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.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

511. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Comedy Music Parody Music Biopic
6.9

20071h 36min

United States

Director: Jake Kasdan

Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage.

Themes

Wedding complications, Fame and addiction, Creative reinvention under pressure, Extramarital affair tensions, Family cost of fame, Influence seeking

Available on

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

August Rush

512. August Rush

Family Drama Music Family Drama Narrative Musical
7.4

20071h 54min

United States, United Kingdom

Director: Kirsten Sheridan

Lyla and Louis, a singer and a musician, fall in love, but are soon compelled to separate. Lyla is forced to give up her newborn but unknown to her, he grows up to become a musical genius.

Themes

Adoption and reunion, Mentorship and exploitation, Motherly love, Pursuit of family, Music as destiny, Deception and lies

Available on

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

You, the Living

513. You, the Living

Drama Comedy Music Satire Narrative Musical
7.4

20071h 29min

Denmark, France

Director: Roy Andersson

In the Swedish city of Lethe, people from different walks of life take part in a series of short, deadpan vignettes that rush past. Some are just seconds long, none longer than a couple of minutes. A young woman remembers a fantasy honeymoon with a rock guitarist. A man awakes from a dream about bomber planes. A businessman boasts about success while being robbed by a pickpocket, and so on. The absurdist collection is accompanied by Dixieland jazz and similar music.

Themes

Absurdity through vignettes, Humor through deadpan, Existence through dreams, Fragile happiness, Desire through misdirection, Alienation in routine

Available on

Amazon Video
Filmin
Curzon Home Cinema
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

High School Musical 2

514. High School Musical 2

Comedy Drama Family Music Romance
5.3

20071h 51min

United States

Director: Kenny Ortega

The East High Wildcats are gearing up for big fun as they land the coolest summer jobs imaginable. Troy, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor have scored sweet gigs at the Lava Springs Country Club owned by Sharpay and Ryan's family. Sharpay's first rule of business: Get Troy. As Troy experiences a life of privilege he's never known, will he give up the Wildcats and Gabriella to rise to the top?

Themes

Class inequality, Social climbing, Authority vs independence, Privilege vs loyalty, Manipulation and scheming, Competition and teamwork

Available on

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

Stomp the Yard

515. Stomp the Yard

Drama Music Coming-of-Age Drama Dance-Centered Music Film
5.4

20071h 54min

United States

Director: Sylvain White

After the death of his younger brother, a troubled 19-year-old street dancer from Los Angeles is able to bypass juvenile hall by enrolling in the historically black, Truth University in Atlanta, Georgia. But his efforts to get an education and woo the girl he likes are sidelined when he is courted by the top two campus fraternities, both of which want and need his fierce street-style dance moves to win the highly coveted national step show competition.

Themes

"movie: stomp the yard. genres: drama, Music, Drama, Music main themes: daughter, Loss of loved one, Love at first sight, Daughter, Loss of loved one, Love at first sight full keywords list: daughter, Loss of loved one, Love at first sight, Breakdance. concept analysis: the film explores themes of resilience and personal growth in the face of tragedy, Highlighting the importance of community and belonging. it also examines the cultural significance of african-american fraternities and the transformative power of dance as a means of expression and connection."

Available on

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

Once

516. Once

Drama Music Romance Narrative Musical Passionate Romance
7.8

20071h 25min

Ireland, United States

Director: John Carney

A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.

Themes

Romantic collaboration under pressure, Busker life and aspiration, Lovesickness and artistic longing, Creative collaboration dynamics, Bank loan as turning point, Identity through music

Available on

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

La Vie en Rose

517. La Vie en Rose

Music Drama Music Biopic Historical Drama
7.5

20072h 20min

Czechia, France

Director: Olivier Dahan

From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Edith Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th century.

Themes

Poverty shaping ambition, Addiction and rehabilitation, Gendered vulnerability constraints, Memory as endurance, Fame under public gaze, Romance amid fame

Available on

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

Dreamgirls

518. Dreamgirls

Drama Music Entertainment Industry Drama Narrative Musical
6.6

20062h 10min

United States

Director: Bill Condon

A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.

Themes

Class inequality, Labor and exploitation, Market-driven image, Artistic merit vs commercial appeal, Fame costs and resilience, Payola and manipulation

Available on

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

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

519. Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

Comedy Music Fantasy Adventure Parody
6.8

20061h 33min

United States, Germany

Director: Liam Lynch

In Venice Beach, naive Midwesterner JB bonds with local slacker KG and they form the rock band Tenacious D. Setting out to become the world's greatest band is no easy feat, so they set out to steal what could be the answer to their prayers... a magical guitar pick housed in a rock-and-roll museum some 300 miles away.

Themes

Ambition and loyalty, Temptation vs mission, Creative collaboration, Economic insecurity, Pursuit of fame, Band dynamics under pressure

Available on

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

Step Up

520. Step Up

Music Drama Romance Crime Dance-Centered Music Film
6.5

20061h 44min

United States

Director: Anne Fletcher

Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.

Themes

Class inequality, Betrayal and loyalty, Risk and consequence, Romance under pressure, Belonging through teamwork, Ambition through art

Available on

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