Any music fan knows that it’s almost impossible to replicate the feeling of attending a music festival. The sheer joy of seeing bands perform on a massive stage is hard to beat, but when a music festival is too far away or too pricy, we have great music movies to fill the void. The best music movies remind us the joy that music brings us, and also the way that the music industry can swallow up many of the stars it creates.
Of course, it also helps if these movies have really good music to back them up. Ultimately, though, these music movies serve as inspiration for every inspiring musician. Whether they’re actually true stories or they just feel like true stories, every great music movie should leave you moved and excited about the possibilities of music.
Here are the best music movies to stream now.
Almost Famous (2000)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
Singles (1992)
Purple Rain (1984)
The Sound of Music (1965)
High Fidelity (2000)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
A Star Is Born (2018)
Love & Mercy (2015)
Whiplash (2014)
This excellent 2014 film spotlights a percussionist, one of the least-featured musician types in all of cinema. The movie’s focus is on the brutality that often feels necessary for greatness, and it instantly put Damien Chazelle on the map. J.K. Simmons is at his best, playing a merciless, drill-sergeant-like instructor at a music academy. It’s intense, immensely dramatic, and filmed beautifully.
Coco (2017)
Bird (1988)
Rocketman (2019)
The Doors (1991)
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Editors' Recommendations
- 22 of the best home furniture brands to check out now – Restoration Hardware, Thuma, and more
- From the Sun Also Rises to Death in the Afternoon: The best Ernest Hemingway books you need to read right now
- The 11 best Bradley Cooper movies of all time
- Every James Bond actor, ranked from worst to best
- The best Ryan Gosling movies of all time