Surely, we all have all-time favorite bands and musicians we would give anything to share the same air with at a concert. But, what about our most beloved fake music acts from films over the years? Some of the best music movies of all time feature fictional bands and singers that we can only imagine standing in line for.
So, let’s talk about the musicians we’ve seen play center stage in some incredible movies. We’ve seen everything from ‘70s era rockstars and catchy garage punk bands to a comical boy band. Here are the best movies on the subject and how to watch them at home:
Almost Famous (2000)
Almost Famous’ storyline of a teenager getting to tour with a rock band may seem impossible, but the Cameron Crowe movie was actually inspired by the filmmaker’s own experiences as a journalist for Rolling Stone. The movie’s fictional band, Stillwater, is a ‘70s era music act inspired by Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers Band and The Eagles. Crowe actually toured with the Allman Brothers Band for ten days back in the day, per Yahoo! No wonder Crowe’s 2000 classic is one of the best! Plus, tons of great songs are featured throughout the movie.
Stream Almost Famous for free on PlutoTV.
Stream Almost Famous on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Almost Famous on Amazon.
The Blues Brothers (1980)
In January 1976, original Saturday Night Live cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi took to the TV show’s stage to debut the Blues Brothers. Four years later, the pair of comedians played their characters of "Joliet" Jake Blues and Elwood for a comedy action film that became a big hit commercially. While we’ve filed the band under “fake bands” because the actors are playing characters, the Blues Brothers actually made three live albums and toured in 1988 and 1998.
Stream/Rent/Buy The Blues Brothers on Amazon.
Sound Of Metal (2019)
Riz Ahmed gave an incredible performance in 2019’s Sound of Metal that earned him an Oscar nomination. The drama is about the drummer of a fictional metal duo called Blackgammon, Ruben, who learns he has lost most of his hearing. His doctor recommends he cease playing in his band, which he shares with his girlfriend, Lou. Despite his own protests, Ruben goes on a powerful journey where he wrestles with sobriety, learning sign language and living with silence.
Stream Sound Of Metal on Amazon Prime.
School Of Rock (2003)
Who can forget the lyrics “If you wanna be the teacher’s pet, well, baby you just better forget it”? Richard Linklater’s School Of Rock told a hilarious fictional story that remains very popular over two decades later. It's about guitarist Dewey Finn, who is down on his luck and without a band. In his desperation, he decides to impersonate his roommate and pretend to be a substitute teacher at a private school. There he creates his own rock band full of elementary students, who go on to compete at his local battle of the bands.
Stream School Of Rock for free on PlutoTV.
Stream School of Rock on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy School of Rock on Amazon.
Whiplash (2014)
Being a musician takes hours upon hours of practice and discipline. In Damien Chazelle’s Best Picture-nominated film, Whiplash, the filmmaker discusses this through the intense relationship between a young jazz drummer (Miles Teller) and his ruthless instructor (J.K. Simmons) at a prestigious conservatory in New York City. The storyline was inspired by Chazelle’s own experience in a “very competitive” studio band in high school. Yes, Simmons' character is based on the director's band instructor, but the filmmaker “pushed” the character much further.
Stream/Rent/Buy Whiplash on Amazon.
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys Meyers played two fictional ‘70s glam rock stars in Velvet Goldmine. Meyers played Brian Slade, an androgynous icon likened to David Bowie and McGregor is Curt Wild, who is based on Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. The story is influenced by Bowie’s relationship with Iggy Pop and Lou Reed in the 1970s and 1980s. The movie also stars Christian Bale as a British journalist writing about Slade’s life and delves into some conversations about sexuality and fame during this time in the rock scene.
Rent/Buy Velvet Goldmine on Amazon.
Sing Street (2016)
Writer/director John Carney has made a career out of music movies, all of which are excellent: from Once to Begin Again and last year’s Flora And Son. The best of the bunch is definitely Sing Street which is about a boy’s journey in creating a band to impress girls in 1980s Ireland. While Sing Street is a fictional band, the story is somewhat inspired by Carney’s upbringing in Ireland.
