Joey Magidson
Once upon a time, music biopics were ubiquitous in cinemas. Biopics have always been popular, but chronicling musicians seems to really fascinate a filmmaker. In the past 25 years or so, that has cooled a bit, though mostly giving rise to a new way to tackle the genre. Instead of a whole life, or a cradle to the grave approach, smart storytellers have opted to look at a seminal moment in a musician’s life, narrowing the focus. That has been a boon to several films, especially recently, with A Complete Unknown focusing on the early days of Bob Dylan last year and the new release Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere zooming in on Bruce Springsteen‘s struggles while coming up with the album Nebraska. In honor of the latter movie hitting screens, I wanted to look at some of the best music biopics from the period of 2000 and beyond.
In my rave review of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere out of the Telluride Film Festival (here), I said the following:
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere takes one Springsteen’s darkest and most formative moments, as well as a period of creative inflection, and crafts a portrait that’s deliberate, solemn, and positively captivating. It would have been easy, if reductive, to make a traditional biopic here. Instead, we have a moment in time that’s almost like an internal chamber piece, as Springsteen not only struggles with his demons, but struggles to even understand them, let alone fight them. Even knowing that he’ll find a light at the end of the tunnel, given how he’s thriving to this day, takes nothing away from the emotion and pain that you feel for his suffering. The acting, filmmaking, and soul of this movie all combine to take your breath away.
Last year, I spoke of A Complete Unknown (here) in my highly positive review like so:
The mystery of Bob Dylan has lingered in pop culture for over a half century now. The enigma that is one of the most seminal artists of the 20th century endures, which is a testament to not just his staying power, but also the mystique surrounding him. Going into A Complete Unknown, I was worried that there would be an attempt to “figure him out” or make a grand statement about the why of it all. I’m only a casual fan of Dylan, but if that was the tact taken with the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic, I’d be annoyed. So, it’s very much to this film’s credit that the title is indicative of the depiction. Bob Dylan remains A Complete Unknown at the end of the movie, but you do sort of understand him a bit better, as well as why folks would be so drawn to him. It’s captivating and hypnotic, making for one of the year’s best works.
Below, you can see my picks for the best recent music biopics. Of note, I don’t have Elvis included, though if you do, that’s cool. For me, that one was a disappointment (detailed here), while something a bit unique like Better Man gets bonus points. Unsurprisingly, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere leads the way, with A Complete Unknown not far behind. Where do films like I’m Not There, Love and Mercy, and Walk the Line wind up falling? Find out next…
Here are my picks for the ten best music biopics since the year 2000. Behold:
10. Blaze
9. 8 Mile
8. Born to Be Blue
7. The Runaways
6. Better Man
5. Love and Mercy
4. I’m Not There
3. Walk the Line
1. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
What are your favorite music biopics from the past 25 years? Let us know!
Not to nitpick, but… is 8 Mile a biopic? I always saw it as more of a cinematic roman à clef, similar to Citizen Kane or May December.
You’re probably right, actually. I saw it on enough lists of this sort that I included it, kind of how I’m Not There isn’t traditional. But I concede your point.