The 20 best musical biopics of all time
There is a growing trend of musical biopics in cinema, with Austin Butler’s star turn in Baz Lurhman’s Elvis as the latest headline-grabbing venture. With the King’s memory firmly in our minds, we thought there was no better time to bring you our definitive list of the greatest musical biopics of all time. Biopics usually come with one or two issues that they must navigate, and the navigation of these problems determines whether that film can be deemed a success.
The first issue is an easy one: friends, fans and family. Does the biopic appease all three parties closest to the artist at the centre of the movie? Will fans be happy to see their icon avoid being torn down, or will friends and family rally against ugly depictions of home life? The next issue is a little more complicated; does the film truly give the audience the essence of the str in question?
In fact, pretty much all music biopics are an alluring prospect. The chance to peek behind the curtain and reveal the person behind the music is not only one that tantalises fans but captures the imaginations of the actors playing them too. After all, who doesn’t want to have a go at playing their favourite musician? In recent years, a slew of musical biopics has popped up across the genre spectrum. While a few of them feature in our list of favourites, it’s a reminder that the interest in some of the 20th century’s most potent musicians is only gathering pace.
Whether it’s an origin story or a walking talking version of VH1’s Behind The Music, the truth is that we love to know more about the lives that were lived behind the wall of PR-friendly interviews and performances. If that story is expertly dramatised with sex, drugs, violence and everything else that makes a movie brilliant, then all the better. However, as you’ll see, the films in question needn’t have a crazed protagonist to capture the hearts and minds of their audience, they need only be authentic to grab our attention.
We’re not going to pretend that there are only 20 great biopics out there — there are far more. However, none tell the stories so perfectly as these ten. That said, there are some omissions which certainly deserve a viewing, such as the story of Richie Valens La Bamba. Equally, Don Cheadle’s performance in Miles Ahead, the story of Miles Davis. Simply put, there’s probably a musical biopic out there just waiting for you to watch and enjoy it, as for every genre, there’s at least one film to suit.
However, below, we’ve done some hard graft for you and are bringing only the best of the best.
20 best music biopics of all time:
20. The Runaways – The Runaways
Based on Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by The Runaway’s lead singer Cherie Currie, Floria Sigismondi’s debut feature film explores the formation of the band and the relationship between Currie and Joan Jett. The film stars Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart in leading roles, as well as Michael Shannon playing record producer Kim Fowley. With a loaded soundtrack including tracks from David Bowie, The Stooges, and Sex Pistols, alongside The Runaways, Sigismondi’s film is an electric and captivating look at the 1970s Los Angeles music scene.
Discussing her aesthetic choices, Sigismondi said: “I wanted to keep it very raw, so I shot on Super-16 and kept it kind of smoky. The colour palette was designed to be a little more California Valley in the beginning and tougher and harder-looking near the end, sort of void of colour. Japan’s looking sort of trippy and metallic, and when they come back, everything looks a little bit different.”
19. What’s Love Got to Do With It? – Tina Turner
Angela Bassett shines as Tina Turner in Brian Gibson’s adaptation of the musical icon’s autobiography I, Tina. What’s Love Got to Do with It? depicts Turner’s upbringing in rural Tennessee before charting her rise to success as one-half of Ike and Tina Turner. The relationship between the pair, with Ike played outstandingly by Laurence Fishburne, develops as he mentors her, resulting in their marriage in 1962. Yet the film also depicts the abuse that Ike forced upon Tina over the course of their marriage, which resulted in divorce and Tina finding success in a solo career.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? was a huge success, with both Bassett and Fishburne receiving Academy Award nominations for their roles. The film expertly analyses the effects of performing and suffering domestic abuse – it is raw and emotional whilst also retaining plenty of energy. Its power lies in its subtlety, and both actors do an amazing job of portraying the tumultuous relationship between Ike and Tina.
18. Amadeus – Mozart
Despite his origins as an important figure in the Czech New Wave, Miloš Forman also found huge success with English-language films, such as his Mozart biopic Amadeus. The film depicts the rivalry between Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Adapted from a 1979 stage play of the same name, the film became a box-office hit, garnering over $90 million upon its release.
