The Commitments (1991)

The gold standard for the whole genre. Jimmy Rabbitte decides working-class north Dublin needs a soul band, and the rough-edged auditions, rehearsals in odd corners and first shaky gig feel like every band that ever started with more nerve than gear. Alan Parker recorded the vocals live on set, so the soul covers land like a sweaty Friday-night show rather than studio polish, and Andrew Strong was just 16 when he sang lead as the gravel-throated Deco. The soundtrack album went top 10, and it still plays start to finish. Just as good is the film's honesty about money, egos and fights over who sings lead, the things that sink most bands before their first record.