Movies Like Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (2018)

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars is a 2018 documentary, music film from Lili Fini Zanuck with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Pavarotti and TINA.

Documentary Music

Pavarotti

2019

Featuring never-before-seen footage, concert performances and intimate interviews, filmmaker Ron Howard examines the life and career of famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

7.2

MagicScore

TINA

2021

Tina Turner overcame impossible odds to become one of the first female Black artists to reach a mainstream international audience. Her road to superstardom is an undeniable story of triumph over adversity. It’s the ultimate story of survival – and an inspirational story of our times.

7.8

MagicScore

Let's Get Lost

1988

Documentary about jazz great Chet Baker that intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell (for drug possession). And, we see the aged Baker, detached, indifferent, his face a ruin. Includes interviews with his children and ex-wife, women companions, and musicians.

7.0

MagicScore

Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry

2021

This documentary offers a deeply intimate look at extraordinary teenager Billie Eilish. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler follows her journey on the road, onstage, and at home with her family as the writing and recording of her debut album changes her life.

8.2

MagicScore

Little Richard: I Am Everything

2023

The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

6.4

MagicScore

Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley

2024

He had one chance to show the world he was still the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Discover the story behind Elvis Presley's triumphant '68 comeback special.

7.3

MagicScore

How the Beatles Changed the World

2017

The fascinating story of the cultural, social, spiritual, and musical revolution ignited by the coming of the Beatles. Tracing the impact that these four band members had, first in their native Britain and soon after worldwide, it reappraises the band and follows their path from young subversives to countercultural heroes. Featuring fresh, revealing interviews with key collaborators as well as a wealth of rarely-seen archival footage, this is a bold new take on the most significant band in the history of music and their enduring impact on popular culture.

7.4

MagicScore

Elton John: Never Too Late

2024

Sir Elton John looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career in this emotionally charged, full-circle journey. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton takes us back in time and recounts his struggles with adversity, abuse, and addiction, and how he overcame them to become the icon he is today.

6.6

MagicScore

Music by John Williams

2024

His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.

8.1

MagicScore

#10

Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'

2013

An account of the short life of genius musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-70), probably the most talented and influential guitarist of the twentieth century: his humble beginnings in Seattle, his time in New York, his rise to fame in swinging London… Live fast, love hard, die young.

7.4

MagicScore

#11

Nothing Compares

2022

Since the beginning of her career, Sinéad O’Connor has used her powerful voice to challenge the narratives she was surrounded by while growing up in predominantly Roman Catholic Ireland. Despite her agency, depth and perspective, O’Connor’s unflinching refusal to conform means that she has often been patronized and unfairly dismissed as an attention-seeking pop star.

7.6

MagicScore

#12

Heaven Adores You

2014

Heaven Adores You is an intimate, meditative inquiry into the life and music of Elliott Smith. By threading the music of Elliott Smith through the dense, yet often isolating landscapes of the three major cities he lived in -- Portland, New York City, Los Angeles -- Heaven Adores You presents a visual journey and an earnest review of the singer's prolific songwriting and the impact it continues to have on fans, friends, and fellow musicians.

6.8

MagicScore

#13

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie

2023

A short kid from a Canadian army base becomes the international pop culture darling of the 1980s—only to find the course of his life altered by a stunning diagnosis. What happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease?

7.8

MagicScore

#14

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

2021

In 1971, due to the world premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Lucino Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio as the world’s most beautiful boy. A shadow that today, 50 years later, weighs Björn Andrésen’s life.

7.4

MagicScore

#15

Bono: Stories of Surrender

2025

Through words, music, and mischief, Bono pulls back the curtain on his deeply personal experiences that have shaped him as a son, father, husband, activist, and U2 frontman.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

Frank Zappa: Baby Snakes

1979

Rock artist Frank Zappa hosts a concert in New York City. This movie contains tons of on-stage footage, off-stage footage, and animation.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words

2016

Utilizing potent TV interviews and many forgotten performances from his 30-year career, we are immersed into Frank Zappa’s world while experiencing two distinct facets of his complex character. At once Zappa was both a charismatic composer who reveled in the joy of performing and, in the next moment, a fiercely intelligent and brutally honest interviewee whose convictions only got stronger as his career ascended.

7.3

MagicScore

#18

The Only Girl in the Orchestra

2023

Trailblazing double bassist Orin O'Brien never wanted the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the New York Philarmonic, it was inevitable that she would become the focus of much interest and fascination. Now 87 years old and recently retired, Orin looks back on her remarkable life and career, insisting that a fuss should not be made, much preferring to play a supporting role to the family, students, friends, and colleagues that surround her.

6.6

MagicScore

#19

Pearl Jam Twenty

2011

Carved from over 1,200 hours of footage spanning the band’s career, Pearl Jam: Twenty is the definitive portrait of Pearl Jam. Part concert film, part intimate insider-hang, and part testimonial to the power of music.

7.8

MagicScore

#20

Imagine: John Lennon

1988

The biography of former Beatle, John Lennon—narrated by Lennon himself—with extensive material from Yoko Ono's personal collection, previously unseen footage from Lennon's private archives, and interviews with David Bowie, his first wife Cynthia, second wife Yoko Ono and sons Julian and Sean.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars?

The top films similar to Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars by MovieMagicScore are Pavarotti (7.2), TINA (7.8), Let's Get Lost (7.0). Each shares documentary/music themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars worth watching?

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 33 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars?

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (2018) is a documentary, music film directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, starring Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Ginger Baker.

Where can I find more recommendations like Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more documentary recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Pavarotti Movies like TINA Movies like Let's Get Lost Movies like Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Movies like Little Richard: I Am Everything Movies like Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley

About movies like Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars

This ranked list pairs Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (2018), a documentary and music film from Lili Fini Zanuck, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Eric Clapton take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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