The musical biopic has been a profound genre of the cinema landscape that highlights the successes and challenges of famous musicians through the ages. The past decade alone has produced a number of notable films that covered a broad range of musicians from N.W.A. to Elton John. The next big biopic set to be released on June 24th is focused on none other than the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. It has already received major hype and predictions of award season potential which places it nicely among the other recently brilliant biopics. In the lead up to Elvis, it seems fitting to watch some of the best films of the past decade dedicated to the real stories of celebrated performers and their music.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
What other way to start the list than with one of the most recently acclaimed biopics Bohemian Rhapsody which followed Freddie Mercury’s life and career with Queen. Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) took on the role of the lead singer with Gwilym Lee (The Great) as guitarist Brian May, and Joe Mazzello (Jurassic Park) as bass guitarist John Deacon and Ben Hardy (The Voyeurs) as drummer Roger Taylor. The film details the band’s humble roots in the early 70s to major stardom through the 80s following their first hit “Killer Queen”. All their major hits are explored through the film leading up to their memorable 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium.
In terms of accuracy, quite a few events were shuffled around in the timeline for creative reasons and dramatic effect such as when Mercury was diagnosed with AIDs. Altogether, the film held an engaging pace of following Queen’s discography from the movie’s iconic titular song to reenacting the music video of “I Want To Break Free”. Most importantly, Mercury remained at the forefront with a respectful and solid performance from Malek who went on to win the Best Actor award at the Oscars and Golden Globes.
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
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Moving into the realm of hip-hop, the story of rap group N.W.A was depicted in their biopic Straight Outta Compton directed by F. Gary Gray. The group's members included rappers Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), and Ice Cube (O' Shea Jackson Jr.) who were all prolific in composing influential and socially relevant rap music based on their upbringings in California, especially in Compton. The movie illustrates the formation of the group and their growing popularity in the face of social adversity as young, black musicians during the late 80s. It also covers the shady management of Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) who caused a major rift within the group resulting in the departures of certain members and public "diss tracks."
Similar to their debut album that the film shares the title with, it was a huge success with a $200 million box office earning which meant it was initially the highest-grossing musical biopic before Bohemian Rhapsody took the crown in 2018. The movie celebrates hip-hop with an amazing ensemble performance along with notable praise towards Jackson, Ice Cube's own son, portraying him. There is also a powerful and timely message in the upfront depictions of the still prevalent issues of police brutality and racial profiling. The same issues from which stemmed N.W.A's most popular anthem "F*** tha Police" which fueled a movement of public political awareness especially following the 1989 incident of the group's arrest in Detroit for performing the song after the Detroit police told them not to.
Rocketman (2019)
Another biopic handled by a musician that was still alive was Dexter Fletcher’s film, Rocketman, based on Sir Elton John. The singer had been trying to get a biographical film off the ground since the 2000s and almost began in 2013 with Tom Hardy (Venom) originally set to portray the lead role. However, the film was delayed, and eventually, Taron Egerton (Kingsman) replaced him and took the role. Funnily enough, Egerton was cast by Sir Elton himself after the pair met during his appearance in the second Kingsman film. The casting choice turned out for the best as Egerton won a Golden Globe for his performance considering his commitment to being able to sing, rock exuberant costumes from John's wardrobe and follow choreography for the film’s numbers.
Rocketman was described by Egerton and Fletcher as a “fantasy musical” more so than a biopic, but it still managed to present a comprehensive linear narrative of Elton John's life (with some creative license on certain events). The film was praised for not shying away from the mature moments in his life including his sexuality, tumultuous relationship with his former manager, John Reid (Richard Madden), and drug addiction. Ultimately, the film weaves a vibrant and fascinating story through John's discography.
Miles Ahead (2015)
Perhaps the most free-form and unconventional biopic created in the past decade is Miles Ahead which was based on the life and career of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. The musician was portrayed by Don Cheadle (Crash) who took on extra responsibility with co-writing the screenplay and, producing and even directing the film. Its narrative is very much non-linear and a metaphorical device for cleverly exploring Davis’ different eras in music and key moments in his life. Such details are shown through the perspective of being shared with an ambitious reporter, Dave Braden (Ewan McGregor), who wishes to tell Davis’ “comeback story”.
