Sound City

Play trailer

Sound City

2013

1h 48m

Documentary

Music

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Artists and producers highlight the history of the recording studio in Van Nuys, Calif., and discuss the impact of music in the age of technology.

Critics Consensus

Smart, affectionate, and unabashedly sincere, Sound City pairs a great soundtrack with a well-argued ode to one of rock 'n' roll's most fondly remembered bygone eras.

Read Critics Reviews

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

01/01/2014

4/4

In Sound City, a raucous yet sweetly romantic documentary, dinosaurs do indeed rock the Earth again.

Go to Full Review

A.A. Dowd

Time Out Chicago

12/16/2013

3/5

When getting into the nitty-gritty of tapes and tracks, Grohl makes a strong case for music docs directed by musicians.

Go to Full Review

Melissa Maerz

Entertainment Weekly

12/16/2013

B+

Dave Grohl's terrific new doc, Sound City, profiles the studio where some of the greatest music of the past four decades was born.

Go to Full Review

Kelly Jane Torrance

Washington Examiner

12/15/2018

3/4

Sound City ends up being an exciting look at the making of music.

Go to Full Review

Benjamin H. Smith

Decider

01/24/2018

Sound City is filled with the kind of stories that make music nerds weak in the knees.

Go to Full Review

Britt Hayes

ScreenCrush

03/16/2017

6/10

While there's an abundance of information and stories to be told, Sound City at times becomes almost as idle as its aging idols.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Pete B

Mar 25

Dave Grohl is just the best. This documentary is pure love letter to music and the magic that happens when real musicians play together. The old-school recording stories are gold, and the soundtrack they put together at the end is unreal.

See more

Frank S

08/20/2024

If you are from the generation that lived through the 60's - 90's music scene - this doc is a beautiful trip through a significant time in musical history. If you are a new kid and you like music or if you want to be a musician ---- see this and learn about the way real music is created.

See more

Gareth v

06/22/2023

A passionate doco and an ode to one of the most famed and influential music studios of it's time.

See more

04/10/2021

Such an amazing music documentary.

See more

05/15/2020

A really great doc, kind of hard to follow in the beginning but overall amazing. So heartfelt and honest and tells a great history.

See more

04/11/2020

I just LOVED this Doco. I grew up being around high end audio and initially worked for some studios. This just brought those memories all back.........

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Dave Grohl

Director

Frank Black

Actor

Lindsey Buckingham

Actor

Tim Commerford

Actor

Kevin Cronin

Actor

Rivers Cuomo

Actor

Score: A Film Music Documentary

91%

84%

Score: A Film Music Documentary

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Score: A Film Music Documentary

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World

91%

88%

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World

Watchlist

Echo in the Canyon

89%

92%

Echo in the Canyon

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Echo in the Canyon

Justin Bieber's Believe

53%

59%

Justin Bieber's Believe

Watchlist

Hired Gun

40%

72%

Hired Gun

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Hired Gun

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Artists and producers highlight the history of the recording studio in Van Nuys, Calif., and discuss the impact of music in the age of technology.

Director: Dave Grohl
Producer: Dave Grohl, John Ramsay, James A. Rota
Screenwriter: Mark Monroe
Production Co: Therapy Content, Roswell Films
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 1, 2013, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $422.4K
Runtime: 1h 48m