Film

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band

Name: Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
Genre: History, Music, Documentary
Released: 2020
Cast: Robbie Robertson, Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel

Musical

Robbie Robertson's deeply personal account of The Band's rise, told through his own voice and testimony from the giants he played alongside. A confessional documentary that treats the formation of an American music institution as both triumph and cautionary tale—honest about the cost of greatness, the weight of drugs and ego, and what gets sacrificed when five men try to make something timeless together.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love the backstage side of rock, how a group of working musicians found a sound together, and you don't mind hearing one founder's version of who was owed what.

Skip it if you want a balanced history with the other members given equal room, since this is largely one man looking back, and its pace favors reflection over the performances themselves.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a feature-length sit of about 100 minutes, mostly interviews and archival footage, with a reflective rhythm that rewards patience more than momentum.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Last Waltz1978

Scorsese's concert film of The Band's final show, a spiritual companion piece that captures the magic these musicians made together before it all fractured. Essential viewing with Robertson himself.

But It's a concert film, so if you want narrative momentum and drama rather than performance, you'll find it leisurely. Some songs run long.

Muscle Shoals2013

Another documentary about American music made in a specific place at a specific moment—how a small Alabama studio became a crucible for genius. Same DNA of creative desperation and lightning in a bottle.

But Moves between eras and figures, so it's less focused than a single biography. Requires patience with some tangents about the industry machine.

Dig!2004

A raw, sometimes brutal documentary about The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols—two bands trying to make it, destroying each other in real time. The cautionary tale about musical ambition and ego played out before the camera.

But It's grainy, chaotic, and sometimes hard to follow. The stakes feel lower than The Band's story. Can feel like watching people fail in real time, which gets uncomfortable.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Tender Mercies1983

Robertson's story is about one of rock's great myths; this film is about the aftermath—what happens after the legend settles and you have to just be a person who hurt people and keep going. Both ask what artistic legacy means when set against human wreckage.

A slow, quiet film about a broken country musician rebuilding his life with grace and faith after addiction and divorce. Robert Duvall at his best, playing a man who damaged everyone around him and has to live with that quietly.

But There's almost no plot. It's a series of small moments held together by mood. If you need dramatic arc and catharsis, you'll find it meditative to the point of stasis.

Sound City2013

Dave Grohl's love letter to a studio and the era it housed. Another meditation on how a place and moment created music that outlasted everyone in the room, with appearances from Fleetwood Mac to Weezer.

But More celebratory than critical. If you want the dark side of the story, the drugs and fractures, this is sunnier than what Robertson gives you.

The Wrecking Crew2008

The untold story of LA session musicians who played on hit after hit and were never credited. A different angle on The Band's story—the invisible architects of American sound, erased from history.

But It's an ensemble piece about people, not one transcendent group. The narrative is more 'systemic injustice' than 'personal drama,' which some find less gripping.

Echo in the Canyon2019

A three-part history of the 1970s LA music scene—how geography, politics, and personality collided to make that era. Broader canvas than Robertson's story but the same era, same conflicts about artistic purity versus commercial pressure.

But Covers a lot of ground, so it's sometimes shallow where you want depth. No single narrative thread to hold onto. Requires real interest in the 70s and its mythology.

Shangri-La2021

About the legendary studio where everyone from Kanye to Led Zeppelin made records—another story about a place as character, and how studios capture lightning. Same reverence for craft and specific moments in time.

But Feels more like a love letter than an interrogation. You don't get the same reckoning with failure and damage that makes Robertson's documentary so potent.

Moonlight Mile2002

A narrative film about a man processing grief after his fiancée's death, featuring an extraordinary Stones cover and deep dive into how music processes emotional wreckage. Different form, same emotional territory.

But It's a character drama, not a documentary, so it's stylized and sometimes precious. If you want real people and real history, this artifice might feel lightweight.