The use of punchy transitions between flashbacks and the main fictitious plot of a 1979 shenanigan quest for Davis’ stolen music record subverts the traditional biopic format. However, it also leaves the audience questioning the accuracy of the depicted events. Cheadle maintains the authentic essence of significant events such as Davis’ relationship with his first wife, Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi), and even his 1959 Birdland arrest and harassment by a police officer. The other events, especially with the action-packed car chases and gunfire, serve a metaphorical purpose of capturing the dynamic music of Davis. Its setting in 1979 coincides with Davis’ “silent period” of inactivity which highlighted his self-destructive drug addiction, mental and physical pain, and harshness toward other people. Ultimately, it’s an impressive effort from Cheadle behind the camera and even more phenomenal performance in front of the camera as the smooth yet fiery personality with the matching raspy voice.
Love & Mercy (2014)
Another one of the more unique musical biopics on this list is the film Love & Mercy which focused on The Beach Boys but primarily, bassist and songwriter, Brian Wilson. The movie took a different approach by having two different actors play the lead role with the younger version (Paul Dano) and the older version (John Cusack) of Wilson both facing particular challenges in both eras of the 60s and 80s. Sandwiched between the pleasant moments of Wilson’s genius in composing iconic songs like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Good Vibrations” are the raw struggles with his mental health, drug abuse, and relationships with family and romance.
The movie also highlights the importance of Wilson’s second wife, Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks), who was instrumental in freeing him from the exploitative service of his former psychologist, Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti). The film’s accuracy was approved by Wilson and Ledbetter since she consulted with the screenwriter, Oren Moverman. The movie’s title is fittingly based on the song of the same name from Wilson’s first solo album in 1988 that marked the lead-up to Landy being removed as his caretaker. The film had a major positive reception, especially with the performance of Dano earning him several nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Get On Up (2014)
Once again, another 60s icon was covered in the film Get On Up which was the Godfather of Funk and Soul: James Brown. The movie was directed by Tate Taylor (The Help) and was deemed one of the most memorable performances of Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) who portrayed the singer. Similar to Miles Ahead, the story takes on a non-linear flow to emulate Brown's stream of consciousness while recounting events of his life to the audience with sprinkled moments of directly addressing the camera. The singer's childhood in poverty is explored leading to his meeting with close associate Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis) and his subsequent rise to fame.
Despite the dynamic portrayal by Boseman (to the point that he dedicated two months to doing dance and singing training) and the star-studded cast including Viola Davis (Fences), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), and Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters), the film underperformed in the box office. It only broke even past its budget of $30 million due to major competition with other films during its release. It's a true injustice to the hard work of the cast and crew who created such a great homage to James Brown with the electrifying depictions of his discography from "I Got You (I Feel Good)" to "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". The film also captures the grave moments in Brown's life including his times in prison and controversial involvement with domestic violence.
Jersey Boys (2014)
Completing the list is another musical group act in Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys which followed the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The film was actually based on the original musical production that was the first to depict the story of the 60s rock band. The original Broadway actor John Lloyd Young reprised the role as Valli for the movie alongside Erich Bergen and Michael Lomenda who were part of the first national tour of the musical as Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi respectively. It speaks volumes that Eastwood cast a lot of Broadway talent for the film adaption considering it’s such a rarity that occurs. It was a choice that paid off for a delightful performance of the main quartet including the balance of Vincent Piazza’s casting as Tommy Devito who was the only actor not involved with the source material.
The biopic is packed with New Jersey attitude and fourth-wall-breaking from each of the members’ perspectives at different moments. The group’s journey is shown through every high of their vibrant performances and every low of their conflicts and surprising brush with the mob. Though the film was deemed a “safe” execution and translation of the original musical to screen, it’s hard to resist joining in with The Four Seasons’ classic hits like “Workin’ My Way Back to You” and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)”.