20 must-see movies about fictional musicians

You may be thinking, “Prince is a real musician!” He sure is, but in “Purple Rain” he isn’t playing himself. Granted, he plays a thinly-veiled version of himself and the soundtrack is filled with songs that are an acclaimed part of his discography. Nevertheless, The Kid is not Prince. Prince had no idea what it sounds like when doves cry.

“This Is Spinal Tap” did not invent the mockumentary, but it popularized it. The film about a fake band helped codify both the fictional biopic and the heavily improvised style of Christopher Guest movies. Now, Rob Reiner directed “This Is Spinal Tap,” but it is a Guest-style comedy through and through. They have now even, in a way, figured out how to poke fun at the legacy sequel with a 2025 follow-up film.

This one is also a bit nebulous, as John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd would perform as The Blues Brothers, and they did release music in character. Of course, the key words there are “in character.” Jake and Elwood Blues were very much not real people. And while many famous, real musicians are in “The Blues Brothers,” the anarchic musical-comedy is a work of fiction. Fortunately, Henry Gibson was not, in fact, an Illinois Nazi.

Tom Hanks opted to direct “That Thing You Do!” and it was a tricky premise to make work in a specific way. The film was to be about a band that became one-hit wonders. Thus, a song had to be crafted that felt like it could have legitimate been a hit, and been a hit in the 1960s at that. Fortunately, the late Adam Schlesinger was on the case, and the titular song proved to be legitimately catchy and plausibly a hit in the 1960s. Oh, and then there is a story and stuff, but mostly we dig the film for the music.

“Josie and the Þussycats” rules. Full stop, no irony in that statement. It’s a wonderful, delightful comedy that is about the most Y2K-era movie in existence. That’s not a bad thing, though. Based (loosely) on the Archie Comics character, we still believe Hollywood dropped the ball for not seeing this movie and then deciding Rachael Leigh Cook would star in romantic comedies for the next decade. Fools!

If you are going to make a musical about a fictional Motown girl group, it behooves you to cast some real singers. “Dreamgirls” very much did that. While Beyonce is the most famous of the trio, at the time the star of the show was Jennifer Hudson. Though she didn’t win on “American Idol,” she got the showpiece song of the stage show, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” Hudson won an Oscar for her first movie. Eddie Murphy didn’t win an Oscar. Maybe because he made “Norbit.” That’s up for debate.

“Dreamgirls” was a crowd-pleasing Oscar play, but “Ladies and Gentleman, The Fabulous Stains” is a cult favorite that was always destined for that designation. Also, it was directed by Lou Adler, the guy who used to always be seated next to Jack Nicholson at Lakers games. The film is about three teenage girls who start a punk band, and the casting of Diane Lane and Laura Dern proved prescient.

If you want an interesting comparison point to the actual biopic “A Complete Unknown,” watch the Coen Brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis.” The film focuses on a folk musician in the same New York scene as Bob Dylan. What is different, though, is that Davis is too prickly and self-destructive to have the same trajectory. In a world full of “The power of music!” movies, it’s the rare “The powerlessness of music!” movie.

“Once” is such a small film, but it rode one thing to notoriety. The film focuses on two unnamed musicians, but they join forces to make music, including the song “Falling Slowly.” That song became a hit, and won an Oscar, and that ensured “Once” would have a cultural legacy.

“Once” is gentle and tender. “Whiplash” is the polar opposite of that. It also won an Oscar, though, this one for J.K. Simmons and Best Supporting Actor. The film, about the toxic, abusive relationship between a drummer and his jazz instructor, became the calling card for director Damien Chazelle. That paved the way for “La La Land,” a movie partially about a fictional musician that did not make the cut.

After “Hot Rod” failed at the box office, but became a cult hit, the Lonely Island crew were going to have to turn to their musical acumen to get a chance to make another film. It helped that Andy Samberg had become a credible actor in the interim as well. The mockumentary about, well, a popstar, is fully a Lonely Island product. It’s slightly better than “Hot Rod,” but without the cult appeal. Also, it was a flop as well, ending the hope of any more Lonely Island movies.

You may think of it as the movie where Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon pretend to be women to avoid the mob, but don’t forget that their characters are,jbD musicians. They are musicians in their actual identities, but also musicians as the disguised versions of themselves. While it would be easy to imagine “Some Like It Hot” feeling dated, it’s actually still quite a funny movie with a few excellent performances.

We don’t have the same love for “Scott Pilgrim” those who turned it into a cult classic have, but it is a good movie. Edgar Wright’s hyperstylized movie is about a doofy young man (played by Michael Cera) battling his new gal’s “evil exes.” There’s much video game imagery to be found, as well as a ton of comic book-y stuff. However, Scott is a member of a band, and musicians play a major role in the movie.

Earlier versions of “A Star is Born” are about actors, but Bradley Cooper’s version is about musicians. There was much skepticism about Cooper directing himself and Lady Gaga in the latest take on the story. Then, it became both a huge hit and a critically-acclaimed movie. “A Star is Born” even birthed a couple hit songs and many an Oscar nomination.

This is a decidedly smaller movie than “A Star is Born,” but it’s excellent. “Her Smell” is far from cheerful, though. The film focuses on a Hole-esque band spiraling, a spiral spearheaded by the frontwoman played by Elisabeth Moss. “Her Smell” is claustrophobic and chaotic, but in a way that makes it compelling even if it is a “cinematic anxiety attack” kind of movie.

Sure, it’s all about the song. It’s all about “I Will Always Love You.” Isn’t that enough? “The Bodyguard” remains the highest-grossing soundtrack album of all-time. People wanted to hear Whitney Houston belt out “I Will Always Love You.” The film, about Kevin Costner as a musician’s, you know, bodyguard, is not reinventing the wheel. However, then you get the song. That’s all you really need.

All of the “Beach Party” movies, a largely-delightful collection of breezy, silly comedies, involve music. They don’t all involve musicians, though. “Beach Blanket Bingo” does. A musician named Sugar Kane becomes involved with the usual beach gang. Also, a character named Bonehead falls in love with an actual mermaid. That’s the kind of movies these are.

Todd Haynes made the acclaimed Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There,” but he also made a fictional work set in the world of ‘70s glam rock. Brian Slade is clearly patterned off a few British glam rockers of the era, most prominently David Bowie, and it is rich in details of the era. It’s also pretty horny, but not in an always pleasant way. That’s also a Todd Haynes staple.

Hey, wedding bands are musicians, and so are wedding singers. Plus, Robbie Hart ends up writing a song for Julia to keep her from being Julia Gulia! Though the movie came out in 1998, it’s notable for being an Adam Sandler comedy that wasn’t an Adam Sandler Comedy. As such, it’s one of the better movies to star Sandler, a charming period-piece romcom. Not only was it a hit, but later that year “The Waterboy” came out. It’s completely insane and was also a hit. At that point, Sandler could do whatever he wanted for the next decade.

We end with one of the best parody movies, and definitely the best parody movie of the musician biopic. “Walk Hard” focuses on the fictional Dewey Cox, played by John C. Reilly. Cox’s life story hits every trope, and he goes from genre to genre. It’s an absurd movie, but it’s also a hilarious movie. The parody is letter-perfect, and the songs are both funny and genuinely good. If you’re tired of formulaic musician biopics, definitely give “Walk Hard” a watch.