‘The History of Concrete’ review: John Wilson’s documentary is probably unlike anything you’ve ever seen

A scene from "The History of Concrete," a Magnolia Pictures release. — (Image credit: Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.)

Tom's Guide Verdict: 'The History of Concrete' (2026)

Rating: 3/5 stars
Verdict: "The History of Concrete" is unlike any documentary you've ever seen. Well, except for John Wilson's previous project, "How to with John Wilson." But this doc is often only tangentially about concrete, and while Wilson always manages to connect his metaphors, it doesn't always make for an entertaining movie. This movie is definitely a must-see, but it might be best seen at home.
Where to watch: See "The History of Concrete" (2026) in theaters now

I've seen five movies this week, but "The History of Concrete" is unlike any movie I think I've ever seen. Over the course of an hour and 41 minutes, comedian and documentarian John Wilson attempts to tell the definitive history of concrete, purportedly using the structure of a Hallmark movie.

Incredibly, I think Wilson fails on both fronts. After watching the movie, it's clear that there's not much in the way of the history of concrete on offer.

Now, that's not the same as saying this movie ignores concrete — it doesn't. In fact, I learned a lot about concrete over the 101 minutes I spent watching Wilson's feature-length documentary debut. But I'd argue that it focuses more on the present and future states of concrete, rather than how it's been used throughout history.

Concrete is probably the least interesting part of this documentary

To set the stage, Wilson is pitching this documentary following the end of his successful HBO series, "How To with John Wilson." As he puts it, "The space between projects is hard," at which point he expertly cuts to a sculpture of a wiener sandwiched between a hot dog bun. So the beginning of the documentary is about Wilson's search to find a new project.

The History of Concrete - Official Trailer | Directed by John Wilson | In Theaters September 18 - YouTube

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Ultimately, after one poor attempt at patching concrete at a building he owns and a Writers Guild of America seminar on how to write a Hallmark movie later, he's landed on a pitch: "The History of Concrete." So he heads to Rome, where ... he proceeds to learn nothing about concrete.

He does, however, find a wax museum with an AI companion app that's equally eerie and hilarious. He then interviews "The Sopranos" star Michael Imperioli about how to make a movie, and then we finally get into some cold, hard concrete.

But even as we start to explore concrete — and we do explore concrete — it becomes clear that it's the people connected to the concrete who are far more interesting subjects. Whether it's the driving school in Ohio that operates on the oldest concrete street in America, the man who blasts gum off of New York City's concrete sidewalks or the chorus of women who serenade runners in a 3,100-mile run on a single square block of Jamaican Queens' concrete, it's their stories that cement themselves into our heads more than the concrete itself.

The History of Concrete by John Wilson — (Image credit: Magnolia Pictures)

As the documentary continues, though, concrete itself does become more prominent, and more of a downer. I don't need to go into the full details, since that's what the documentary is for. But suffice it to say, the future of concrete is as bleak as the future of everything else.

But before Wilson's pseudo-Hallmark movie can come to a close, we meet Jack Macco. He instantly steals the movie, for better and worse, and by the end of the film, this documentary is almost as much about Wilson's interactions with Jack as it ever was about an essential building block of society.

Verdict: 'The History of Concerte' is definitely a must-watch, but it might be best as a movie to stream at home

Now, I'm not mad that I didn't actually learn about the history of concrete in this documentary. I'm more than willing to let a documentary entertain me more than it informs (see: "Lorne"). But as the movie went on, Wilson's tangents became less and less rewarding, even if they were often humorous and always connected back to the core of the film without fail.

Despite this complaint, though, I undeniably liked this movie. It's a must-see, and fans of John Wilson will definitely want to see it in theaters. Especially if they want to see more John Wilson projects. As he points out in "The History of Concrete," it's difficult to finance a movie these days.

But if you're not a Wilson fan, or not sure about this documentary, it should eventually come to a streaming service. Specifically, HBO Max, which has a deal with Magnolia Pictures. I'm glad I watched this one from the comfort of my own home, so I won't blame you if you do the same. Just make sure you ultimately watch it.

"The History of Concrete" is in theaters now

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Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.