Five biopics for a musical weekend

My love for music began at 11 and has never faded. Every note, beat, and lyric holds weight when crafting a song—each one a clue to the artist's story. I've always been fascinated by the lives and creative processes of musicians whose work feels nothing short of magic.

Biographical films often attempt to capture that genius but many fall short, reducing artists to clichés and overlooking the essence that made them extraordinary. This list focuses on films that not only entertain but also stay true to the humanity behind the hits—works that honor both the music and the person.

The greatest performances are more than melodies; they are reflections of the people who created them. A biopic that ignores the artist's soul isn't worth the title. So, for a weekend of musical icons, timeless songs, and cinematic storytelling, here are the films that get it right.

A Complete Unknown by James Mangold (2022)

A Bob Dylan biopic

Played by Timothee Chalamet, we follow Bob Dylan's life from 1961 when he starts turning into the messiah for folk music revival and the ongoing civil rights movements. 

We follow his personal and professional life as he goes through a rather troubled romantic life and finds himself constrained by his own limits from which he finally breaks free in the 1965 Newport Festival. 

The film features his albums "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", "Another Side Of Bob Dylan" and "Bringing it all back home". It features a total of 40 songs all of which were performed live on set by the actors. 

Bob Dylan's bits were all excellently covered by Timothée Chalamet himself who also did an amazing job maintaining his real mannerisms while performing. 

The film features prominent musicians such as Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Johnny Cash whose singing were also covered by their respective actors Monica Barbaro, Edward Norton, and Boyd Holbrook. 

You can stream A Complete Unknown on Amazon Prime Video.

Amadeus by Miloš Forman (1984) 

A Mozart biopic

Amadeus is different from other biographies because unlike other biographical dramas, we follow the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of his rival, Antonio Salieri. 

Miloš Forman moves away from the tired trope of the tortured artistic genius, instead presenting him as warm, spirited, and assured in his mastery of composition and performance.

The neurotic, tortured character is his rival Salier but unlike Mozart, he is no genius. His own insecurities about his work have been framed so rigorously mediocre that he is incapable of escaping that suffocation.

The writer of this film, Peter Shaffer, adapted his play 'Amadeus (1979)' to this marvellous film. Amadeus (1984)'s cinematography was excellently adapted to match the visual style of a film while still having theatrical essence.

The visuals start out light and festive and slowly become very dark as the world of Mozart collapses on him as a result of all illness, poverty and guilts.

The selection of Mozart's music in the movie is wonderful and anyone can truly enjoy the beauty of his music regardless of if you heard them before. 

It features his famous pieces such as Requiem in D Minor, Mass in C minor and Symphony No 25 in G minor alongside countless others. 

The amazing performances of F Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce are still as captivating as they were 40 years ago.

You can stream Amadeus on Amazon Prime Video.

Rocketman by Dexter Fletcher (2019)

A Sir Elton John biopic

Dexter Fletcher's Rocketman dives deep into the life of Sir Elton John from his childhood to his present day during the time of release in 2019. 

The film mainly explores his toxic relationship with his mother, his close friendship with Bernie Taupin, his physically and emotionally abusive relationship with  his manager John Reid, and his rigorous drug and alcohol abuse.

Unfortunately, just like most biopics, it falls into the trap of unmanaged pacing; wanting to pack the entire life of an artist in a two hour film, it ends up making the story feel hollow and inconsequential where the storytelling fails to make the audience feel the weight of the events. 

Despite the shortcomings there are powerful moments in this film where you get to witness the genius he is when performing and writing, and the human he is when he is not performing.

But, undoubtedly, the most amazing thing about this film is Taron Egerton. He has done absolutely everything to showcase the brilliantly confident, vibrant and over-the-top showman personality with all of his flair and immaculate singing voice. 

The thrilling and charismatic performance of Sir Elton John is embodied in every moment of Taron's performance. The performance of the co-stars, while, are good but they are limited to the dimensions that their generic writing allowed them.

You can stream Rocketman on Amazon Prime Video.

Bohemian Rhapsody by Bryan Singer (2018)

A Freddy Mercury biopic

Bohemian Rhapsody, while encompassing the entire Queen band, primarily focuses on the life of the lead singer Freddie Mercury from the formation of their band in 1970 till their 1985 Live Aid performance.

For the fans of Queen, this is an absolute must watch. Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon are so perfectly portrayed it is hard to not be hooked into the film. Rami Malek taps into Mercury's ferocious energy from the way he talks to the way he performs on stage. Every performance captures his electric personality and genius. 

It features some of their biggest hits— 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Will Rock You', 'Another One Bites The Dust', 'Under Pressure' and 'Don't Stop Me Now'. There is no way to watch this film and not have a good time watching performances of one of the best rock bands.

However, for people who are huge fans of Freddie Mercury, they might be disappointed by the film's reluctance to dive deeper into how his lifestyle impacted his career, performance and as a result, Queen's success. 

All of the hardships, struggle and passions shaped the genius behind Queens and failing to accurately connect his identity to his singing and songwriting does a disservice to him. 

You can stream Bohemian Rhapsody on Amazon PrimeVideo.

Tick, Tick… Boom! by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2021)

A Johnathan Larson biopic

This film is an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson who is behind one of Broadway's most enduring runaway hits 'Rent'. 

Portrayed brilliantly by Andrew Garfield, Jonathan Larson is a theatre composer chasing his dream of creating the next great American musical, all while working as a diner waiter.

One of the central themes of this film is navigating the haunting feeling of running out of time. And for Jonathon Larson, the fight for time was amidst the devastating AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. 

Directed by the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda, the ambitions, creativity and determination of Larson is encapsulated by the extraordinary performance of Andrew Garfield. 

He embodies the witty, quintessential "musical theatre" nerd, balanced with charisma and heartfelt depth. Even for those unfamiliar with Larson's work, Andrew's performance and the film's music captivate completely, holding your attention from start to finish. 

While Larson can at times come across as self-absorbed, his passion and boundless enthusiasm for the musicals he dreams of creating are infectious—and, at moments, downright magical.

You can stream Tick, Tick… Boom! on Netflix.