Happy Friday: Top 5 Music Biz Movies

I am a sucker for music business movies. You know the type, right?  Some of them are biopics, some of them are fictional, but just about all of them feature a recording studio/tour bus/concert montage alongside shots of the band's first hit climbing the billboard charts. I'll also watch documentaries along those same lines. I once spent a Saturday watching "Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless," and I haven't seen the Justin Bieber movie, but never say never, right? (bad joke, sorry.) So, after much deliberation and some tough cuts (I love the movie Ray, but despite the stellar performances and music, I had to draw the line somewhere) I present my personal top 5 music biz movies:

5. Dreamgirls

It's musical theatre (which I love), it's a music business movie, and it's a thinly-veiled account of the Supremes. Did I ever tell you guys that I used to pretend to be Diana Ross and, as a kindergartner, I would sing "Stop in the name of Love" in the cafeteria with one of my friends -- with hand motions. So, it almost goes without saying that this movie would be on my list. Nobody sings "And I am Telling You" like Jennifer Hudson -- she's simply the best. Also, this movie showed me that Beyonce can act (did you know she also co-wrote the show's song, "Listen," which is now a featured part of the stage show?). In addition to all the great performances, I also enjoy the story's treatment of the darker side of the music industry.

4. Walk the Line

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon singing; a great love story; remorse, addiction, redemption, and rags-to-riches success; Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis; a great Bob Dylan cover (It Ain't Me, Babe); and on top of it all, the fantastic music of the incomparable Man in Black. What's not to love?

3. Josie and the Pussycats

I feel like this film is misunderstood or underestimated. I know that when I first saw previews for it eleven years ago, I thought it was supposed to be nothing more than a teeny-bopper film capitalizing on the late nineties Rachael Leigh Cook craze. When I finally saw the film, I could not have been more happily surprised. The movie is a very funny satire of the pop music/pop media industry, and the music is actually good. Also, the send-up of boy bands with the group, "Du Jour," led by Seth Green is hilarious.

2. Almost Famous

There is so much to love about this movie, but the first place to start is the soundtrack, filled with classic rock and folk favorites like "America" by Simon and Garfunkel (my favorite song ever) and Elton John's "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" -- a song that makes the scene in which it is featured. Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, and Zooey Deschanel all make an appearance -- many of whom were "almost famous" at the time of the film's release. Kate Hudson won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in the film as "band aid" Penny Lane.

1. That Thing You Do!

If you ever have an annoying song stuck in your head, do yourself a favor and start singing the title song from this movie. The song is somehow magical in that it causes you to forget about the prior annoying song without getting itself stuck in your head. Of course if you did get "That thing you do" stuck in your head, you wouldn't be annoyed; you'd just be a little happier. You know what else will make you happier? Watching this movie. Right now. Go watch it.

Happy Friday!