea Gronvall called it “as much a celebration of U.S. parks and wilderness as it is a record of one of the most audacious feats in the history of mountaineering.” It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
