Film

King Corn

Name: King Corn
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2007
Cast: Ian Cheney, Curtis Ellis, Earl L. Butz, Michael Pollan

Investigative journalism

Two friends return to Iowa to grow an acre of corn and trace how this single crop became the invisible foundation of American food. It's a witty, accessible documentary that makes agricultural economics feel like an adventure, revealing the absurd subsidies and industrial machinery that shape what we eat. For anyone curious about where their food actually comes from.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy investigative films that follow a personal experiment and let the numbers pile up into an argument, anchored by a pair of wry, self-mocking friends at its center.

Skip it if you want a tight, data-driven exposé; this is gentle, meandering, and often more amused than angry, so the outrage can feel softer than the subject deserves.

What it asks of you: Under ninety minutes of patient, low-key viewing with little urgency; it is loose and conversational, asking you to follow a slow agricultural project more than to be shocked on cue.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Food, Inc.2008

Expands on King Corn's themes with a broader investigation into industrial food production, factory farming, and corporate consolidation. Builds the argument into something more urgent and systemic.

But Darker and more polemical than King Corn—less charming, more infuriating. Some feel it oversimplifies complex economics.

Forks Over Knives2011

Argues that processed plant-based foods (hello, corn-derived everything) are driving disease. Complements King Corn's food-system critique with a health angle that hits home.

But Makes sweeping nutritional claims some nutritionists dispute. Can feel dogmatic rather than exploratory.

The Biggest Little Farm2019

Follows a couple building a regenerative farm as an alternative to industrial agriculture. Hopeful counterpoint to King Corn's systemic critique—solutions instead of just problems.

But More lyrical and less rigorous than King Corn. Some viewers find the tone more Instagram than investigative.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from King Corn

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Waist Deep2006

Both films, despite their surface differences, are about economic entrapment: one systemic and invisible, one visceral and immediate. Both show people working within structures that profit from their struggle.

A crime thriller set in Long Beach that has nothing to do with agriculture, but Terrence Dashon Howard's performance—raw, alive, desperate—captures the same energy as King Corn's best moments: watching people pushed by systems beyond their control.

But It's a genre film with violence and street life. Tonally it's the opposite of a documentary. If you watch King Corn for information, this won't scratch that itch.

A Place at the Table2012

Documents food insecurity in America while tracing the policy failures that King Corn explores. Makes the human cost of agricultural policy visceral.

But Heavier emotional tone. Some sequences are difficult to watch, especially involving children.

Super Size Me2004

Eats only McDonald's for 30 days and tracks the damage. A direct illustration of where King Corn's invisible crop ends up in the American body.

But The stunt-documentary format feels dated now. Some of the science has been contested.

The Future of Food2004

Investigates GMO crops and seed patents—King Corn mentions these but doesn't dwell on them. Paranoid, conspiratorial energy, but raises real legal questions.

But Feels dated in its presentation. Borders on alarmism without always distinguishing risk from certainty.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret2014

Examines livestock agriculture's environmental footprint, much of it fed with corn. Connects King Corn to climate and deforestation in ways the original doesn't.

But Vegan polemic disguised as documentary. Some claims oversimplify or lack nuance; may feel preachy.