Film
Broke
Broke traces the financial collapse of professional athletes who earned millions yet lost it all. Through candid interviews with retired NFL and NBA stars, it explores how competitive drive, poor judgment, and predatory relationships combine to bankrupt even the wealthiest. It's a sobering, occasionally darkly funny look at the psychology of excess and the cost of unpreparedness.
If you liked this
The Two Escobars2010
Examines how sudden wealth and fame warp lives in unexpected ways, following a soccer star and a drug lord whose stories intersect. Equally gripping and morally complex.
But Deals with real violence and murder. Requires stomach for darker subject matter than typical sports doc.
Hoop Dreams1994
The definitive sports documentary about aspiration, class, and the machinery that uses young athletes. More intimate and devastating than Broke, but asking the same hard questions.
But Nearly three hours long and moves deliberately. Requires patience, but rewards it entirely.
The Toys That Made Us2017
Lighter in tone but shares Broke's fascination with how people squander windfalls. Episodes on specific toys reveal psychology of consumption and poor decision-making.
But Bite-sized nostalgia pieces. If you want depth over variety, you'll feel the shallowness.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Queen of Versailles2012
Both are about people whose competitive nature and inability to see consequences lead to financial ruin. Same disease, different bank accounts.
A billionaire couple begins building the largest private mansion in America just as the 2008 financial crisis hits. Uncomfortably mirrors Broke's psychology—unlimited spending as a way to prove self-worth—but from the opposite side of the wealth equation.
But No clear villain and no moral resolution; it ends messy and unfinished in ways that feel unsatisfying if you want judgment.
More like this (7)
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness2020
True-crime miniseries about a man with money, charisma, and catastrophically bad judgment. Same portrait of ego meeting consequences as Broke, just weirder.
But Sensationalist editing and a protagonist so repellent sympathy becomes impossible. Also nothing to do with sports.
Senna2010
Documentary about Ayrton Senna's obsessive drive to win. Unlike Broke, it's a tragedy of ambition, but both ask: what does it cost to be that good?
But Assumes Formula 1 knowledge. If you don't care about racing, the technical details feel like filler.
The Battered Bastards of Baseball2014
Charming underdog doc about a group of retired ballplayers who form an independent team. Optimistic counterweight to Broke's cautionary tale.
But Deliberately slight and feel-good. If you want rigour and accountability, this is cotton candy.
O.J.: Made in America2016
Epic five-part series on celebrity, wealth, and impunity. Shows how fame insulates some athletes from consequences that ruined others.
But Extremely long and requires deep focus. Also primarily about a trial, not finances.
The Dawn Wall2017
Documentary about two climbers obsessed with conquering an impossible rock face. Different sport, same portrait of compulsion overriding reason.
But Niche subject matter. If climbing doesn't interest you, the stakes feel abstract and small.
Casting By2012
Both are about individuals whose personal demons—vanity, poor judgment, inability to take advice—undermine their own success, told with surprising emotional honesty.
Documentary about the overlooked art of film casting, told through the life of a casting director. Completely different subject, but uses vulnerable interviews to examine how people sabotage themselves through ego and poor instinct.
But Very inside-baseball about the entertainment industry. If you don't care how films are made, the minutiae will bore you.
Minding the Gap2018
Both explore how masculinity, pride, and the need to prove oneself lead men to self-destruction. One shows collapse from the top; this shows the struggle to build from the bottom.
Intimate documentary about three young skateboarders trying to escape cycles of poverty and violence in Illinois. Shot in beautiful, poetic style rather than clinical. Shows the inverse of Broke: people with almost nothing trying to build something.
But Slow, lyrical pacing. Lacks the shocking revelations or obvious narrative arc some viewers need. Also incredibly sad.
People
Cast
Jamal MashburnSelf- Bernie KosarSelf
- Andre RisonSelf
- Marvin MillerSelf
Directing
- Billy CorbenDirector
Writing
- Billy CorbenWriter
Production
- Jenna MoshellLine Producer
- Alfred SpellmanProducer
- Billy CorbenProducer
- David CypkinProducer
- Evan RosenfeldProducer