The coming-of-age film Metal Lords by DB Weiss and directed by Peter Sollet was released on Netflix last April 8. The film stars Isis Hainsworth, Adrian Greensmith, Jaeden Martell, Noah Urrea, and Joe Manganiello and follows the story of a group of teens who wish to join and win their school’s battle of the bands. The plot centers on diehard metal fan Hunter who forms a band with the help of his best friend Kevin who plays the drum in the marching band. The duo struggles to look for a bass player but Kevin finds hope when she hears her Scottish schoolmate Emily playing the cello and must convince hunter to let her join the band. Aside from great music being featured in the film, it centers on themes of relationships, especially on Hunter and Kevin’s friendship which gets tested.
In a review by Common Sense Media, they commended the film’s take on a coming-of-age film saying, “There is a sense of honest humanity to these characters that emerge in a way that often doesn’t happen in coming-of-age movies. While some of the jokes and situations are best enjoyed by metal fans and/or musicians, there’s enough to the story and the quality of the acting to make Metal Lords accessible to those who don’t know their Reign in Blood from their Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?” If you enjoyed Metal Lords as much as we did and you’re looking for the next film that can also inspire your next playlist, here are five movies that involve bands, music and friendship.
School of Rock
If we’re talking about the Battle of the Bands, the first movie that we associate it with is the comedy film School of Rock starring Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. The film was directed by Richard Linklater with a screenplay by Mike White and produced by Scott Rudin. The film follows struggling musician Dewey Finn, played by Jack Black, who pretends to be a substitute teacher at an elite prep school to earn some cash. As he teaches music to his class, he discovers his students’ talents and comes up with the idea of forming a band to join the Battle of the Bands and win the cash prize to help him financially. The film received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing music-themed comedy during its release. Black also earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a musical/comedy for his role in the film. In a review by The Guardian, they wrote, “The School of Rock, however, has proved itself to be a genuine ‘family film’, playing to everyone from school kids, who like the idea of nerdy 11-year-olds storming a talent contest and turning their classroom into a mosh-pit, to aging hippies who laugh through their beards at references to the keyboard solo on ‘Roundabout’, an archaic gem from prog-rock dinosaurs Yes.”
Heavy Trip
The Finnish comedy film Heavy Trip, directed by Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, is their first feature-length film featuring the adventures of an amateur metal band in a small Finnish town. When they find an opportunity to make it big by playing at a metal music festival in Norway, they do whatever they can to be part of the big concert. The film gives homage to heavy metal music just like Metal Lords and has received generally positive reviews. Hollywood Reporter published a review of the film and praised the fun film saying. “If there’s a lot of good humor to be found in heavy metal to begin with, this band — dubbed Impaled Rektum, to its members’ general satisfaction — takes it to the higher octave of an affectionate spoof.”
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Similar to Hunter and Kevin in Metal Lords, Bill and Ted have been friends for a really long time. However, in the science fiction comedy film, Bill and Ted Face the Music, the world’s fate rests in their hands through a song they will write together. The film is the third from the Bill and Ted series and was directed by Dean Parisot with a screenplay by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The film stars Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, William Sadler, Kristen Schaal, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Anthony Carrigan, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Holland Taylor, Kid Cudi, Jillian Bell, and Beck Bennett. It follows Bill and Ted as adults who are told that in the future their songs will be the key to saving humanity. The two come up with the plan to get the song from their future selves and travel back in time. Their daughters on the other hand try to help their dads by gathering the greatest musicians from different timelines. The film received relatively positive reviews and in a review by The Guardian, they wrote, “It’s amiably amusing, and Bill and Ted’s Peter Pannish inability to accept the ageing process is enjoyably surreal, with a weird tinge of not-entirely-intentional tragedy.” Rolling Stone also praised the lead actors saying “For Winter and Reeves — who play the title roles through the ages (“Your future you is a very pretentious dickwad,” says Bill to Ted) — the movie is a labor of fan-service love that slaps a goofy smile on your face. It’s a most excellent cure for the heinous pandemic blues.”
Blinded by the Light
Another coming-of-age film that involves finding oneself with the help of music is the 2019 British comedy-drama film Blinded by the Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha. The film is inspired by the life of British journalist and screenwriter Sarfraz Manzoor who also co-wrote the script with Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. The film follows a British-Pakistani Muslim teenager who struggles to fit in while living in Luton England. Things change however when he discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen. The film stars Viveik Kalra in the lead role, while Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, and Nell Williams appear in supporting roles. The film received positive reviews from critics and received nominations for Best Film and Best Actor (Kalra) at the 2019 SIFF Awards. The Independent published a review of the film and wrote, “This is a far more soul-stirring, uplifting film. It’s utterly joyous, too. As Javed slips his headphones on and hears “The Promised Land” for the very first time, we watch his expressions work through a moment of total epiphany. It’s as if the walls built up around his small, stifling world have come crashing down in one instant.”
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Considered a cult classic, the musical fantasy film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, featuring comedy rock duo Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D, is a must-watch musical film that involves rock music. The film was written, produced by Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who also star in the film, and is directed and co-written by musician and puppeteer Liam Lynch. The film is set in the 1990s and follows a fictitious origin story of the band Tenacious D. The plot centers on how the duo tried to find a pick that is believed to be Satan’s and has been used by several rock legends to succeed in their career. The film has received mixed reviews but if you’re a fan of Tenacious D and you’re in for some fun and rock music it’s definitely worth watching. In a review by Empire: “For fans, a crowd-surf over Tenacious D’s best bits. For the unbaptized, a novelty movie of a novelty band, big on spirit but in search of a script.”
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