Matthew Percefull
Biopics have an interesting reputation among film fans. On one hand, the genre can produce epics like Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer or Spike Lee’s Malcolm X—sprawling stories that explore their subjects and the world in which they existed. On the other hand, are the formulaic and lazy attempts that have flooded the cineplexes. Looking at a historical figure and crafting a narrative around them can be worthwhile, but the results are often very mixed. Music biopics are in no way exempt from this. They can fall victim more often. Films centered around musical icons have become increasingly popular with both average audiences and award bodies. It seems in recent years to be a cheat code to awards nominations. As this trend has gone on, audiences are starting to tire of the same cradle-to-grave formula that so many of these movies stick so strictly to. Films about huge stars like Amy Winehouse and Bob Marley went mostly ignored. Studios have noticed this fatigue and are starting to experiment with this genre.
Along with the two previously mentioned, Bob Dylan, Pharrell Williams, and Robbie Williams also received the Hollywood treatment in 2024. Interestingly, each of these films takes a unique approach to telling their respective stories. Pharrell opts for a Lego animation/ documentary hybrid. Robbie Williams is portrayed by a CGI monkey. The Dylan movie ends right at the height of his career. Each of these project announcements was met with moans and groans. Audiences did not want to see another film that felt written by Wikipedia. These three entries add a layer of creativity that the subgenre of music biopics was severely lacking.
In collaboration with Lego and documentarian Morgan Neville, Pharrell brought his story to life with Piece By Piece. This experiment is both perplexing and awarding. If the story was told in its originally intended documentary form, it would feel generic and lifeless. The animations are by far the star of the show here. The Lego recreations of iconic moments in Pharrell’s career add so much color and vibrancy to the tale. This is a film that only Pharrell would make; it’s a perfect choice for a film about his life. Piece by Piece contains some of the most fun scenes of the year, I mean come on; there’s a Lego drug deal in this movie!
Despite being loads of fun, Piece by Piece isn’t perfect. There are moments where the Lego animation just doesn’t gel with what’s happening in the film. The back half drags and skips some interesting (and controversial) parts of Pharrell’s career. I get that you might not want to show a lawsuit in Lego form, but the lack of transparency in moments can make Piece by Piece feel like a vanity project. It’s great that Pharrell told his story in this unique fashion, but he’s probably a little too close to the material to tell a completely accurate story. If you already know the basics about Pharrell’s career, don’t expect any new revelations. It’s an incredibly by the numbers telling, but the Lego animation makes it fresh.
The charm and fun of the film just simply outweigh the flaws if you’re at all a fan of Pharrell’s work. With his more traditional attempt of a biopic being recently shelved, Pharrell left his fans with a fun and unique telling of his past that fits the eccentricity of the artist himself. Unsurprisingly, the parts that sing the most are the musical segments. The second act is a glorious montage of all of Pharrell’s greatest hits in Lego form. If you grew up playing with Lego’s while Pharrell played in the background like I did, this is like movie heaven. The cameos in Piece by Piece are more exciting than most of the recent Marvel projects. Pusha T in Lego discussing how they made grinding should be put in a museum. For such a strange experiment, Piece by Piece succeeds off of pure charm, imagination, and just a pinch of nostalgia.
From the moment the first trailer was released, Better Man inspired many questions. Is Robbie Williams famous enough for a biopic? Do Americans know who he is? Wait, why is he a monkey? All of this discourse, while amusing, took away from a really fun musical that happens to be about Robbie Williams. Director Michael Gracey infuses Better Man with an energy usually seen in a Broadway musical. The whimsical tone lends to this film not feeling like a real story but something more fantastical, which plays to its favor. As you’re watching it, it can be easy to forget that it’s about a real guy. It had me on the edge of my seat awaiting the next number. Every song isn’t just a musical number, but they act as a form of catharsis for Robbie.
I was not very familiar with Williams going in but that didn’t impact my enjoyment. The musical numbers are bombastic and so well-choreographed that even if you hate the song being sung, the spectacle on display makes it worth it. Spectacle is what these films need more of. These artists are often portraying larger than life characters with their work. Better Man can bring this feeling to the big screen in a way that most music biopics don’t. Despite being portrayed as a primate, Better Man allows you to connect to Williams deeply as an artist. We understand what makes him tick and we sympathize with his mistakes.
Better Man has a knack for injecting real emotional stakes into this blast of a story. Better Man feels like a film first, biopic second. There are recognizable figures that make appearances, but it doesn’t take away from the actual narrative. While it features the rise and (kind of) fall story as many of these movies, Better Man has plenty on its mind about fame, alienation and ambition that sets it apart from the crowd. Oh, and a CGI monkey. While initially seen as a baffling decision, the monkey works. It adds a level of likeability to Robbie, even at his most toxic. The effects are amazing and Jonno Davies is amazing in the motion capture role. Better Man took a lot of risks in a genre defined by cliches, I’d say they paid off for the most part.
