The Broken Formula of Music Biopics

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[@BrianMillsMFA]

"Instead of stories, these feel like cinematic Wikipedia articles." That ONE SENTENCE beautifully and fully encapsulates your thesis, and I agree wholeheartedly.

[@cheesecakelasagna]

This is why I love the film Steve Jobs (2015). Only revolves within the context of three Apple product launches and still manages to show who Steve was a person in business and in his personal life.

[@madtitan0825]

@@cheesecakelasagna hell yeah freaking love that film

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

1. Given how writers can take artistic license with any true story they adapt, that often should not be the case, and often is not entirely the case, yet that statement still feels correct because shit biopics often feel mechanical and like a series of some true and some false events strung together. 2. Often I think the creators of movies like this are under the impression that the story they are telling is inherently compelling, so they don't want to do anything unique with it.

[@wellesradio]

Wikipedia articles with a big disclaimer at the top about it being a stub and [Citation Needed] in the middle and end of every sentence .

[@jenniferschillig3768]

@@cheesecakelasagna Even if it DID crib a joke from the musical 1776. 😊

[@ZimMan2]

honestly, i've had people hyping up Walk Hard at me for years, but nothing has sold me on it like the freeze frame into a title saying "Dewey Cox died three minutes after this performance."

[@lbboardingb3356]

Dewey Cox is one of the most underrated comedies ever, I'll defend that to anyone

[@Mcelly58]

Walk Hard was far better than most people give it credit for

[@krusher181]

It’s CRIMINALLY underrated

[@krusher181]

LBboarding b Hell yeah, brother. Gunna rewatch it tomorrow... it’s got a laugh every 30 seconds. And a grade A, lead actor who has been in classic films like boogie nights.

[@011mph]

i literally started crying from laughing lmaooo

[@lingbon3543]

"I'm cut in half pretty bad, Dewey" pretty much ruined tragic backstories on the whole for me, not just music biopics.

[@MartKencuda]

Dewey made it so far in life despite not having a sense of smell.

[@fryingpanman7501]

What I hated about Bohemian Rhapsody using this formula the most, the is that the movie makes a point to show that Queen wanted to break formulas in music, they wanted to be unique and push the bar...but the movie about the same band sticks to close to a formula itself.

[@jorjaevans6418]

Also the fact that the movie could have been great because there is so many interesting stories they could have told rather than trying to sum up everything and re arrange history to build to the climax and make the movie flow smoothly.

[@esotericVideos]

Sasha Baron Cohen's version would've been so much better but the band mates wouldn't tolerate it.

[@juanserrano4273]

@@esotericVideos You know what's funny? I just got myself caught up on that and I read somewhere that May said that they wanted to focus from "strength to strength" or something. I mean.. the movie ended during the Live Aid performance so.. what was the point of that bickering? It still ended up focusing on Mercury anyway, like how Cohen said.

[@deadstar44]

This. Queen's music was flamboyant, iconoclastic, freaky and over-the-top offbeat. The movie is the exact antithesis of Queen's music and Mercury's personality: by-the-numbers, visually bland, dull and sanitized.

[@AvengerDK]

@@deadstar44 Also how did it win best editing? The editing was atrocious and used more cuts than Transformers?!? How is that even possible in a non-action movie?

[@corndair]

No lie the very moment Bohemian Rhapsody started, I said to myself "Feddie Mercury's gotta think about his whooooole life before getting on that stage"

[@ArtemisMunoz]

The trope of “freeze-frame with text over it” at the end of a bio pic had my mother convinced that Unbreakable was one of them. Convincing her that the film about the super strong person with a weakness to water was not a true story was truly something 🤣

[@ThePreciseClimber]

Is the biopic about the Jedi master with a weakness to sand and high ground also not a true story...?

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

My favorite biopic is easily the Dark Knight trilogy. Those films truly captured the essence of Batman and his life story.

[@Gemnist98]

My dad legit thought the same thing.

[@TheMrlittletooth]

With a weakness to water? You mean like SIGNS?! BRUCE WILLIS IS AN ALIEN. THATS M NIGHTS NEW TWIST.

[@aaronboseman8600]

Fleetwood Mac & the creation of Rumours would be a great way to get around these tropes, a tightly focused story with plenty of actual drama and a fantastic album.

