Dave Grohl is an absolute renaissance man. He’s played in some of the biggest bands in the world and alongside some of the most famous musicians of all time. He was already a musical legend for being one of the best drummers of his entire generation with the 90s rock band Nirvana and yet Dave is probably now more known to many fans as the singer, songwriter, and guitar player of one of the most popular rock bands of the last 25 years, the Foo Fighters. The Foo released their tenth studio album, Medicine at Midnight, in 2021.

Grohl is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a current 16-time Grammy Award winner (with 3 awards this year), and one of the most prolific collaborators in all of mainstream music. He’s sold over 100 million albums worldwide when combining the stats of his multiple bands, performed for U.S. Presidents, and headlined sold-out stadiums around the world. If that wasn’t enough, Grohl is also a successful director, producer, and a New York Times #1 best-selling author with his book, The Storyteller.

Updated October 24th, 2022: If you love Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with additional content and entries.

Grohl has appeared in big-screen films like The Muppets, Bill and Ted Face the Music, and Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. He has also acted on multiple television shows, currently holding the musical guest record on Saturday Night Live with 14 appearances. Let’s also not forget: Grohl has appeared in dozens of music videos, filled in as a guest host on TV talk shows, scored the music for a film, and appeared on multiple movie and television soundtracks. All that being said, for those who’ve followed Grohl’s career in recent years, you’ve likely seen some of his most creative work has been with the film and television projects he helps put together himself.

While Grohl has been interviewed or appeared in archival footage for nearly a dozen documentaries over the years, this best-of list will focus on the films and shows he’s starred in and also been more deeply involved in behind-the-scenes. With the new Foo Fighters horror-comedy film Studio 666, these are the best Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters documentaries, ranked.

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7 We Are the Thousand

     Blue Fox Entertainment

With the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the band fans this year, 2020’s documentary film We Are the Thousand seems even more touching. One of the best feel-good movies, We Are the Thousand tells the fascinating true story of 1000 Foo Fighters die-hard fans in the tiny town of Cesena, Italy, who banded together to play the band’s famous hit, Learn to Fly. They aimed to convince the Foo Fighters to come to Cesena.

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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

We Are the Thousand may give you goosebumps and the beautiful feeling that anything is possible. “It’s a film that inspires, that will make you want to try the silly, impossible, wonderful thing”, wrote The Austin Chronicle.

6 Play

     RCA

Play is a 23-minute instrumental composition composed and performed by Dave Grohl. Grohl plays every instrument throughout. A short black and white film was released in 2018 as a documentary to coincide with the vinyl release of the song. The idea of the movie is about capturing the joy of playing music, something Grohl was reminded about by watching his own daughters perform.

“Watching my kids start to play music and learn to sing or play drums, it brings me back to the time when I was their age… And even now, I’m still trying to figure it out… it’s not something that you ever truly master. You’re always chasing the next challenge, and you’re always trying to find a way to improve on what you’ve learned,” Grohl told Variety.

5 From Cradle to Stage

     Paramount+

From Cradle to Stage is an unscripted six-part TV series directed by Dave Grohl. The show is based on the highly recommended book written by Grohl’s mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars, which talks about the experience of the parents of superstar musicians via revealing interviews and anecdotes.

Each episode features Grohl and his mother as they visit celebrity mothers and learn how specific music artists grew up and became the superstars they are today. The series includes episodes with Pharrell Williams, Brandi Carlile, Geddy Lee of Rush, country star Miranda Lambert, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds.

4 What Drives Us

     The Coda Collection

What Drives Us tells the stories of some of the biggest artists in music, recalling the times when they were just starting out and touring in vans in order to live their dreams and make a name for themselves, one gig at a time. Artists featured include Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Brian Johnson from AC/DC, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lars Ulrich from Metallica, members of U2, Guns N’ Roses, No Doubt, L7, among others. Early touring footage of the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl himself is also featured. Both What Drives Us and From Cradle to Stage arrived at streaming services in 2021.

3 Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways

     HBO

Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways is a 2014 documentary miniseries, once again directed by Dave Grohl. The documentary was made while the Foo Fighters were recording their eighth album of the same name, Sonic Highways. The series was broadcast on HBO. Grohl described the project as “a love letter to the history of American music.”

Each of the eight episodes is presented as “an exploration of the musical history of a different American city through a series of interviews conducted by Grohl.” Dave is then shown incorporating what he learned from his interviews into the lyrics and recording of a new song in each featured city. The cities discussed include Chicago, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, and New York. The show even features Dave’s sit-down interview with then U.S. President, Barack Obama.

2 Sound City

     Variance Films

Sound City is a 2013 documentary, both produced and directed by Dave Grohl in his directorial debut. The movie is about the history of the celebrated recording studio, Sound City Studios, in Van Nuys (Los Angeles), California. This is the studio where Nirvana recorded their breakthrough album, Nevermind.

Grohl was inspired to create this documentary after he purchased the Neve 8028 analog mixing console when the studio closed in 2011. The movie discusses the historic importance of Sound City Studios and the famed recording console itself. Artists such as Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Elton John, Nine Inch Nails, and others recorded at Sound City during its heyday. The film ultimately spawned a short tour and a soundtrack, named Sound City: Real to Reel and the album won two Grammy Awards, including for a semi-Nirvana reunion with Beatles legend Paul McCartney for the song Cut Me Some Slack.

1 Foo Fighters: Back and Forth

     Exclusive Media Group

Foo Fighters: Back and Forth is a 2011 documentary directed by James Moll. The film documents the Foo Fighters’ entire history up to that point, including the somewhat messy break up the band had with former band members. The movie also documented the recording process for the Foo Fighters’ excellent seventh studio album, Wasting Light. The film’s title is taken from a song of the same name on that album. In 2012, Back and Forth won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. So, this perfect rockumentary should be a must-watch on every music lover’s movie list.