Moreover, both lead actors – F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce – were nominated for Best Actor Oscars, with the former taking home the prize for his stunning performance. Carried along by the hypnotic sounds of Mozart’s compositions, Amadeus is a nuanced look at the life of one of the most famous composers of all time. Both opulent and tender, the film explores the dangers of obsession, of the power of art, and the potential of jealousy.
17. Elvis (1979) – Elvis Presley
Despite the current box-office success of Baz Lurhmann’s Elvis, starring Disney alumni Austin Butler, who admittedly plays the King very well, it’s John Carpenter’s made-for-television movie which takes the cake. Released in 1979, Elvis, starring Kurt Russell in the titular role, is a much less showy look at the life of the star. Instead of ignoring so much of Elvis’ problematic behaviour, Carpenter brings more awareness to the real Elvis – one that neglected his young wife and shot up a television out of anger.
Russell’s performance captures Elvis’ spirit perfectly, as well as exploring his family relationships instead of heavily dwelling on the relationship between the musician and Colonel Tom Parker. Despite a small budget, Russell’s nuanced Emmy-nominated performance makes this an enjoyable and memorable biopic.
16. La Vie En Rose – Edith Piaf
Released in 2007, La Vie En Rose won Marion Cotillard her first Oscar for Best Actress and remains the first and only French-language film to receive the accolade. Not only that, but the film won countless other awards, including an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, alongside multiple BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, and a Cesar award. Director Olivier Dahan takes a non-linear approach to the film’s structure, chronicling key moments from the French singer’s life, including her childhood and eventual death at the age of just 47.
Known as The Little Sparrow, Piaf was born into poverty in 1915, but her incredulous singing talent made her an international success. Cotillard gives an emotionally charged performance, capturing the spirit of Piaf as though she possessed her. With shining reviews, Cotillard was praised for the “discipline and ferocity she brings to the role.”
15. 24 Hour Party People – Tony Wilson/Factory Records
Instead of focusing on one specific musician, 24 Hour Party People is Michael Winterbottom’s look at the rise and fall of Manchester’s Factory Records, led by the audacious record-label founder Tony Wilson. The film chronicles the ups and downs of Wilson’s career as he indulges in the hedonism of the Madchester scene, yet it also follows bands such as Joy Division (and subsequently New Order), the Happy Mondays, and A Certain Ratio.
Characters frequently break the fourth wall, for instance, during a scene wherein Buzzcocks’ Howard Devoto is seen having sex with Wilson’s wife in a toilet, the real Devoto, playing an extra, faces the camera and says, “I definitely don’t remember this happening.” Some events are completely fabricated, made clear through more fourth-wall moments. However, the film is accurate in its depiction of the atmosphere surrounding the Madchester era. With plenty of famous cameos and a cracking soundtrack, 24 Hour Party People is a chaotic time capsule of an iconic period in British music history.
14. Bird – Charlie Parker
In 1988, Western hero Clint Eastwood won the Golden Globe for Best Director for his Charlie Parker biopic Bird. Starring Forest Whitaker as the iconic jazz saxophonist, the film plays out montage-style, chronicling different aspects of the musician’s life until his untimely death, aged 34, after a battle with heroin addiction and mental health issues.
Whitaker’s magnificent portrayal of the troubled Parker manages to balance his passionate, gentle nature with the torments of addiction that so deeply affected him. Eastwood’s love for jazz shines through his direction, which seems to fully understand the depths of Parker’s character.
13. Coal Miner’s Daughter – Loretta Lynn
Country-star Loretta Lynn personally chose Sissy Spacek to play herself, despite never having seen any of her films. She made the right choice, though, and Spacek gives an incredibly strong performance which earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. Directed by British filmmaker Michael Apted, Coal Miner’s Daughter depicts Lynn’s poor upbringing all the way up to her status as the Queen of Country Music.