[@SeaSparklesLP]

Aaron Boseman that’s a really good idea

[@crazyondaime]

Except it'd be hard to find talented musicians who can also act and have insane chemistry for the roles of Lindsey and Stevie.

[@UkeofCarl]

crazyondaime They could get actors to pretend.

[@crazyondaime]

UkeofCarl But those actors would have to be have great voices, at least. And chemistry at the level of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in order for the love/hate and angst in The Chain to feel real.

[@UkeofCarl]

@@crazyondaime Yep!

[@jankdotTV]

"Dewey died three minutes are this performance" instantly destroyed me

[@cheesecakelasagna]

I really hope you'll get that Oasis biopic gig.

[@blokey8]

I've only ever been ambivalent on the band, but I'd see that movie for sure.

[@zebertmcfly7274]

Couldnt agree more. Just yesterday I brought up Patrick's pitch as I tried to explain to a friend why I normally do not like biopics. As a fan of Oasis, I would love to see that movie. But I betcha, when the Oasis movie comes out it will start with 30 minutes of the brothers growing up in Manchester and how Noel gets his first guitar from uncle Archie (or whoever) and so forth. And it's gonna be mediocre as hell.

[@cheesecakelasagna]

Zébert McFly I'd take laser-focused biopics like Dir. Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" (Fassbender not Kutchon). Heck, I even prefer the surrealist biopic take of that Elton John film.

[@ECL28E]

and it's just 2 hours of the Gallagher brothers shouting insults at each other

[@jonathanbennet2580]

@@ECL28E I'd watch it

[@PavarottiAardvark]

The best music biopic is Amadeus ....despite, possibly because, it's a dramatic storytelling first and biography second.

[@curtisbailey78]

I was kinda hoping Amadeus would come up in Patrick's video, but having now watched the video I can understand why Amadeus may not have been an exact fit.

[@JustJohnForNow]

Read my mind. It focuses on telling a story rather than just recreating events. It may have the benefit of being about someone long since dead, but it's a great template for any biopic, musical or otherwise.

[@JasTheFagge]

Was thinking the exact same thing

[@trevordavis6830]

@@JustJohnForNow I disagree with that. That filmed actively promoted the narrative that Salieri was a greedy musician who was so jealous of Mozart's talents that he tried killing Mozart when in reality that was far from the truth. While I'm okay with some historical changes for a biopic, making drastic changes to history and ruining somebody's reputation just to make your protagonist look good in comparison is wrong. At that point your just making a historical-fiction/what-if film and not a biopic.

[@hectorh.7707]

YES!!!!! I was waiting for Patrick to name drop Amadeus

[@kevinsavo3650]

These movies succeed because people want to believe that celebrities are special people who were destined to succeed. The creative process is reduced to events causing instant classics that basically write themselves. I think people actually like to come out of a biopic thinking "I'm not that talented, I am glad I didn't have to go through all the drugs and family problems that being a celebrity inevitably causes. I am so glad that there are people willing to go through all that. Freddie Mercury is a god".

[@tonydamage8412]

Bingo

[@IgnorancEnArrogance]

Then you have Prince, who just simply worked his ass off all the time and almost never did drugs (save at the end of his life) You'd think there would be several biopics about his life at this point.

[@Victoria-bo9xk]

Are u serious????

[@kevinsavo3650]

Sorta @@Victoria-bo9xk

[@Victoria-bo9xk]

@@kevinsavo3650 what do you mean "sorta" your either meant it or its bullshit! WHICH IS IT!!

[@CoryMck]

*A Star is Born was a biopic about nobody.*

[@Jos46664]

But it is a representation of the formula of biopics

[@mariaquiet6211]

I just think of it as a soundtrack with a movie attached.

[@porassrivastava8242]

It's been remade like 8 times if we are counting the international remakes too lol it's a formula on it's own

[@ulrikesextro4187]

It's a remake of a remake of a remake of 1930's Film musical.

[@SeekingFilm]

Kanye West biopic solely about the making of MBDTF culminating in a bittersweet ending where Fantano gives it a 6 but the rest of the internet roasts him for his clear delusions. OSCAR GOLD!

