Music Biopics and Why We Love Them

The music biopic: A chance for avid fans of both music and film to explore the lives of some of history’s greatest characters.

The most recent music biopic to hit the big screen was Elvis, released in June 2022. The film portrayed the life of American cultural icon and the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, through the lens of the man himself and his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Elvis received relatively good reviews, notably for the performance of leading man Austin Butler as the King himself, and also for its portrayal of both the ups and downs of his all too short life. More importantly though, it got me thinking about the music biopic as a genre, and why film and music fans alike have developed a love for them.

Whilst it may seem like recent years have seen a rise in both production value and critical success within the genre, biographical films about musicians are nothing new. After all, these are people who hold as much, if not more value to many of us than other famous individuals, such as politicians and sporting greats. Perhaps it is that we feel closer to our favourite musicians and having listened to their hits throughout the years, they have become an important part of our lives.

There is also an element of the relatable when it comes to music biopics, especially in those, which span the early lives of our favourite stars. We get to experience their rise from obscurity and normality, to a life of fame and fortune. This is something that many of us, growing up, may have dreamed about and the joy of music biopics, is that they allow us to believe that this rise to stardom could happen to almost anyone. This is arguably more poignant than when watching a biopic about a politician or monarch, for example.

No music biopic would be complete, however, without highlighting the difficulties attached to fame. This not only provides some balance between the exuberance of the initial rise to stardom, but also reminds us that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. In addition, it strongly reinforces the inherent notion of being relatable. Not necessarily in the depictions of the constant struggle with alcohol and drugs for example, as depicted in the turbulent life of Elton John in 2019’s Rocketman; rather, through depictions of our heroes facing up to feelings of anxiety, insecurity and isolation, despite having seemingly achieved everything.

This was perhaps no more evident in recent cinema than in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which depicted Queen lead singer and cultural icon, Freddie Mercury, suffering from issues that, unfortunately, exist daily for many people. This portrayal brought a god-like figure back down to Earth, and whilst it may have been difficult to see him battling his demons, he appeared more relatable than ever before. In fact, crucially, it made him feel human.

Without spoiling any details of Elvis, it is fair to say that the star certainly experienced feelings of anxiety, insecurity and isolation, which fans would undoubtedly expect to crop up within the film.

It is true that the insight we’re given into our heroes’ lives by watching these films may not always be a pleasant one, but this only serves to feed into our fascination with what we can’t experience on a record, or a playlist.

It is the important element of balance between surprisingly relatable characters, and the contrasting glance behind the curtain into their fascinating personal lives, which makes this genre of film so appealing. Combine these with an excellent soundtrack and a brilliant ensemble cast and it is easy to see why we simply can’t get enough of the music biopic in recent years