Music Biopics Ranked: Which Ones Hit the Right Note

With the release of Michael, I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts and ranking of the musician biopics that I have seen. Biopics have become a big trend in recent years, from musicians to actors to politicians. I always like a good musician biopic, as you usually get to hear some of their most famous songs. I have seen 7 musical biopics. I know there are a lot more out there, but these are just the ones that I have gotten around to seeing and are mostly about musicians that I listen to. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the 7 musician biopics that I have seen.

7. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere tells the story of Bruce Springsteen as he goes through the process of writing the album Nebraska. I am not a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, but I do enjoy a good music biopic. Unfortunately, this is one of the weaker biopics out there. I thought Jeremy Allen White was good as Bruce Springsteen. It was fun to see him get some movie fame outside of The Bear. I just didn't think the story was very interesting. A portion of the movie talks about Springsteen's struggle with depression, which would be a very interesting topic, but it just isn't conveyed very well. It shows his issues a little bit, but does nothing with them or shows how they are affecting his life. He doesn't really face any sort of adversity with it, nor does it really impact many of his relationships. I also didn't like how they made up a character to be Springsteen's love interest. It made the character feel inconsequential to the story and could have easily been taken out. The movie also fails to capitalize on his journey as a performer. We start the movie with him already famous, so he really has nowhere to go. Overall, the movie has an interesting person played by a great actor, but it doesn't do anything worthwhile with any of the major aspects of his life.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

6. A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown is a musical biopic about Bob Dylan starring Timothee Chalamet. I don't know much about Bob Dylan, but I still had a decent time with this movie. I thought Timothee Chalamet was great as Bob Dylan and has a decent shot at getting nominated for an Oscar. From my limited knowledge of Bob Dylan, it seemed like his portrayal of the musician was spot on. I also liked that this biopic didn't stick to the biopic formula that so many movies do; the storytelling and structure are much more unique. The movie also does a great job of creating a sort of time capsule of the 1960s, as there are all sorts of nods and references to that era that make the movie's setting feel lived in. One of the things holding this film back is that they never really explore Bob Dylan as a character. He is a bit of a mystery when he comes to town, but he is still pretty much a mystery when the movie ends. There isn't any growth to him or any explanation as to what drives him to be a musician or to make himself different. In the end, I thought this was a very well-made movie with solid acting. It didn't do anything wrong, but the movie as a whole just didn't resonate with me.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

5. Michael

Michael is a bit of a middle-ground musician biopic. There are a lot of positives here. For example, Jaafar Jackson is fantastic as Michael Jackson; he both looks and sounds like Michael Jackson and captures his energy and stage presence. As with any biopic, there is a novelty to seeing an artist write and perform some of their most popular songs, and this movie is no exception. We get to see at least a snippet of all of Michael Jackson's best songs. In addition to the musical highlights, I thought the movie did a good job of portraying Michael as an underdog, even though he was the most popular person in the world, as we worked through his separation from his father and his search for his own voice. Superficially, it is entirely watchable, but it feels more like a highlight reel than a throughline story. Every 10 minutes jumps to another major event in his life. Instead of going deep into Michael's persona, everything feels surface-level, just moving to the next thing. Part of it is that there is so much to cover and not enough time to cover it. The movie could have easily been over 2.5 hours and been better for it. Ultimately, this movie was a fun experience with a great lead performance. It feels more like a celebration of Michael's career than a deep dive into his life.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

4. Elvis

Elvis is probably the most vibrant film on this list. Baz Lurman delivers a film that is very exciting, colorful, and just so over the top. His style feels like a great fit to tell a story about Elvis. The standout of the movie is, of course, Austin Butler as Elvis. He dives right into the role and delivers an amazing and Oscar-deserving performance. The second and third acts of the film are really well done. This is where the movie really finds its groove and gives Austin Butler time to shine. The music is also really fun to listen to. If you are a fan of Elvis's music, you'll love all of the songs in this film. I also thought Tom Hanks' performance was really well done. He does a great job of playing this manipulative person trying to control Elvis. One of the main reasons this film is lower on the list is that I wasn't a fan of the story being told from Colonel Parker's perspective. The movie makes him out to be the villain, so it seemed like a strange choice to have him tell the story. I also thought the first act was a bit too disorienting. It seems like it jumps around a bit too much and is a bit hard to follow. Finally, I thought the film was a bit too long; if they had tightened up the first third just a bit, I think it would've been much better. Overall, this is a very exciting movie that does a great job of portraying the persona of Elvis.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

3. Rocketman

Rocketman was a very fun musical as it took the story of Elton John and turned it into a jukebox musical with a bunch of his songs, which I thought was very fun. There is a certain novelty to seeing Elton John burst into his own songs while telling the story of his life. I thought Taron Egerton did a great job of playing Elton John and even did a good job on the singing performances. I also thought it did a good job with tackling his substance abuse problems, and how he worked to overcome that, and concluded the movie with a slightly victorious I'm Still Standing. The main thing keeping this out of the top is that there just isn't a big finale moment like in some of these other movies. Bohemian Rhapsody gets the big Live Aid performance, and this movie just doesn't have that. It ends with him checking into rehab to address his substance abuse problems. In the end, this was a very unique yet very effective way to tell Elton John's story, but it just lacks the big finale to give it that extra push.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

2. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

This was the biggest surprise on this list. It is a Roku original movies starring Daniel Radcliff playing parody singer Weird Al. On paper, this would be a terrible movie but somehow it pulls it off. This movie takes on Weird Al's story the only way that makes sense, by making a movie that is a parody of other biopics. To be fair, this isn't exactly a real story of Weird Al. There are some true aspects to it but a lot of the movie just makes stuff up to fit and parody the typical biopic formula. While normally following the formula so hard is a negative, this movie does it so ridiculously that it is just hilarious. You need a side character that takes the main character down a dark path away from their music? This movie has Weird Al hooking up with Madonna who gets him hooked on drugs and alcohol. The movie just takes every trope of the biopic genre and goes way over the top with it. Daniel Radcliff also does a great job pulling off the high energy and wackiness needed for a character like Weird Al. It was fun to see him do something so different than Harry Potter. The only issue I had was that the voice dubbing was a bit weird. You have Daniel Radcliff talking but then Weird Al's voice when he sings and the two just don't match thought this may have been intentional to make fun of voice dubbing. Overall, this movie was able to nail the tone and humor perfectly for a film about Weird Al.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

1. Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody is my favorite musical biopic. Yes, Queen is also my favorite band, but that is neither here nor there. I also just think this is a very good movie. As with many of the other movies on this list, it plays the biopic formula, but this movie does it particularly well. It is fun to see a montage of Queen's growing fame while also listening to iconic songs. Rami Malek is fantastic as Freddie Mercury. Not only does he look like Freddie Mercury, but he also matches the energy and finesse of his personality. It is also fun to see scenes where the band is creating their best songs, like the scene with Another One Bites the Dust. The finale is also just a lot of fun, as it is basically just a concert with some of the best songs Queen performed at Live Aid. Everything about this movie just lands for me. In the end, this is a great biopic that gives me everything that I want while letting me listen to some of my favorite music.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A