Music backdrop

Music movies

Stories where rhythm and melody take center stage, including biographies of legends and dance-filled spectacles.

Subgenres include: Narrative Musical, Jukebox Musical, Concert Film.

Monster High: Boo York, Boo York

431. Monster High: Boo York, Boo York

Animation Family Music
6.7

20151h 12min

Director: William Lau

It's fright lights, big city when the Monster High ghouls head to Boo York! Cleo de Nile is invited to attend a gancy gala celebrating the return of the magical comet and, of course, she brings along her beast friends. But their trip isn't all fun and frightseeing because Nefera, Cleo's sister, uses the comet's power for her own spooktacularly sneaky plans. Can the monsters unwrap the mystery of the comet in time to stop Nefera? Find out in Booy York, Boo York, the first-ever Monster High musical, featuring eight original songs.


The Anthem of the Heart

432. The Anthem of the Heart

Animation Drama Music Romance Anime
7.3

20151h 59min

Japan

Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai

A young girl had her voice magically taken away so that she would never hurt people with it, but her outlook changes when she encounters music and friendship. Will Naruse be able to convey the anthem of her heart?

Themes

Voice as expression, Music as communication, Fear of speaking, High school social pressure, Friendship and collaboration, Romantic misunderstanding

Available on

Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Marguerite

433. Marguerite

Comedy Drama Music Entertainment Industry Drama Narrative Musical
6.9

20152h 7min

Belgium, France

Director: Xavier Giannoli

Paris in the 1920s. Marguerite Dumont is a wealthy woman with a passion for music and the opera. For years, she has performed regularly for a circle of guests. But Marguerite sings tragically out of tune and no one has ever told her. Her husband and her close friends have always encouraged her in her illusions. Things become very complicated the day she gets it into her head to perform in front of a genuine public, at the Opera.

Themes

Artistic pretension and hypocrisy, Bourgeois expectations and performance, Deception and social image, Gendered artistry and expectations, Surrealism in performance, Teacher-student dynamic in singing

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Born to Be Blue

434. Born to Be Blue

Drama Music Entertainment Industry Drama Music Biopic
6.8

20151h 37min

Canada, United Kingdom

Director: Robert Budreau

Jazz legend Chet Baker finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.

Themes

Public image vs reality, Romance as disruption, Addiction and comeback, Institutional pressure and control, Self-discipline and practice, Technique erosion

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

We Are Your Friends

435. We Are Your Friends

Drama Music Romance Comedy Entertainment Industry Drama
6.2

20151h 36min

United Kingdom, France

Director: Max Joseph

Young Cole Carter dreams of hitting the big time as a Hollywood disc jockey, spending his days and nights hanging with buddies and working on the one track that will set the world on fire. Opportunity comes knocking when he meets James Reed, a charismatic DJ who takes the 23-year-old under his wing. Soon, his seemingly clear path to success gets complicated when he starts falling for his mentor's girlfriend, jeopardizing his new friendship and the future he seems destined to fulfill.

Themes

Loyalty and betrayal, Ambition under mentorship, Risk of party culture, Work-life balance in art, Friendship fractures under pressure, Fame pursuit vs romance

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Straight Outta Compton

436. Straight Outta Compton

Drama Music History Historical Drama Music Biopic
7.8

20152h 27min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: F. Gary Gray

In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

Themes

Freedom of speech, Police harassment, Racial tensions, Power struggles in music industry, Artistic expression under threat, Fame and group dynamics

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Descendants

437. Descendants

Family Adventure Fantasy TV Movie Music
6.3

20151h 52min

United States

Director: Kenny Ortega

A present-day idyllic kingdom where the benevolent teenage son of King Adam and Queen Belle offers a chance of redemption for the troublemaking offspring of Disney's classic villains: Cruella De Vil (Carlos), Maleficent (Mal), the Evil Queen (Evie) and Jafar (Jay).

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Belonging and identity, Coming of age, Appearance versus self-worth, Peer pressure and popularity, Family legacy vs independence

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Ricki and the Flash

438. Ricki and the Flash

Comedy Drama Music Family Drama Narrative Musical
6.0

20151h 40min

United States

Director: Jonathan Demme

Meryl Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family.

Themes

Absent parenting consequences, Fame vs family duty, Romantic betrayal, Financial precarity, Family hostility and acceptance, Generational tensions

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Amy

439. Amy

Documentary Music Biographical Documentary Backstage & Showbiz Music
7.8

20152h 8min

United Kingdom

Director: Asif Kapadia

A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs.

Themes

Addiction and rehabilitation, Fame exposure and decline, Media attention and judgment, Troubled relationships and instability, Creative pressure and risk, Archival imagery and memory

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Love Live! The School Idol Movie

440. Love Live! The School Idol Movie

Animation Music Comedy
7.0

20151h 39min

Director: Takahiko Kyougoku

Although μ's, the defending champions of the school idol tournament, plans to dissolve their group after the graduation of their senior members, they receive news that leads them to holding a concert event! The 9 girls continue to learn and grow in this new and unfamiliar world. What is the last thing that these girls can do as school idols? With the clock ticking, what kind of meaning will the μ's members find in performing the most exciting live performance?