Spacek sings all of Lynn’s songs herself, so successfully that the film’s soundtrack reached No.2 in the American Country Charts. Roger Ebert labelled the film as being “made with great taste and style,” both “intelligent” and “observant.” Furthermore, Apted’s direction breathes plenty of life into the Southern country music scene. Supporting roles by Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline and Tommy Lee Jones as Doolittle Lynn, Loretta’s husband, are also solid performances laden with chemistry and depth.
12. The Buddy Holly Story – Buddy Holly
Starring Gary Busey as the pioneering rock ‘n’ roll star, the 1978 film, directed by Steve Rash, charts the life of Buddy Holly from the beginning of his short-lived musical career to his death in a plane crash in 1959. Holly was just 22 when he died but left a huge legacy behind him, which the film captures undeniably well.
Busey’s performance embodies the essence of rock ‘n’ roll flourishing in the 1950s, with critics praising the outstanding performance. The film won an Oscar for Best Adaptation Score, and Busey was nominated for Best Actor, although he lost to Jon Voight. The Buddy Holly Story also helped to bring the late artist’s music back to popularity, emphasising his important contributions to the birth of rock ‘n’ roll.
11. Nowhere Boy – John Lennon
2009’s Nowhere Boy has a habit of dividing audiences. Those who arrive at the film hoping to see the man behind some of The Beatles’ greatest songs or the reason John Lennon told us all to ‘Imagine’ will be disappointed. As the title suggests, this film is about John Lennon the boy. Based on the biography written by Lennon’s half-sister Julia Baird, the film details Lennon’s struggles in his adolescence.
Separated from his mother at age five, the film depicts the difficult decisions that surrounded his upbringing. It looks at his troubled relationship with his mother, Julia, and his most inspirational figure Aunt Mimi. It’s a piece of cinema which is focused far more on than sensibilities of Lennon rather than his musical aptitude, but that doesn’t discredit it in any way.
We’re offered a striking view of how John Lennon first formed The Beatles, and although the film cuts off before we see him, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr dominate the musical world, it does offer up a view of the formative years of the man who would orchestrate the whole thing.
10. Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A.
If your life as a band can be accurately described as an action movie, then chances are your biopic is set to be a box office smash. That can certainly be said for the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the authorised biography of N.W.A. With the backing of the group’s surviving members, the story told here is riddled with rhymes, bullets, violence, sex, drugs and gangsters. If this was sold as fiction, you’d likely buy it, yet somehow it’s all true.
There’s no doubt that Dr. Dre and Ice Cube have made themselves a pretty impressive monument to their success with the film, but wasn’t that the point of N.W.A in the first place? The film is an action-packed triumph and left us wondering if there was also a computer game franchise in there somewhere too. The film doesn’t shy away from what lifted and eventually brought down the group, though.
The film allows us to see the bargaining that went on behind band members’ backs, it shows off the debauched touring schedules the band shared and how laden with women and guns they always were. But the best moment of the whole film comes as Eazy-E, Dr Dre, Ice Cube and MC Ren get arrested in Detroit for performing ‘Fuck Tha Police’ in a perfect act of civil disobedience. It’s a joy to watch from start to finish.
9. Sid & Nancy – Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen
There’s no doubt that the romance shared between Sid Vicious, the Sex Pistols bassist and punk poster boy, and Nancy Spungen was passionate and intense. Alex Cox’s film from 1986 tries and succeeds in capturing that with a sincerity that is often missing from such films. In it, we not only see the pair’s intrinsic connection but their plight too, as they descend into heavy drug use and guttural glamour.
After seeing the film, Johnny Rotten told Alex Cox that he deserves to be shot, so that’s about as high a recommendation as one can get. Equally, Rotten was firmly moved by the performance of Chloe Webb as Nancy and the esteemed performer Gary Oldham as Sid.
Oldham and Sid’s connection goes back a long way as Oldham was born just a few miles away from Sid in the same London borough. His incarnation of Sid is not only definitive but simply heartbreaking as he perfectly captures the troubled and vulnerable figure behind the posturing and posing that punks always seem to perfect.
8. Ray – Ray Charles
If your performance wins you an Oscar, then you know you’ve done something right. For Jamie Foxx, the actor not only got to play the incandescent talent of Ray Charles, but he also picked up the Academy Award for it too. Charles sadly died just before the box office smash was released in 2004, adding perhaps the only dark point to the film. Otherwise, it is a movie built on the legacy of a true legend.
