Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Zappa

  • 20202020
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
18,589
1,650
Frank Zappa in Zappa (2020)
With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, 'Zappa' explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time.
Play trailer2:03
3 Videos
5 Photos
DocumentaryBiographyHistory
An in-depth look into the life and work of musician Frank Zappa.An in-depth look into the life and work of musician Frank Zappa.An in-depth look into the life and work of musician Frank Zappa.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
18,589
1,650
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Alex Winter
    • Stars
      • Frank Zappa(archive footage)
      • Lonnie Lardner(archive footage)
      • Patrice Zappa(archive footage)
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Alex Winter
    • Stars
      • Frank Zappa(archive footage)
      • Lonnie Lardner(archive footage)
      • Patrice Zappa(archive footage)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 38User reviews
    • 41Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
    • Awards
      • 5 nominations

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:03
    Official Trailer
    Zappa
    Trailer 2:05
    Zappa
    Zappa
    Trailer 2:03
    Zappa

    Photos

    Frank Zappa in Zappa (2020)
    Frank Zappa in Zappa (2020)
    David Harrington and Bret Curry in Zappa (2020)
    Zappa (2020)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Frank Zappa
    Frank Zappa
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Lonnie Lardner
    Lonnie Lardner
    • Self - Newscaster for Action News
    • (archive footage)
    Patrice Zappa
    • Self - Frank Zappa's Sister
    • (archive footage)
    Carl Zappa
    • Self - Frank Zappa's Brother
    • (archive footage)
    Rose Zappa
    • Self - Frank Zappa's Mother
    • (archive footage)
    Francis Zappa
    • Self - Frank Zappa's Father
    • (archive footage)
    Edgard Varèse
    Edgard Varèse
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Don Van Vliet
    • Self - Captain Beefheart
    • (archive footage)
    Timothy Carey
    Timothy Carey
    • Self - Actor
    • (archive footage)
    • …
    Johnny 'Guitar' Watson
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Pamela Zarubica
    • Self - Zappa's Roommate
    Bunk Gardner
    • Self - Played with Zappa 1966-1969
    Ian Underwood
    • Self - Played with Zappa 1967-1975
    Ruth Underwood
    • Self - Played with Zappa 1967-1976
    Gail Zappa
    • Self - Frank Zappa's Wife
    Euclid James 'Motorhead' Sherwood
    • Self - Baritone Saxophone
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Motorhead Sherwood)
    • …
    Tom Wilson
    • Self - Music Producer
    • (archive footage)
    Ray Collins
    • Self - Vocal
    • (archive footage)
    • Director
      • Alex Winter
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Belushi
    7.2
    Belushi
    Once Were Brothers
    7.3
    Once Were Brothers
    The Velvet Underground
    7.4
    The Velvet Underground
    Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
    8.0
    Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
    Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
    7.5
    Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
    The Sparks Brothers
    7.8
    The Sparks Brothers
    Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm
    7.3
    Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm
    Songs for While I'm Away
    7.5
    Songs for While I'm Away
    Last Days Here
    7.5
    Last Days Here
    The YouTube Effect
    The YouTube Effect
    Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan
    7.7
    Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan
    Tina
    7.9
    Tina

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was not financed by crowdfunding, contrary to popular belief. The Kickstarter campaign was aimed solely at preserving and restoring the contents of the Zappa vault. The film that resulted from that preservation was itself financed by conventional backers.
    • Goofs
      The opening title says, Zappa was invited to Chechoslovakia in 1989 to play with local musicians for the withdrawal of Russian troops, and this was his last recorded guitar performance. In fact, this concert took place on June 24, 1991. His last recorded guitar performance was a week later on June 30, 1991 at Budapest, where he played three songs with Hungarian jazz musicians.
    • Quotes

      Ruth Underwood: It was that type of music that he could produce that was a product of everything that was in him. But you couldn't really categorize it. You couldn't say, Oh yeah, that's rock and roll, 'cause it wasn't.

      Ruth Underwood: It's jazz. No. It really wasn't. It's pop music. No. Not at all. Well, what the hell is it?

      Ruth Underwood: It's Zappa.

    • Connections
      Features The Ernie Kovacs Show (1952)
    • Soundtracks
      Bolero
      Written by Maurice Ravel

    User reviews38

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    As real as Zappa can be portrayed
    The director put together a lot of materials that portrayed the real career path of Zappa in my opinion. It did not follow the typical breakup of his career path from a "successful" album-oriented era format or the ups/downs/comeback pattern which I liked. Couple of his famous comments about an artists quest, freedom to express came ut sounding very real. Ruth's comments were very passionate and marked a tribute to the man she knew and respected a lot. My wife, who had little knowledge of FZ (compared to me) was amazed to see his personal vault and I think enjoyed it thoroughly. I'd recommend it to fans as well as anybody interested to know about this amazing spirit.
    helpful•8
    1
    • rasin_eee
    • Dec 13, 2020

    FAQ1

    • How will I be able to watch this?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 27, 2020 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Kickstarter Page
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Заппа
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Trouper Productions
      • Zipper Bros Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,502
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,019
      • Nov 29, 2020
    • Gross worldwide
      • $213,633
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 9 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1
      • 1.78 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Frank Zappa in Zappa (2020)
    Top Gap
    What is the Japanese language plot outline for Zappa (2020)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in August
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Double Take: Celebrity Twins
    See the full list
    Back to top

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.