Today’s episode of Sounds of Cinema looked at “movies that rock” including rock musicals and biopics. Here is the commentary from the show.
The Beatles
A Hard Days Night was the first of several films featuring The Beatles and it’s generally considered to be their best. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr play themselves as they get into misadventures on their way to a televised variety show. A Hard Days Night was followed by Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be. In the last few years new documentaries have been created out of archival footage, notably Ron Howard’s The Beatles: Eight Days a Week and Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back. Filmmaker Sam Mendes is presently at work on a four film Beatles project in which each band member will get their own movie. That quartet of films is expected to be released in 2028.
Across the Universe is a 2007 musical that used the songs of the Beatles to tell its story of youth navigating the social upheaval of the late 1960s. The story is a generic ’60s drama but Across the Universe matches the maturation of the Beatles’ songwriting with the development of the characters as they grow from teenagers to adults. The musical numbers are interesting and director Julie Taymor brought her characteristic visual flair to the project.
When the Beatles became a phenomenon in the mid-1960s the music industry produced a lot of imitators. The 1996 film That Thing You Do! is a musical drama set in 1964 in which the fictional band “The Wonders” rides the British Invasion fad with a hit single. That Thing You Do! didn’t score much business in its theatrical release but the title song was used to promote the film and it had some success on Top 40 stations.
Head
Probably the most famous real life musical group to chase The Beatles’ lead was The Monkees. They are the preeminent “manufactured band” but the music was fun and The Monkees had a sense of humor about themselves. A lot of bands make movies at the height of their career but The Monkees ended their tenure with 1968’s Head. Instead of a safe, teenager-friendly romp, Head is a bizarre psychedelic film. Although it is officially rated G, Head includes the infamous Vietnam War clip of a Vietcong officer being executed in the street. The random nature of the movie is indicative of what was going on behind the scenes.
Michael Jackson
There have been several dramas about the life of Michael Jackson and his family . The 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream dramatizes Michael’s upbringing and rise to superstardom. The 2026 film Michael covers much of the same material, so much so that it could be considered a remake. The Jacksons was made in the early 1990s before allegations of child abuse were as widely understood as they are now. Michael sidesteps the allegations altogether while emphasizing Jackson’s charity toward children, going to great effort to portray him as a benign and saintly figure.
The latter part of Jackson’s life was dramatized in 2004’s Michael Jackson: The Man in the Mirror and 2017’s Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland. These films dealt with the child abuse allegations and their impact on Jackson’s life and career. The documentary Leaving Neverland explored the child abuse allegations in depth. A follow-up documentary, Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, was released in 2025.
Viewers wanting a look at Jackson’s creative and musical talents should seek out a couple of documentaries. Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller documents how Jackson’s song “Thriller” was adapted into a short film. It was released on home video in 1983 and today the documentary is widely available online. Shortly after Jackson’s death, the documentary This is It was released to theaters in 2009. This is It presents behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson rehearsing for what would have been his farewell tour. It’s an effective document of Jackson’s creative process and the way he prepared for live performances.
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers was the first feature film to be spun off of a Saturday Night Live skit. The titular characters were played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd and the movie featured cameos by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Cab Calloway among others. According to a retrospective in Vanity Fair, the owner of Mann Theaters (one of the biggest chains in the nation at that time) refused to book The Blues Brothers in suburban show houses because he insisted that white audiences would not want to see a movie with black musicians. The Blues Brothers played in about 600 theaters, considerably fewer than a typical wide release at that time. Despite the resistance, The Blues Brothers was a hit and became one of the most popular movie musicals.
Irish Musicians
There are a number of musical films about Irish musicians. Once is a 2007 love story starring Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as star crossed lovers who form a band and get their musical careers off the ground. The movie has an outstanding soundtrack of original songs, including “Falling Slowly” and Once has been adapted into a stage musical. 2024’s Kneecap was a semiautobiographical film about an Irish hip-hop trio who make music in their native language. Kneecap is vulgar and political and extremely funny. Sing Street is a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Dublin about a teenage boy who creates a band to impress a girl. A lot of these movies dramatize art coming out of economic destitution and the link between Black American music and Irish culture. This is probably best seen in The Commitments, a classic “getting the band together” movie in which a ragtag group of Irish youths form a soul band and play at pubs and local venues.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World stars Michael Cera in the title role as a mousy guitarist who has to defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes. The film mixes elements of superhero films, anime, and video games. Filmmaker Edgar Wright is known for his soundtracks and this one of the best examples of Wright’s use of music. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a box office disappointment in 2010 but it has acquired a cult audience.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
In the 2010s a lot of music documentaries were released theatrically such as Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Katy Perry: Part of Me. The 2016 mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was a parody of behind-the-scenes music documentaries. Popstar profiles Conner4Real, an empty-headed pop rap performer as he launches his new album and sets out on tour. The film stars Andy Samberg and features original music by The Lonely Island. It’s very funny and comparable to This is Spinal Tap.
Mile End Kicks
Written and directed by Chandler Levack (and allegedly based on her life experiences), Mile End Kicks is a coming-of-age story in which a young woman lives among musicians and writers in Montreal and attempts to create her own work. She gets involved with the dirtbag lead singer of an indie rock band which predictably goes badly. Mile End Kicks looks back at young adulthood with a wry sense of humor but it isn’t nostalgic. The filmmakers do not dress up the reality of Grace’s situation nor do they idealize the lives of starving artists. The film’s unflattering honesty is impressive.
Mother Mary
Directed by David Lowery, Mother Mary is about a popstar who reunites with her estranged friend and clothing designer. Mother Mary is beautifully made and has impressive performances by Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. Unfortunately, the filmmaker’s attempt to tackle big ideas goes off the rails. Mother Mary‘s self importance is unsubstantiated and unearned and just makes the film very silly. The last third of Mother Mary is unintentionally funny.