This coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s all-girl rock band The Runaways depicts how the band formed 1975, and focuses on the relationship between Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) until Currie’s departure.
The successes, struggles and eclectic personalities of real life musicians have often been a source of inspiration for filmmakers. From biopics to fictional comedies, some of the best loved and most successful films have been centred around music.
We’ve put together a list of our top 6 titles…
The Runaways (2010)
Walk The Line (2005)
Walk The Line chronicles country music legend Johnny Cash’s early life, and his success in the music scene. The screenplay is based on two autobiographies written by Cash – Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and Cash: The Autobiography. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Cash, Reese Witherspoon as Carter, Ginnifer Goodwin as Vivian Liberto and Robert Patrick as Cash’s father.
School of Rock (2003)
How could we write this list without including musical comedy classic School of Rock? The film follows struggling musician Dewey Finn (Jack Black) who is kicked out of his band and pretends to be a substitute teacher at a prestigious school. After discovering the musical talent of his students, he forms a band with them and enters the Battle of the Bands contest.
Following the film’s success, it has since been adapted into a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Whiplash (2014)
This drama film depicts the relationship between ambitious student drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) and strict instructor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) who will stop at nothing to realise his students’ potential.
Nowhere Boy (2009)
This biographical drama film tells the story of one of the best known musicians of all time, before anyone knew who he was. Nowhere Boy chronicles John Lennon’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) teenage years from 1955 to 1960, depicting his relationships with his aunt Mimi Smith (Kristin Scott Thomas) and his mother Julia Lennon (Anne-Marie Duff), the creation of his first band, The Quarrymen, and its evolution into The Beatles.
Amadeus (1984)
Set in Vienna in the latter half of the 18th century, Amadeus is the story of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), as told by Italian composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), Mozart’s supposed rival.
The film won eight Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, and a Directors Guild of America Award.
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