The Best Music Movies

Updated January 22, 2021 8.9k votes 794 voters 16.6k views142 items

List RulesMovies that revolve around music, including biopics, but not music documentaries or concert films

A list of all the best music movies ever made, ranked by movie fans. This music movie list can be sorted by cast, year, director and more, but is currently ordered by popularity. Rank the best items on the list to see them get to the top. This list of music films also contains music movie titles that can be clicked on for more information about the film. Re-rank this page as your own by re-ordering the items, then you can share it on Tumblr,Twitter or Facebook. These are the top films about music in that each and every one on this list either focuses or deals with the concept of music, most often as a central theme. Don't like 'Parkway Drive: The DVD' or 'Xanadu'? Give them a thumbs down. If there are any movies about music you believe we missed, please feel free to add them to the list yourself. The films on this list cover the most famous music movies of all time.What makes for a truly great musical movie? Clearly it's the fact that great music is the central theme. Ever single one of the items listed here could easily be included on any list of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Among them: 'The Blues Brothers,' 'This is Spinal Tap,' 'Almost Famous' and 'High Fidelity.' Films are listed below along with release information. Director information on these music movies is included when available. Films about music include photos if you click on the name of the film and movie trailers are also included, when available. Enjoy checking out these films, many of which are some of the best movies of all time.Whether you're watching these music movies on DVD, Blu-ray or on Netflix instant streaming, this is a list of good music movies for a wide variety of occasions. So from the latest to simply the greatest music movies, here is the full music movies list, ordered from best to worst.

...more

1
149
90
The Blues Brothers
Carrie Fisher, Aretha Franklin
Released: 1980
Directed by: John Landis
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring... more
More The Blues Brothers
#53 of 297 The Best Duos of All Time#24 of 101 The Best Bromance Movies
2
177
70
The Sound of Music
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Released: 1965
Directed by: Robert Wise
The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise... more
More The Sound of Music
12 Facts We Learned About 'The Sound of Music' That Just Became A Few Of Our Favorite Things#155 of 277 The Top Tearjerker Movies That Make Men Cry
3
141
68
The Wizard of Oz
Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton
Released: 1939
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, King Vidor, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and... more
More The Wizard of Oz
The Original 'Wizard of Oz' Books Are Shockingly Violent Compared To The Judy Garland Classic#5 of 369 The Best Movies Based On Books
4
141
103
School of Rock
Sarah Silverman, Jack Black
Released: 2003
Directed by: Richard Linklater
School of Rock is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike... more
More School of Rock
What Happened To All The Kids From School Of Rock#136 of 675 The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
5
125
80
Walk the Line
Reese Witherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix
Released: 2005
Directed by: James Mangold
Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based... more
More Walk the Line
#6 of 275 The Best Movies Based On True Stories#377 of 549 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made
6
107
80
Amadeus
Jeffrey Jones, Cynthia Nixon
Released: 1984
Directed by: Miloš Forman
Amadeus is a 1984 American period biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman and adapted... more
More Amadeus
#2 of 133 The Best Movies Based on Plays#37 of 54 The Best Movies Where the Bad Guy Wins
7
102
77
This Is Spinal Tap
Billy Crystal, Fran Drescher
Released: 1984
Directed by: Rob Reiner
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock music mockumentary written, scored by, and... more
More This Is Spinal Tap
Behind The Scenes Of 'This Is Spinal Tap,' The Fake Documentary That Was Actually All Too Real#55 of 151 The Most Rewatchable Comedy Movies
8
104
81
Almost Famous
Zooey Deschanel, Kate Hudson
Released: 2000
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and starring... more
More Almost Famous
#494 of 1,540 The Most Rewatchable Movies#102 of 246 The Best Rainy Day Movies
9
76
39
Saturday Night Fever
John Travolta, Fran Drescher
Released: 1977
Directed by: John Badham
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 American drama film directed by John Badham. It stars John... more
More Saturday Night Fever
#47 of 63 Movies Set in Brooklyn#46 of 553 The Best '70s Movies
10
76
68
Hairspray
John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer
Released: 2007
Directed by: Adam Shankman
Hairspray is a 2007 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 2002 Broadway musical... more
More Hairspray
Every Song in Hairspray, Ranked by Singability#65 of 105 The Greatest Movie Remakes of All Time
11
60
35
Pink Floyd – The Wall
Bob Hoskins, Bob Geldof
Released: 1982
Directed by: Alan Parker
Pink Floyd - The Wall is a fulldome production about Pink Floyd’s album The Wall. It was... more
More Pink Floyd – The Wall
Behind The Scenes Details From Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ Movie#532 of 3,110 The Greatest Albums of All-Time
12
78
73
Xanadu
Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly
Released: 1980
Directed by: Robert Greenwald
Xanadu is a 1980 American romantic musical fantasy film written by Richard Christian Danus and... more
More Xanadu
#255 of 522 The Greatest Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked#139 of 192 The Best Movies About Music
13
91
54
West Side Story
Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno
Released: 1961
Directed by: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
West Side Story is a 1961 American romantic musical drama film directed by Robert Wise and... more
More West Side Story
The Behind-The-Scenes Of 'West Side Story' Was Plagued With More Hatred Than The Movie Itself#80 of 196 The Biggest Tearjerker Movies of All Time