The director of A Complete Unknown, James Mangold is no stranger to the music biopic. His 2005 film about the life of Johnny Cash, Walk The Line, is seen by many as the modern blueprint for this type of film. From full on parody films to skits, Walk The Line has been the butt of many jokes. Almost 20 years later, Mangold seems extremely aware of this reputation. His shot at a Bob Dylan film takes the opposite approach. Instead of being about an entire career, A Complete Unknown centers on a single pivotal moment. The choice to focus the film on Dylan’s transition to electric rock is a genius one that grounds the film. Instead of feeling like a list of cliches that need to be checked off, A Complete Unknown presents a clear narrative that allows the audience to connect with a man usually seen as walled off. The performances pack a huge punch and Chalamet’s dedication to the role makes A Complete Unknown stand out among its peers.
For a long time now, music biopics have been seen as nothing more than Oscar bait. This reputation is earned by the academy. Although no music biopic has received a best picture; Historically, a music biopic has good odds at least scoring some below-the-line awards. Ray, Walk The Line, Bohemian Rhapsody all cleaned up in their respective years. Add on some big-name actors in a lead role and you double your award chances. Jamie Foxx, Reese Witherspoon and Sissy Spacek are just a few big names who have won Oscars playing musicians. The acclaim towards this genre has led to a biopic becoming essentially an Oscar cheat code for rising stars. So much so that it was somewhat a necessary step to reach a certain level of stardom
Surprisingly, the 97th Academy Awards did not shake out in the same way. A Complete Unknown was shut out in every category it was nominated for. The most shocking loss was Timothee Chalamet, who seemed to have all the momentum for best actor. While A Complete Unknown had all the trappings of a run of the mill biopic, it transcended the cliches and Chalamet’s raw performance is a huge part of that. The lack of success at this year’s Oscars likely signifies that the fatigue for these films extends to the Oscar voters. Chalamet’s performance was lauded by many, as was his campaign, but it felt that many viewed him as the ‘safe’ pick.
While this safe reputation is a bit earned, it doesn’t have to be this way. Artists are often the perfect subject for a film. Musicians craft their worlds and are already playing a character of sorts. It would pay more respect to play with the form of these films. The neatly packaged formula that Hollywood has been reliant on often doesn’t give the artists enough agency. Part of the problem may be the close involvement from the people involved. In most cases, these scripts are being advised by either the artist themselves, or people close to the artist. The fear of controversy leads to many of these films feeling stale and boring. There’s no reason a movie about Freddie Mercury should follow the same beats as a film about Tupac. The art of music is incredibly varied. These artists come from different struggles and backgrounds and the films about them should reflect that. We could very well be headed in that direction. Maybe we have been for a while.
Although 2024 featured an exciting and varied crop of music biopics, there has always been a small level of experimentation involved. Another Bob Dylan film, Todd Hayne’s I’m Not There, also takes an interesting approach at covering its subject. Haynes splits the life of Bob Dylan into six distinct characters that represent a different era in Dylan’s life, each character played by a different actor. The Elton John biopic, Rocketman, has a similar approach to the musical tone of Better Man (with fewer monkeys). NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton has the feel of a ’90s hood movie. Experiments like what we saw last year have been tried before. It’s just now that the usual formula is seemingly getting stale for everyone. After Bohemian Rhapsody’s enormous success in 2018, audiences and critics alike have turned against the formula that once was a sure way to get butts in seats. The charm has worn off and audiences demand something new. Studios may finally be listening.
These music biopics of 2024 have been hit or miss financially. A Complete Unknown was a surprise success this Christmas season but disappointed on the awards front. Piece by Piece and Better Man held a lot of room in film discourse over the past year. This interest in discussing the films did not necessarily translate to box office success. While not the most widely seen, they have gotten strong word of mouth from those that have seen them. The films that received no attention were the films that refused to move away from the formula. Bob Marley: One Love and Back To Black were two traditional biopics that audiences ignored, and critics rejected. One can hope that studios see this difference in reception and continue to make more unique versions of these films. There’s plenty of potential waiting to be unlocked here.
The music biopic doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles and Michael Jackson are all huge artists with biopics in development. This will always be a genre that attracts top level talent both on and off the screen. Why wouldn’t it? An ambitious rise to the top is the type of story that Hollywood knows how to tell best. Most of these stories are worth telling. It seems that more filmmakers feel comfortable playing more with the form. If this experimental trend stays strong, the genre could finally evolve into something unique.
