Three fantastic films about music to see before watching the 2024 Oscar Awards

Are you ready, music fans? Sunday is Oscar Awards night and while that might be about movies, there is a heavy music influence as well. In fact, all the artists nominated for Best Original Song will perform.

But before watching the pretty people walk the red carpet, you should watch a music-related movie. There are many to choose from, including some excellent documentaries. The ones below, however, are all fictional (it seems).

You won't be disappointed in any of these. They will make you laugh and cry. Just like a good film might. And like almost all great music does.

Three music-related films to watch before the 2024 Oscar Awards

A Mighty Wind (2003)

Even the name of the film is a joke. Because, you know...a might wind is a reference to, well...you know. But the fact is that the troupe that made this Christopher Guest-directed film could probably make any kind of mockumentary and that it would be great. This one just happens to poke fun at folk music festivals while also clearly having an appreciation for them.

This music is hilarious, poignant, and will tuck at your heartstrings. Likely, all at the same time. But the music is just so good as well. "When You're Next to Me" is a great example. Something to keep in mind while you are watching Eugene Levy and his friends, none of the tracks were overdubbed and each actor is playing their instrument and signing their parts. That makes it even better.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

This started off as an off-Broadway musical and was heavily influenced by glam, metal, and punk. There are zero bad songs on the soundtrack, but creator John Cameron Mitchell knows the extremely well-written songs enough to know how to play around with them from one medium to the next. The way a song sounds in the film might be different than if you go to see a live performance.

More than just the tracks in this specific work of art, however. Mitchell also has an obvious understanding of how each genre he uses works. A story about a genderqueer East German who moves to the United States (there is a lot more to it than that) and starts a band could have gone awry but the story is tight and the songs are tighter and you will buy several different soundtracks to this show after you've watched the movie. That includes the version of Neil Patrick Harris playing Hedwig on Broadway.

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

The single greatest musical mockumentary ever made is so good because the songs themselves are ridiculously awesome. Many of the same people who made this film also made A Mighty Wind (and Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and more). But what partially makes this film work so well is the characters are completely believable and the concept of the story seems like decades in the making instead of being mostly ad-libbed.

You might find yourself searching Amazon (or whatever you use to buy music) for the soundtrack of the film immediately after you finish watching the movie because you won't be able to get the metal songs out of your head. You'll also be quoting the film to friends and family for the rest of your life. But you just won't want to be the band's drummer. Trust me on that.

Read more from AudioPhix