Sound City

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Sound City

2013

1h 48m

Documentary

Music

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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.

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Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Jan 1, 2014

4/4

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

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A.A. Dowd

Time Out Chicago

Dec 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.

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Melissa Maerz

Entertainment Weekly

Dec 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.

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Kelly Jane Torrance

Washington Examiner

Dec 15, 2018

3/4

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

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Benjamin H. Smith

Decider

Jan 24, 2018

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

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Britt Hayes

ScreenCrush

Mar 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.

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Pete B

@RT37223507 Mar 25, 2025

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.

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Frank S

@FRANK389 Aug 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.

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Gareth v

@geewah Jun 22, 2023

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

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Apr 10, 2021

Such an amazing music documentary.

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May 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.

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Apr 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.........

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Dave Grohl

Director

Frank Black

Actor

Lindsey Buckingham

Actor

Tim Commerford

Actor

Kevin Cronin

Actor

Rivers Cuomo

Actor

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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

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