10 great music movies I saw this year

Some of my favorite feature-length flicks about bands, songwriting, and more...

Going through my logbooks this week, I realized just how many wonderful movies about music I saw this year. I wanted to share some of them with y’all, because even if you’re not that into music, they have lessons for all kinds of creative people.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 of my favorites:

The Sparks Brothers (2021)

Director Edgar Wright’s fan tribute to the cult band is funny and fast and does what it sets out to do: turn people on to Sparks. Some old fans may grumble that it’s fluff compared to The Velvet Underground or Get Back, but I’d argue that Wright’s project is, in some ways, more ambitious: he’s trying to do justice to five decades and 25 albums worth of a mercurial band’s output. [Blu-ray and streaming on Netflix.]

Summer of Soul (2021)

Questlove unearths old footage of the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. I’m a bit of a soul nerd, so I was familiar with, and obviously floored by, a lot of the musical acts, but what I really loved were the bits in the audience, the fashion and style (the hats alone!) the feelings about the moon landing (there’s a great Redd Foxx cameo), etc. [Streaming on Hulu]

Depeche Mode 101 (1989)

A film by wife and husband team, Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, with collaborator David Dawkins, shot during Depeche Mode’s massive world tour for Music for the Masses, and culminating in a show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Many cite this movie as a proto-Real World, as half of it follows DM fans on a tour bus on their way to the show. The band is in amazing form. I had always loved their album, Violator, but this movie made me a hardcore Depeche Mode fan. [Just re-released on Blu-Ray and in a deluxe box set.]

Listening to Kenny G (2021)

Penny Lane (who also directed the excellent documentary Hail Satan?) sets out to investigate musical taste and why people love and hate Kenny G. It’s funny and deep and would pair beautifully with one of its influences, Carl Wilson’s book about Celine Dion, Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey To The End of Taste. [Streaming on HBO Max]

The Velvet Underground (2021)

Todd Haynes makes an arty movie about the Velvet Underground and gets Apple to pay for it. I loved the parts with Jonathan Richman, and almost wished he had been the film’s narrator. [Streaming on Apple TV+]

Sing Street (2016)

One night I asked Twitter for a feel-good movie, and somebody recommended this musical coming-of-age movie by director John Carney. Nailed it! So fun. [Blu-ray and streaming on Hoopla]

Six By Sondheim (2013)

I’ve never been a huge fan of musical theater, but still, I’m embarrassed how little I knew about the composer Stephen Sondheim when he died. This documentary not only made me a fan, it has so many great lessons for writers of all kinds. [Streaming on HBO Max.]

The Beatles: Get Back (2021)

Director Peter Jackson goes through 50+ hours of audio and film and cuts together 8 hours of the Beatles making Let It Be. The ultimate “I feel seen” documentary for musicians, it shows the boredom and bliss and mini triumphs and heartbreaks of making music with your friends. [Streaming on Disney+]

Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)

A comedian sits in a room by himself during a pandemic and makes a musical comedy special with hilarious songs. Highlight for me: “White Woman’s Instagram.” [Streaming on Netflix]

Sound of Metal (2019)

I’m a few years behind on this one. Great performances, but to me, the movie is most worth watching for its Oscar-winning sound design and its visceral depiction of the dark side of playing music: hearing loss. [Streaming on Amazon Prime.]

Bonus: The Story of “Thong Song” by Sisqó (2021)

This 19-minute Vice documentary about the ubiquitous 1999 hit is pure dumb fun. Turn your brain off and enjoy. [Streaming in full on YouTube]

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Tell me what I missed! (I admired Tina, but didn’t love it, and I’ve been waiting for Sisters With Transistors to become available to stream/purchase.) Let me know what you loved in comments: