The Best Documentaries About Los Angeles

Ranker Film
Updated October 22, 2021
Voting Rules
Documentaries about the city of Los Angeles, California.

What is the best documentary about Los Angeles documentary film? This list of documentaries about Los Angeles includes popular and recognizable titles, along with independent films. Many documentaries set in LA feature the city's film, music, and culture scenes. Some are even documentaries about Hollywood. What is the best documentary about Los Angeles? 

Some of the best LA documentaries include titles such as Los Angeles Plays Itself, LA Originals, and LA '92. There's also great documentaries about the L.A. music scenes, such as Wattstax, Sound City, and The Decline of Western Civilization. 

Vote up your favorite LA-centric documentaries and help decide what is the best documentary about Los Angeles. 

Photo: LA Originals / Netflix
Ranked by
  • Sunset Strip
    1

    Sunset Strip

    Dan Aykroyd, Johnny Depp, Carmen Electra
    6 votes
    • Released: 2012
    • Directed by: Hans Fjellestad
    Sunset Strip is a 2012 American documentary film directed by Hans Fjellestad. The documentary explores the history of the mile and a half long stretch of road through West Hollywood known as Sunset ...more

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  • Los Angeles Plays Itself
    2

    Los Angeles Plays Itself

    Encke King, Ben Alexander, Jim Backus
    12 votes
    • Released: 2003
    • Directed by: Thom Andersen
    Consisting mostly of shots from other films, this documentary discusses the many representations of the city of Los Angeles in film and on television. Professor Thom Andersen compares the city as it ...more

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  • Dive!
    3

    Dive!

    Jeremy Seifert
    3 votes
    • Released: 2009
    • Directed by: Jeremy Seifert
    Dive! is an 2010 American documentary film directed by Jeremy Seifert. The film follows director Jeremy Seifert and his friends as they dumpster dive behind several grocery stores in the Los Angeles ...more
  • Dogtown and Z-Boys
    4

    Dogtown and Z-Boys

    Sean Penn, Jay Adams, Tony Alva
    3 votes
    • Released: 2001
    • Directed by: Stacy Peralta
    "Dogtown and Z-Boys," directed and co-written by skateboard legend-turned-filmmaker Stacy Peralta, is the story of a group of accidental revolutionaries, gifted kids who inadvertently changed the ...more

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  • The Comedy Store
    5

    The Comedy Store

    Judd Apatow, David Spade, Bob Saget
    3 votes
    • Released: 2020
    • Directed by: Mike Binder
    Bringing to life the legends, heartbreak and history created at The Comedy Store in L.A.

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  • Echo in the Canyon
    6

    Echo in the Canyon

    Jakob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Tom Petty
    3 votes
    • Released: 2019
    • Directed by: Andrew Slater
    Echo In The Canyon is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Andrew Slater. The documentary is an examination of Los Angeles's Laurel Canyon and its musical history.