The Beatles are without a doubt the most popular rock and roll band in history. As such, it’s unsurprising that their music has been featured in a lot of movies. Still, it’s not as many as you might think, as the band members and their estates have been careful about who and where they license their music. There won’t be any Beatles movies on this list (that would be cheating), but otherwise here is a list of movies that feature Beatles music in the soundtrack.
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)
The first time we meet “old” Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny in the 1960s (after the opening flashback), he is awoken by his neighbors blaring The Beatles “Magical Mystery Tour.” Grumpy old Dr. Jones isn’t happy about the situation, but the blaring horns that open the song are a great alarm clock.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
One of the most memorable moments in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is Ferris (Matthew Broderick) on a float in a huge parade downtown. First, he lip-synced to “Danke Schoen” by Wayne Newton, before tearing down the house (or streets of Chicago) by lip-syncing to The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout.” Why there was a parade at all is anybody’s guess.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
It’s hardly surprising that a movie named after a Beatles song (“Glass Onion”) would feature some of the band’s music. Not only is the movie’s namesake played as the credits role at the the end, but the host of the murder mystery party, Miles Bron (Edward Norton) also plays “Blackbird” by the band as his guests arrive. He claims to be playing it on the guitar that Paul McCartney wrote the song on, as well. Only a billionaire…
The Social Network (2010)
Appropriately, the Beatles song “Baby, You’re A Rich Man” concludes David Fincher’s The Social Network about the founding of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg is indeed a very rich man. The original soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is augmented by this song at the end, and a White Stripes song at the beginning.
Minions (2015)
Minions, the spinoff of the Despicable Me franchise, is set in the 1960s and you can’t portray that decade without a little Beatles music, right? In the movie, the Minions themselves perform the Beatles hit “Revolution” in their unique language, leaving the rest of us to wonder what they are singing about. John Lennon was singing about the protests of the ‘60s, but the Minions probably weren’t.
Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)
The Beatles have had a few movies with titles taken from the names of their songs like 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love with Patrick Dempsey. It’s not the best movie of the bunch, but it’s far from the worst. Of course, the titular song appears in it, but not until the credits at the end of the movie.
Argylle (2024)
The Apple original Argylle has the distinction of being the movie that first got to use what The Beatles are calling their “last” song. “Now and Then” was released in November of 2023 and the movie weaved the melody in and out of the film’s score. It’s a powerful way to use a “new” Beatles song.
The World According To Garp (1982)
1982’s The World According to Garp starring Robin Williams starts with the bouncy “When I’m 64” by The Beatles. The song immediately pulls you into the movie and the 1960s setting. There may not be a bigger “Boomer” song than this one, and it works wonderfully in the movie.
Yesterday (2019)
Of course a movie about the Beatles never existing is going to feature Beatles music, right? Well, in Yesterday (another film named after a song), a man discovers that he’s entered an alternate universe and the Beatles have never existed. He starts playing their songs, claiming he wrote them, and becomes famous. There are flaws so big you in the plot could drive a truck through them, but it’s a sweet movie and a decent love story, so we’ll let it pass.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
One of the most interesting covers of a Beatles song to appear on film unsurprisingly comes from the mind of Wes Anderson. After failing to get permission to use “Hey Jude” in The Royal Tennebaums, Anderson turned to Mark Mothersbaugh, the composer responsible for the unique scores in Anderson’s movies. Mothersbaugh enlisted his “Mutato Muzika Orchestra” to record a new version of “Hey Jude” and frankly, it works better than the original would have. It fits the movie and Anderson’s style to a T.
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Few in Hollywood today have as unique a mind as Taika Waititi and this has never been more evident than the brilliant Jojo Rabbit. Right out of the box viewers know it’s going to be a different kind of movie when the director plays the German version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles, which the band recorded themselves in 1965. “Komm, gib mir deine Hand” plays over old footage of The Third Reich, essentially comparing the rise of Hitler with Beatlemania. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but wow does it!
A Bronx Tale (1991)
The Beatles song “Come Together” is a classic and it can fit so many situations. One great use of it in movies comes from A Bronx Tale when Sonny (Chazz Palminteri) confronts a biker gang as it plays in the background.
I Am Sam (2001)
No list could be complete without including I Am Sam. The movie’s entire soundtrack is Beatles songs. Here’s the catch though – none of them are the original. The Beatles wouldn’t license the songs to the movie, so the producers of the Sean Penn-led movie created an amazing tribute album with covers of the songs by the likes of The Black Crowes, Stereophonics, Sheryl Crow, and more.
The Music Never Stopped (2011)
The Music Never Stopped is a movie all about the power of music. It’s specifically about the power of the Grateful Dead’s music, but, The Beatles are also present. As Henry (JK Simmons) and his son Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) listen to music together in an attempt to bond, a lot of songs are played in the movie, including “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles.
Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969)
We couldn’t make this list and not include one of the wildest Easter Eggs on film. In the legendary animated short Bambi Meets Godzilla, the baby deer meets his demise when Godzilla’s foot stomps on him. The sound sampled that lingers seemingly forever at the end is the final note of The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life.”
