It’s probably impossible to come up with the perfect guitar/music movie list, but here are seven of my favorites. These aren’t all Oscar winners, but they all have their unique charms.
For anyone getting into guitar, I hope these movies will give you a bit of the inspiration and good humor that has helped me on my own guitar-learning path.
In no particular order:
- School of Rock: Not only is the soundtrack an all-time best, but this movie has a great message about how music can empower people of all ages and backgrounds. My friends and I left the theater singing at the top of our lungs.
- Stop Making Sense: I’ve seen many concert-films, but this is the only one that inspired a bunch of college kids (including me) to exercise weekly by dancing like crazy to this and other New Wave ’80s goodness.
- Crossroads: Sorry Britney fans, it’s not that Crossroads. Imagine the Karate Kid on a journey to find Robert Johnson’s legendary lost song with Joe Seneca (the bad guy from The Blob remake) as a crusty old blues man who secretly needs to get his soul back from the Devil, and a very young Steve Vai as a demon guitarist. As if that’s not awesome enough, a slide blues and metal-style duel breaks out, recorded by Ry Cooder and Steve Vai.
- Almost Famous: A great film about the good, the bad, and the craziness of rock and roll in the classic rock era… and maybe a reminder not to let things go to your head.
- This Is Spinal Tap: This movie is deservedly considered one of the funniest of all time. And it gets bonus points for making all of us musicians look at ourselves and laugh.
- Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The only true documentary on the list, I had to include this if only because the Funk Brothers were so influential, so prolific, and so amazingly talented, despite few people knowing who they are. This is a must if you’re a fan of Motown.
- Airheads: An unabashedly silly movie with an excellent ’90s comedy cast. It’s still funny the 20th time I’ve seen it, and oddly enough, it does teach a lesson about differentiating yourself to get noticed (not that I am encouraging anyone to take a radio station hostage with squirt guns full of hot sauce).