[@ali-khan]

Best comment

[@ThaliaVSD]

Kanye West biopic from Taylor Swift’s point of view

[@EnergizingBane]

The Cynic of Cinema i wouldnt say ‘the rest’ :p

[@SeekingFilm]

@@EnergizingBane Sorry, maybe not THE REST, but certainly the correct portion of the internet.

[@megatronsroyalemissary382]

LMAOOOOOO

[@tomboz777]

"I don't care what you do to me, just don't make me boring" - Freddie Mercury

[@TheGeorgeD13]

Which is what they did. Freddie would totally be fine if you tried to make a similar art house film experiment to the Bob Dylan example that Patrick pointed out, even if it was bad, because at least it wouldn't be boring and it would've tried to do something different and interesting just like Freddie did for his entire life and career.

[@tomboz777]

@@TheGeorgeD13 We must of seen two different movies.

[@CatLives9]

Sacha Baron Cohen wouldn't have.

[@KookiesNolly]

Bunny in the Box let’s be real bro, the main reason why we love that movie is because of the music. The movie itself doesn’t do much to entertain the audience, it’s the band’s work itself that was already great. It’s pretty difficult to put their soundtrack or recreate a concert and fuck up, y’know.

[@DemonDethchase]

Is this the real life Is this just a badly written fan fiction Caught in a landslide No escape from historical inaccuracies...

[@tunnicc6704]

In my opinion as “by the numbers” rocketman is, it elevates that with that fantastical element with amazing musical numbers that were amazing. Elton wanted to tell his story of drug abuse despite us seeing it time and time again. The story still serves a purpose in telling a story of someone that wasn’t unconditionally love but who still kept going. There were 3 times I shivered and rarely any other biopic would have scenes this surreal film evoked. Yes it’s still a cliche but it’s first of many that actually resonated.

[@etherealsky7078]

Yeah, I actually enjoyed Rocketman because it didn’t try to be a documentary. It had a story to tell and was clear with you that it was not necessary always faithful to reality.

[@tunnicc6704]

Kai McCook I mean let’s look at it like this. A movie is meant to manipulate your emotions subtly, but say if you start noticing the manipulation. When it’s obvious what a movie wants you to feel it takes you out of it. Bohemian in my opinion never felt subtle. Instead of showing me, I’m being told this and this. Each music number felt like it was checking off a set list rather then serving the story. They used two people’s very complicated relationship as a very underdeveloped romance subplot. The film lacked focused and was too busy telling you to look at this cool band moment and oh man bands argue. When instead it honestly could just be solely about Freddie. Yes Rocketman was obviously going to be about Elton John, but the raise and fall of that story felt completely his own. Which is due to how each of his songs tailored that film, and they were able to do these fantastic musical numbers that served the overall main plot, songs felt purposeful. Never did I felt like I understood Freddie or his band, or was able to draw my own conclusions. Look if you are someone that liked the movie I’m not gonna stop ya. That’s just how I felt about it.

[@crystalfairy912]

I agree. Using his songs to express how someone felt in a scene was more interesting than slapping it in when it was made (except Your Song because it’s beautiful and my favorite). Showing his childhood showed his eagerness to be loved. Even his Phoenix type outfit in rehab slowly comes down until he’s in sweats each time he reflects on how he got there. And hearing him confront his family, ex, best friend, and younger self brought me to tears. It’s a journey of a man seeking love and learning to love himself.

[@zil1832]

Maybe they watched this video and then changed something in editing?

[@samuelbarber6177]

I think it did, for me at least, a great job of what a biopic should be. It helped me understand the man a lot more, I like the idea of almost putting you Elton’s shoes, making it a musical and making it almost psychedelic and crazy enough so you don’t know what’s real and what’s fictional, but you at least know the man and how he saw the world during the time depicted in the movie.

[@Fiddler1990]

Bring back whatever genre of biopics that made "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter"

[@YumiSumire]

I still think of it as that one weird memory I pretty sure didn't happen.

[@NyJoanzy]

Well I would like to see Mecha-FDR fight some kind of Lovecraftian Nazies.

[@malalford]

www.history.com/

[@SonofSethoitae]

That movie was fucking awesome. Stupid, but fucking awesome. Why would I NOT pay to watch Honest Abe kill vampires with an axe?

