This is a short (?) list of films where music plays a role as a character, scene or plot device. We are excluding:
- documentaries about music. Semi-fictional biopics may count.
- musicals that do not feature music in the plot but simply include musical numbers. For instance, Music Man counts. Hello, Dolly does not.
Filmography
8 Mile. Universal, 2002. Dir. Curtis Hanson. Perf. Eminem, Kim Basinger. Hiphop.
Almost Famous. Dreamworks, 2000. Dir. Cameron Crowe. Perf. Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson. Rock.
La Bamba. Dir. Louis Valdez. Perf. Lou Diamond Phillips. Columbia, 1987. Biopic about Ritchie Valens. Rock.
Blaze. Dir. Ethan Hawke. Ansgar Media, 2018. Biopic based on the life of Blaze Foley. Outlaw Country.
The Blues Brothers. Dir. John Landis. Perf. John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd. Universal, 1980. Awards: Golden Reel, National Film Preservation Board. Blues. Many appearances by famous blues artists.
Bound for Glory. Dir. Hal Ashby. Writers, Robert Getchell and Woody Guthrie. Perf. David Carradine. United Artists, 1976. Biopic about Woody Guthrie.
A Complete Unknown. Dir. James Mangold. Perf. Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning. Searchlight, 2024. 8 Oscar nominations and many other awards. Biopic about Bob Dylan.
Crossroads. Dir. Walter Hill. Perf. Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca. Columbia, 1986.
Dreamgirls. Dir. Bill Condon. Perf. Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Golver, Jennifer Hudson. Dreamworks, 2006.
Elvis. Official Web Site. IMDB. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Austin Butler, Tom Hanks. Warner Bros., 2022. 8 Oscar nominations.
Hustle and Flow.
K-Pop Demon Hunters
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Maestro
Music Man
Nashville
Ray
Songcatcher
A Star is Born (remake with Jeff Bridges and Lady Gaga)
Straight Outta Compton. Dir. F. Gary Gray. Universal, 2015.
Streets of Fire
That Thing You Do