We needn’t go on about just how vital Ray Charles was to modern music as it’s far better to watch this film and sees the story of one of the greatest R&B pioneers of all time unfurl in front of you. An expert impressionist, Foxx absolutely nails the depiction of Charles, from his unphased look to his iconic gait and vocal performance. It is quite simply inch-perfect.
The film is littered with impressive performances, too. Kerry Washing as Bea Charles is impressive, while Clifton Powell as Charles’ long-suffering assistant is also noteworthy. Both Regina King and Margie Hendricks, as one of the singer’s mistresses and backup singers respectively, are also spellbinding. All in all, it’s a damn fine film that deserves re-watching whenever you can.
7. 8 Mile – Eminem
So far, the inclusion of our favourite biopics has been pretty simple fare. But on Eminem’s 8 Mile, things get a little bit more tricky. Firstly, the story is allegedly only ‘loosely based’ on the rapper’s life, though we imagine that’s a catch-all to save movie buffs from picking out inaccuracies. The next issue arrives with the lead actor — Eminem himself.
That aside, 8 Mile is a fine film. It never caught the attention of the critical public when it was released, largely relegated to the bottom shelf thanks to its hip-hop story arc and Eminem as the central figure, but has since gained a fearsome cult following. Effectively, the film acts as a hip-hop-infused vision of Rocky in the 21st century. Em’s character, Rabbit, fights every day for his dream, only to realise it and then be hit with reality once more.
There are some laughs along the way and certainly some rhymes if that’s your thing. But the real reason people love 8 Mile is that it felt tangibly real. Biopics for so long had been about artists and musicians who seemed too far away from our modern lives, but this one managed to connect all the dots. The fact it ends with Eminem holding the figurative rap championship belt yet still having to go to work the next day makes its message all the more poignant.
6. Love and Mercy – Brian Wilson
Bill Pohlad’s second feature film, Love and Mercy, focuses on the mental health struggles faced by the Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson. Alternating between the 1960s and the 1980s, both Paul Dano and John Cusack play Wilson during the different stages of his life. The film depicts the production of Pet Sounds and Wilson’s drug abuse with Dano portraying the musician with striking accuracy, depth, and humility.
Dano’s performance is easily one of the best of his career, mastering Wilson’s idiosyncrasies to the point that Wilson himself said, “I was really blown away by how close he got to my personality. It’s amazing.” Furthermore, Cusack’s portrayal of Wilson during his time under the controversial 24-hour therapy program of Eugene Landy fantastically contrasts the version of Wilson we see played by Dano.
Wilson states that the film is very factual, and publications such as Rolling Stone labelled Love and Mercy one of the greatest biopics ever made.
5. Bound for Glory – Woody Guthrie
The biopic of Woody Guthrie would always be a rich hunting ground for those in love with folk music. Arguably one of the forefathers of the modern-day movement of the genre, what Guthrie didn’t do in folk wasn’t worth attempting. His biopic would also have likely bagged itself an Oscar had it not been released in 1976 and been up against one of the toughest Best Picture card of all time.
The film was tasked with challenging All the President’s Men, Rocky and Taxi Driver and stood no chance—but not because it isn’t a great film. The film doesn’t concern itself too greatly with the iconography that surrounded Guthrie thanks to artists like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan but the artist’s connection to the world he saw around him. With David Carradine playing the iconic folk singer, things were always going to get off to a good start.
The film follows Guthrie on a westward journey. Set in the Great Depression, Guthrie is moving out of the Dust Bowl Oklahoma and heading for the promised land of California. Naturally, Carradine’s figure of Guthrie is expertly flawed and wonderfully enigmatic, providing one of the most engrossing visions of the singer we’ve ever come across. Simply brilliant.
4. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll – Ian Dury
Not necessarily one of the most well-known figures of music on the list, many people would have scoffed when brought the idea of making a film about the life and time of Ian Dury. But when Andy Serkis, the acclaimed actor behind Golem and other CGI giants, was involved, things got off the ground quickly.
