What Drives Us

2021

1 hr. 28 min.

Documentary

Music

List

83%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

"What Drives Us" follows bands Radkey and Starcrawler as they take on the world, one town at a time, while also telling stories of the biggest artists in the music industry, recalling the romance and adventure, as well as the idiocy and chaos, of their own time on the road. The film explores the logistics of what it takes to turn a van into a home, and how the tricks of this trade have been handed down through the decades. There was a time before the digital age when this is how music and information made its way through the world. You had to take it to the people yourself and hope that word would spread like wildfire. While the world has changed, the rite of passage has not. There is no other way to know whether you can make it in this business. You have to get in the van.

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Dave Grohl

Director

Henri Cash

Actor

Exene Cervenka

Actor

Arrow De Wilde

Actor

The Edge

Actor

Jennifer Finch

Actor

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Adam Graham

Detroit News

"What Drives Us" lacks the focus of either of those projects and comes off like a carefree nostalgia ploy, warm but amorphous. For Grohl, it's just a joy ride.

Rated: C

Apr 30, 2021

Full Review

Jochan Embley

London Evening Standard

[F]or the most part, with lots of archive footage, the film feels more like old friends catching up about The Good Old Days than any great exploration of deep creative urges.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 30, 2021

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

A warm look at Rock and Roll, and what it has given to the people... [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 3, 2022

Full Review

Leonie Cooper

NME (New Musical Express)

It's when Grohl lets his subjects recall their strangest experiences while trucking from show to show that the whole thing properly chugs into life...

Rated: 4/5

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Alex Hudson

Exclaim!

For touring indie musicians, it might be a little patronizing to hear these rock stars glorify their supposed struggles - the road is tough, my friends! - but it also clarifies Grohl's vision of a shared music community.

Rated: 6/10

May 26, 2021

Full Review

Lea Palmieri

Decider

It's not often that a film can be filled with so much rock and still be totally touching.

May 10, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

"What Drives Us" follows bands Radkey and Starcrawler as they take on the world, one town at a time, while also telling stories of the biggest artists in the music industry, recalling the romance and adventure, as well as the idiocy and chaos, of their own time on the road. The film explores the logistics of what it takes to turn a van into a home, and how the tricks of this trade have been handed down through the decades. There was a time before the digital age when this is how music and information made its way through the world. You had to take it to the people yourself and hope that word would spread like wildfire. While the world has changed, the rite of passage has not. There is no other way to know whether you can make it in this business. You have to get in the van.

Director: Dave Grohl
Production Co: Roswell Films
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 30, 2021