14
80
74
Ray
Kerry Washington, Jamie Foxx
Released: 2004
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Ray is a biographical film focusing on 30 years in the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray... more
More Ray
#304 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#21 of 661 The Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked
15
75
80
Moulin Rouge!
Nicole Kidman, Ozzy Osbourne
Released: 2001
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 Australian–American pastiche-jukebox musical film directed, produced,... more
More Moulin Rouge!
#96 of 115 The Best Movies to Watch on Mushrooms#21 of 78 The Best Period Romance Movies
16
71
67
Annie
Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters
Released: 1982
Directed by: John Huston
Annie is a 1982 American musical comedy-drama film adapted from Broadway musical of the same... more
More Annie
#118 of 305 The Funniest '80s Movies#158 of 261 The Best Ensemble Movies
17
33
13
Singin' in the Rain
Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly
Released: 1952
Directed by: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley... more
More Singin' in the Rain
Every Song in Singin' in the Rain, Ranked by Singability#189 of 922 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
18
31
18
The Doors
Meg Ryan, Val Kilmer
Released: 1991
Directed by: Oliver Stone
The Doors is a 1991 American biopic about the 1960-70s rock band of the same name which... more
More The Doors
#21 of 204 The Best Drug Movies of All Time#9 of 38 The Best Movies Ever to Come Out in March
19
76
73
That Thing You Do!
Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks
Released: 1996
Directed by: Tom Hanks
That Thing You Do! is a 1996 American musical comedy drama film written, directed by, and... more
More That Thing You Do!
#100 of 252 The Funniest '90s Movies#66 of 126 The Greatest Directorial Debuts Of All Time
20
19
2
Grease
Adrian Zmed, Maxwell Caulfield
Directed by: Patricia Birch, Randal Kleiser
21
39
27
Footloose
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Bacon
Released: 1984
Directed by: Herbert Ross
Footloose is a 1984 American musical-drama directed by Herbert Ross. It tells the story of Ren... more
More Footloose
#74 of 126 The Greatest Date Movies Of All Time#31 of 200 The Best Teen Romance Movies
22
86
86
The Wedding Singer
Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler
Released: 1998
Directed by: Frank Coraci
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 romantic comedy film written by Tim Herlihy and directed by Frank... more
More The Wedding Singer
#15 of 126 The Funniest Movies Starring SNL Cast Members#25 of 60 The Best Movies to Curl Up And Watch When You're Sick
23
19
17
My Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison
Released: 1964
Directed by: George Cukor
My Fair Lady is a 1964 American musical film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe stage musical... more
More My Fair Lady
Every Song in My Fair Lady, Ranked by Singability#12 of 46 Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes

24
13
8
The Lion King
Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons
Released: 1994
Directed by: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical epic film produced by Walt Disney Feature... more
More The Lion King
'The Lion King' Fan Theories That Just Might Be True#9 of 50 The 50 Highest Grossing '90s Movies, Ranked
25
14
9
Mamma Mia!
Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep
Released: 2008
Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Mamma Mia! is a 2008 British/American/Swedish musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the... more
More Mamma Mia!
#53 of 782 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made#189 of 356 The Best Musical Movies Of All Time