Documentary movies and TV shows are non-fictional; they're meant to document reality for the purposes of education, instruction, or historical record-keeping, but anything that exists can be made fun of, and documentaries are no exception to that rule.
Usually meant as a satire or parody, mockumentaries are fictional works designed to mimic the style and appearance of documentaries. It's not a trivial genre to pull off, but when done properly, the result is usually unbelievable enough to be entertaining, while accurate enough to be mistaken for truth. After all, legendary comedian Sid Caesar once said, "Comedy has to be based on truth."
The Comedians (2015)
Lines between reality and fiction were blurred when comedians Billy Crystal (Monsters, Inc., When Harry Met Sally) and Josh Gad (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast) played their fictionalized selves in the FX series The Comedians.
Available on Hulu, the show follows the production of a fictional sketch show that Crystal and Gad have reluctantly teamed up to co-star in. Relatable comedy comes from the two stars' complete lack of chemistry or desire to work together, and the show masterfully demonstrates the contrast in humor tastes of older and younger generations.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
The Saturday Night Live musical act turned feature movie The Blues Brothers (1980) paved the way for Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) to do the same with Popstar.
Fans of Samberg's performances with the musically comedic trio The Lonely Island will love the funny songs and accompanying videos in the movie, which follows egotistical musician Conner4Real (Samberg) as he tries to become a successful solo act after leaving the three-man hip-hop group The Style Boyz (portrayed by Lonely Island bandmates Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer), which initially made him famous.
Summer Heights High (2007)
With a repertoire of mockumentary shows like We Can Be Heroes (2005), Angry Boys (2011), and Lunatics (2019), Australian Chris Lilley is arguably the best mockumentary creator of all time, and Summer Heights High is his funniest work.
The series follows an entertaining and tumultuously eventful year at a fictional Australian public high school, as seen through the eyes of three characters (all played by Lilley): drama teacher Mr. G, all-girl private school exchange student Ja'mie, and delinquent breakdancing student Jonah. Ja'mie and Jonah each got their own spinoff series years later.
Best In Show (2000)
On the shortlist of those who could challenge Chris Lilley for the title of mockumentary king is Christopher Guest, who teamed up with Eugene Levy (American Pie, Schitt's Creek) to write Best in Show - a mockumentary following several colorful characters and their loveable pooches leading up to a prestigious national dog show.
The movie is a must-watch for any dog-lover, and the owners will have viewers laughing and quoting their ridiculous adlibs long after viewing, especially the improvised dog show commentary by the late Fred Willard.
American Vandal
When the true-crime subgenre took the documentary world by storm, it didn't take long for comedic geniuses to capitalize on the trend with the popular Netflix original mockumentary series American Vandal.
The series gets its title from the plot of its first season, which sees a pair of teenage documentary detectives (Tyler Alvarez & Griffin Gluck) work to scientifically prove the innocence of their school's notorious delinquent student (Jimmy Tatro), whom they believe has been framed for vandalizing the school staff's cars with male genitalia drawings.
7 Days In Hell (2015)
Andy Samberg's second addition to the list comes with the HBO sports comedy original 7 Days in Hell, which doesn't waste a single moment of its lean 43-minute runtime. The story follows the tense rivalry between two fictional professional tennis players: Aaron Williams (Samberg) and Charles Poole (Kit Harington).
With demeanors resembling those of Borg and McEnroe, Poole is a quiet, reserved, dignified European, while Williams is a loud, obnoxious, vulgar, rock star American. The rivalry heats up during a legendary Wimbledon final match, which lasts a ridiculous seven days.
Documentary Now!
Sticking with former SNL cast members, Bill Hader (Barry) and Fred Armisen (Late Night with Seth Meyers) launched their IFC original series Documentary Now! in 2015, in which every episode parodies a different famous documentary.
Hosted by Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen), the show feels like a slightly more sophisticated Drunk History, with Hader and Armisen playing different historical roles every episode with the help of big-name guest stars. The show has received six Emmy nominations and has been ordered for a fourth season.
Borat (2006)
Rounding out the conversation of best mockumentary creators is the supremely talented Sacha Baron Cohen, whose masterful satire work includes Da Ali G Show, Brüno (2009), and Who Is America? (2018), but nothing vaulted him into the mainstream spotlight quite like Borat.
The story sees fictional Kazakh reporter Borat (Cohen) journey to the United States to make a documentary about what makes the nation so great, which devolves into an offensive cross-country journey to make actress Pamela Anderson (Baywatch) his wife after he falls in love with her.
The Office
The massive success of the unforgettably popular nine-season NBC comedy The Office is responsible for making the mockumentary format mainstream for shows like Modern Family and Parks and Recreation, and is undoubtedly the genre's gold standard for television.
After their show saw a comparatively less successful 14-episode run in Great Britain, creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant took another shot with an American version, and the rest is history. Though the show ended in 2013, it's enjoyed a rich afterlife as a pop-culture staple thanks to syndication, streaming, and meme culture.
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Setting the mockumentary gold standard on the silver screen comes the crown jewel of Christopher Guest's filmography - This Is Spinal Tap. The movie is directed by Rob Reiner (Stand by Me, The Princess Bride), who also plays Marty DiBergi - the documentarian who chronicles the fictional English metal band Spinal Tap.
Through an hour and 25 minutes of nonstop must-watch comedy, DiBergi follows the band's ridiculous characters on their fateful tour of the US, where they promote their new album - Smell the Glove - while desperately clinging to their waning popularity.