Shampoo (1975)
The Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn comedy Shampoo hasn’t aged all that well, but one thing that is timeless is the music in it. The soundtrack includes The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, and three Beatles songs, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” and “Yesterday.”
Rain Man (1988)
Rain Man doesn’t have any Beatles songs directly in it but in one of the best scenes in the movie, a a Fab Four song plays a crucial role. When Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) and Charlie (Tom Cruise) finally start to bond, it’s over a shared memory they have of Raymond singing “I Saw Her Standing There” to Charlie when Charlie was a baby. It’s a wonderful moment in the scene and it goes to show how powerful the Beatles music can be.
Superman III (1983)
“Roll Over Beethoven” was one of The Beatles’ easiest hits. Though it’s a song written by Chuck Berry, John and the lads make it their own. It even found its way into a questionable sequel in the early Superman franchise starring Christopher Reeve when it popped up in Superman III. Great song; bad movie, all due respect to the great Richard Pryor.
Dinner For Schmucks (2010)
In Dinner For Schmucks, Steve Carell plays an idiot, so fittingly the movie’s opening credits have “Fool On The Hill” playing over them. It was reported that the producers of the film paid over a million dollars for the song, but Paramount pushed back and said it was less than that. We may never know, but it clearly wasn’t cheap.
The Parent Trap (1998)
In the Lindsey Lohan-led remake of Disney’s The Parent Trap, The Beatles song “Here Comes The Sun,” written by George Harrison, plays during a scene in London. The sun even includes one of the twins and their mother walking across the famous crosswalk at Abbey Road that the band walked across on the cover of the album by the same name.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008)
Director David Fincher’s The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button takes places over decades, but when Benjamin (Brad Pitt) and his wife move into their first apartment, The Beatles “Twist and Shout” plays in the background. Nothing evokes the 1960s quite like the Fab Four.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)
We said at the beginning that there wouldn’t be any Beatles movies on this list, but we’re pushing it with I Wanna Hold Your Hand by director Robert Zemeckis. It’s not a Beatles movie, in that the lads expressly don’t appear in this 1978 box office bomb, but it is about them. It’s actually a pretty funny movie that should have been a bigger hit. It also features no less than 17 Beatles songs, which has to be a record.
Mask (1985)
1985’s Mask starring Eric Stoltz as Rocky Dennis and Cher as his mother is a really underrated movie based on a true story about a boy born with a rare bone disorder. It also features are fantastic classic rock soundtrack with songs by Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead, Steely Dan, and yes, of course, The Beatles. Two songs feature prominently in the movie, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Girl.”
Boss Baby (2017)
The character Tim in Boss Baby has a moment that anyone who grew up with Baby Boomer parents can relate to when his parents sing The Beatles’ “Blackbird” to him to put him to bed. Yep, been there, done that!
Love Actually (2003)
It probably won’t come as a surprise that the cheesy example of a Beatles song in a movie is Love Actually which features a cover of the song “All You Need Is Love” in a wedding scene that comes with a side of diabetes it’s so sugary sweet. Okay, okay, it’s cute, but wow it is over the top!
Withnail and I (1987)
Withnail and I is a vastly under appreciated movie these days. Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann star in this dark comedy that has been influencial on directors, but almost completely forgotten about by the public. It was also rare in the ’80s for The Beatles to license their songs, but the movie was good enough to earn the band’s respect and allow “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Ghosted (2023)
2023’s Ghosted wasn’t very well received and is mostly a forgettable movie, despite the star power of Ana de Armas and Chris Evans. However, one really great thing about the movie is the music. The soundtrack is full of bangers, including the George Harrison-penned “Taxman” by The Beatles.
Not Fade Away (2012)
In Not Fade Away, David Chase shows a different side of life in New Jersey in the 1960s than The Many Saints Of Newark. The film is about friends who start a garage band and model themselves after the British Invasion bands. Of course, that means The Beatles and two of their songs are featured, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and their cover of “Please Mister Postman.”
Ghost Town (2008)
2008’s Ghost Town was Ricky Gervais’ first leading role in a film and it’s actually pretty funny, though few remember it these days, it seems. It features “I’m Looking Through You,” which is kinda perfect for a movie about ghosts, right?
Bowling For Columbine (2002)
Micheal Moore’s hard-hitting and controversial Bowling For Columbine was an examination of America’s gun culture in the wake of the Columbine Massacre and Moore obtained the rights to use “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” from The Beatles for the documentary.
Coming Home (1978)
Director Hal Ashby was nominated for Best Director for the oft-overlooked Coming Home starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Bruce Dern. Ashby was apparently a huge Beatles fan and worked their songs into a few of his movies, including this one, which had two, “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “Hey Jude.”
Lassie (1994)
The beloved TV show Lassie was one of a number of franchises from the ’60s that has been brought back over the years. The 1994 movie of the same name… isn’t great, but it did have some great music, including “In My Life” by The Beatles.
Music in movies is important and while The Beatles are careful who they license their music to, if they do, you’re in for a treat, as these movies show.
