The weekend is here, which for many means chilling out with a good movie or show. Sometimes you want a big popcorn blockbuster, sure. But other times you want the real stuff—the human stories, the mysteries, the weird and funny stuff that only reality can conjure. If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you’re in luck because Prime Video, as it turns out, has loads of documentary movies and series.
If you’re looking for something to sink into this weekend, I’ve pulled together this trio of great picks, whether you’re chasing a biopic or just a fish-out-of-water show about a car guy on a farm.
3
Clarkson’s Farm
As a bit of a car guy myself, friends of mine have been trying to get me to watch longtime British Top Gear and The Grand Tour host Jeremy Clarkson’s unscripted docuseries Clarkson’s Farm for ages. I’ve always loved Clarkson’s cocksure, sarcastic, and opinionated style, so the idea of the 65-year-old city-slicker running a farm is pretty hilarious. Fans and critics agree, as the Prime Video series is now in its fourth season.
After hanging up his hosting hat, Clarkson retreats to his 1,000-acre farm in the English countryside, about 90 minutes outside of London, and earnestly tries to give it a go. Season one takes place over the course of the first year, as Clarkson attempts to run the farm himself, well, with the help of some of the local farm community’s experts, which offers some fun and unique characters to the show. Clarkson takes to planting, plowing, lambing, and harvesting, all with his hilarious commentary, as he comes to terms with the fact that the farming industry is, well, hard.
Part of the show’s charm is that, while Clarkson is Clarkson, it paints a humbling picture of modern British agriculture, turning what could have been a vanity project for an aging celebrity into something earnest and meaningful.
2
Val
I find biographical documentaries that are told by the subjects themselves to be more compelling than those that offer an outside-looking-in point of view. Of course, that’s not always possible, but after his throat cancer diagnosis in 2014, iconic actor Val Kilmer took it upon himself to begin telling his own story, largely using the thousands of hours of his own home video footage the star shot through his decades-long career.
Released in 2021, Val is the bittersweet culmination of that, a Hollywood memoir chronicling his life, from a young, struggling actor hanging out with other wide-eyed up-and-comers, such as Kevin Bacon, Nicolas Cage, and Tom Cruise, through his rise to fame. Blending all that grainy camcorder footage with commentary from Kilmer (often spoken by his son, due to his throat cancer treatment), we go behind the scenes on sets including Top Gun, The Doors, Batman, Tombstone, among others, check out some of his audition tapes, and share personal moments with Kilmer and his family.
There’s some great footage and stories in Val (including from my favorite of his movies, Top Secret), and its honest and emotional air is made all the more bittersweet since his death in April this year.
1
Gimme Danger
I know this one is from 2016, but if you’re a fan of seminal American punk band The Stooges, then this is probably the definitive documentary you should watch. Gimme Danger, named after the band’s iconic song from its 1973 album Raw Power, is just that, a raw look at the Ann Arbor, Michigan band and their rise to popularity, all shot and documented by acclaimed filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers, Paterson).
Of course, there’s plenty of Iggy Pop (aka Jim Osterberg) in Gimme Danger, as the famously shirtless frontman shares the band’s stories of triumph and turbulence. But the legendary Lust for Life band’s other members, including Ron and Scott Asheton, Mike Watt, and James Williamson, as well as other music luminaries, also chime in on the influential band’s career.
With some excellently gritty and rare archival footage, including plenty of on-stage performances showcasing Iggy’s signature writing and energetic presence, and some candid kitchen table talk where Iggy shares intimate details of the band’s collapse, addiction, and controversy, Gimme Danger delivers all that and more.
Netflix is the only streamer to turn to when you’re looking for a good documentary film or series to get into. Prime Video has a massive library, too, and we’re here to dig through it all so you don’t have to.
- Subscription with ads
-
Yes, via Prime membership or $9/month
- Simultaneous streams
-
3
Prime Video has a large volume of content to watch. The other Amazon perks are a bonus as well.