Ian Dury was, for a time at least, the final bastion of the creative spirit in England as the leading man for The Blockheads. A singer and poet, Dury brought not only searing politically conscious lyrics, nor just a rhythmic bounce that couldn’t be beaten but a self-deprecating viewpoint on his own polio-induced disability. It’s how Dury manages to deal with this within a competitive world of music which is the basis of the film.
Overcoming the issues put before him, Dury becomes a mouthpiece for the freedom of living the way he determined to be correct, of course, it wasn’t without its casualties. Many of which are perfectly captured in the film.
3. Control – Ian Curtis
Anton Borijn’s directorial debut was always meant to be a musical biopic. The photographer has made a vital career out of capturing bands at their peak. Everyone from Depeche Mode to Tom Waits has been caught on camera by the snapper. But perhaps his most treasured work is of Joy Division and New Order. Meaning when he was given his chance to direct Control, a biopic about the life of the band’s lead singer Ian Curtis, he was the perfect man for the job.
Another person who can claim to have grabbed the perfect role in the film is Sam Riley as Ian Curtis. Riley is so good, in fact, that many people have accidentally accredited his performances in the film as genuine Joy Division shows. Of course, his biggest challenge, except for Curtis’ idiosyncratic dancing, was to capture the troubled mind of the singer and try to add some extra texture to his tragic suicide.
Curtis was only 23 when he took his own life, meaning that the window we’re given into his life within the film is comparatively short. Still, we are given an accurate vision of a melancholy outsider not satisfied with the pale grey rendering of life in Northern England. He wanted to be Bowie, Iggy or Lou, not just stuff envelopes in civil servant jobs for the rest of his life. In Corbijn’s film, we’re shown how he achieves it and the disaster that follows.
2. Walk The Line – Johnny Cash
As with many of the films included on this list, Walk The Line has a habit of polarising its audience. Some will argue that the film brokered new ground as it offered an accessible viewpoint on one of the most esteemed performers of his generation; Johnny Cash. While other, perhaps the more correct others, suggest that the film doesn’t go far enough to depict the wild and wonderful life of The Man in Black. However, as a piece of cinema, it’s hard to deny the film’s power.
The rise and fall of Johnny Cash is a musical tale that many would have been aware of when Walk the Line was released. But, as ever, new generations cotton on to the talent of Johnny Cash — and they always do — Cash’s story must be presented once more as a vital piece of pop culture and musical iconography. Director James Mangold tells that story with Hollywood glamour and country & western grit in equal measure.
Not only does the film perfectly describe the professional and then romantic partnership Cash shared with his wife, June Carter, but it also shows the struggles Cash suffered while with her. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon take on those central roles, while another key figure in his story is the singer’s spiralling drug addiction. However, in the most perfect of Hollywood stories, Carter becomes Cash’s crutch and helps him find himself once more and yet again become a musical powerhouse. Cinematic gold.
1. I’m Not There – Bob Dylan
If one figure of music has been courted for a film more than the freewheelin’ troubadour himself, Bob Dylan, then we’d like to meet them. Dylan, as well as being one of the most revered musicians of his time, is also one of the most mysterious characters of it too. Never one to put his personality in the spotlight, Dylan has always preferred his music to do the talking. Well, I’m Not There, the biopic about his life told through a myriad of tales, has got a large part of the conversation for you.
Directed by Todd Haynes, the filmmaker does a great job of not falling into the holes of such a grand figure of popular culture. Instead of a sprawling piece of cinema that, so jam-packed with notable moments, could have a running time of days, not hours, Haynes instead employs actors like Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett to play the singer at different points of his life. It allows us to not only see differing views of Dylan but how he connected us all together.
Dylan spent much of his career reinventing himself, so this portrayal not only feels innovative but authentic too. It’s a joyride of cinematic prowess, and although forgoes most of the classic biopic tropes, it still lands heavily as a fan-orientated piece. In fact, we imagine the person most happy with this style of telling Dylan’s music is Dylan himself. After all, providing such a project as a fractured and fragmented reality is something Dylan has done throughout his career.
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