Stream Sing Street on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Sing Street on Amazon.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Tom Hanks had his directorial debut back in 1996 with That Thing You Do!, from a script he wrote as well. It talks about 1960s rock and roll culture through the lens of a fake one-hit wonder pop band called The Wonders. The cast was composed of Hanks, Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn and Ethan Embry. The movie became so popular that the movie’s soundtrack actually charted on the Billboard 200!
Stream That Thing You Do! on Hulu.
Rent/Buy That Thing You Do! on Amazon.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Oh, what we would give to see Sex Bomb Omb and The Clash at Demonhead play on the same evening… if they existed that is. Both rock bands are only figments of the imagination, and come from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series, but they certainly did come alive for Edgar Wright’s 2010 movie. Famed songwriter Beck was actually behind the tunes of the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack, particularly for Sex Bomb Omb, whereas Metric penned The Clash at Demonhead’s hit song “Black Sheep.”
Stream Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on Max.
Rent/Buy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on Amazon.
Freaky Friday (2003)
Freaky Friday’s Pink Slip may have been just a garage band of high schoolers in the Disney comedy, but they made some certified bangers with “Ultimate” and “Take Me Away.” The movie itself is a ball to watch as Lindsay Lohan’s rebellious teen, Anna, swaps bodies with her mom, Jamie Lee Curtis’ widowed psychiatrist, Tess. While Anna is forced to go on a talk show and do a rehearsal dinner as Tess, Tess has to embrace her inner rock star, and it’s a blast to watch. What’s even more rad is the fact that we might see what became of Pink Slip, because a Freaky Friday sequel is on the way.
Stream Freaky Friday on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Freaky Friday on Amazon.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis has Oscar Isaac playing a fictional folk musician as he struggles to keep his life afloat. The story of Llewyn Davis was inspired by Dave Van Ronk, who was pivotal to the American folk music revival.
Stream Inside Llewyn Davis on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Inside Llewyn Davis on Amazon.
Green Room (2015)
In the instance of Green Room, the fictional punk band the Ain't Rights are formed to headline a terrifying horror film. In Jeremy Saulnier’s movie, which is among A24's best movies ever, the band gets attacked by neo-Nazi skinheads after they witness a murder while playing a club. In Green Room, the Ain’t Rights consist of characters played by Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawhat, Joe Cole and Callum Turner.
Rent/Buy Green Room on Amazon.
Josie And The Pussycats (2001)
2001’s Josie And The Pussycats is actually based on the Archie Comics and Hanna-Barbera cartoon TV show about a band of female singers. The fictional rock band has been around since the ‘60s, but the movie modernized the storyline about a girl group. Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson as Josie and the Pussycats, the movie is a clever satire on the music industry.
Rent/Buy Josie and the Pussycats on Amazon.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
After The Lonely Island went viral for tons of SNL shorts and great music videos, the trio jumped to the big screen to play The Style Boyz, a fictional pop rap group led by Andy Samberg’s Conner “Kid Conner” Friel. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a hilarious parody full of cameos of real music acts throughout the movie.
Stream Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on Amazon.
A Star Is Born (2018)
Bradley Cooper collaborated with one of the biggest pop stars of our time to remake A Star Is Born to heartbreakingly raw results. Cooper actually learned to change his voice an entire octave to play the fake musician Jackson “Jack” Maine alongside Lady Gaga’s Ally. The movie is about Jackson and Ally’s romance as he mentors her to stardom whilst he also struggles with alcoholism. Cooper and Gaga were such convincing lovers, many believed they were really together.
Stream A Star Is Born on Max.
Rent/Buy A Star Is Born on Amazon.
If only these fabulous fictional bands could all be part of the same festival so that we could see them in concert! Enjoy streaming these music-filled movies!