[@MrCoreygeorge]

and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Such a ridiculous concept that it works even though the film itself is very uneven

[@quite1enough]

"Bohemian Rhapsody just feels like a remake of Walk Hard without jokes" - hard to disagree

[@KhayJayArt]

I was thinking about that movie when I watched Bohemian rhapsody. I still liked Bohemian rhapsody, though.

[@kayamari1244]

This basically explains why I don't really like biopics and would rather just watch a documentary. Although documentaries can sometimes fall into this formula's trap too.

[@apocalypsepow]

There are some pretty wild music documentaries like Decline of Western Civilization 1 and 2 and "Dig!".

[@ChrisEmmett]

Walk Hard completely broke the genre down and highlighted the tropes in the way Galaxy Quest did for Star Trek. I can’t believe it didn’t do better. It’s a genius film.

[@bltvd]

Is he playing “Negro Man”?

[@limberlad]

Galaxy Quest didn't do well either in theaters, either. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer destroyed the parody genre for years.

[@patromo]

I believe Jack Black one said once the parody is more popular then the original the genre is dead. He was talking about the supernatural themed heavy metal similar to spinal tap and tenacious d parodies killing the iron maiden Dio Black Sabbath genre.

[@schweedy1985]

Wrong kid died.

[@briangonigal3974]

I have no problem admitting I enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, but at the same time I'm fully aware it's almost entirely because I got to hear a lot of great Queen music & see some well done recreations of Queen performances. In fact I went into the theater not really expecting much more than that and the film accomplished the bare minimum to meet those expectations. So while the movie did its job in that I got to re-experience their Live Aid performance with a couple of better camera angles, it's still pretty damm frustrating that they took such a unique, unconventional personality as Freddie Mercury and made his story the same as every other artist who's cursed with one of these biopics.

[@nicholasleclerc1583]

Brian Gonigal I liked, for the very first time in a long while, THAT movie’s iteration of the “ ‘father issues’ character arc” Hollywood trope And as a non-proactive, Hetero Ally with good, retro-oriented, movie/music tastes, I really liked that the movie touched on Fred’s homosexuality, and not just a bit; made it into a realistic, non-PC, experience And I was really impressed that the movie: -Recreated ALL the Live Aid stage and the costumes *to the fucking T* -Went to the original tailors of the clothes the band wore to have THE clothes from them, or smth -Went to the original building company of the stage to make them recreate THEMSELVES, along with people from the time still working now, to build it -etc... *THAT* is admirable; unlike with many movies these days... and they didn’t create the whole crowd from CG completely

[@eartianwerewolf]

The David Bowie biopic. I feel bad for whoever has to handle that one cuz if it is not weird as fuck ....

[@lunaaurora3994]

@@eartianwerewolf didn't the guy making the Bowie biopic *not* get the rights to use his songs?

[@TheaterPup]

If it was entirely due to the music, Magical Mystery Tour and that Bee Gees Sgt. Pepper would have been hits. I have no problem "admitting" I enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, and not just for the music.

[@LateralNoise]

I actually screamed "YES!" out loud when you brought up Love & Mercy. Thank you! It's one of my favorite movies period: a career best performance from John Cusack, an incredible & innovative score from Atticus Ross, and a phenomenal debut from director Bill Pohlad. Here's hoping he directs another film before long...

[@darkelmo2023]

Almost cried when Patrick struggled to get out of bed, but still prevailed on his own. Such a moving scene 😢

[@oof-rr5nf]

_He... He was so cold..._

[@samwallaceart288]

And that single shot of his friend looking on with pride ... osukar material

[@ShadowRubberDuck]

He needs more blankets and less blankets

[@TheCinemaMonologues]

Ironically, 2 of the best musical biopics are 'Inside Llewyn Davis' which is about a fictional musician and 'Amadeus', where Mozart is a supporting character in his own film and most of the movie is shot through Salieri's perspective For some other interesting ones i'd recommend 'Barbara', the biopic of a French singer from the point of view of a director trying to make a film about Barbara, as well as 2 documentaries : 'Amy' and Jean-Luc Godard's 'Sympathy for the Devil' which is entirely focused on the creative process.

[@Asummersdaydreamer14]

Just going to leave a link to the song Please Mr. Kennedy from "Inside Llewyn Davis" because it's a demonstration of entertaining music and the goofy delivery of Adam Driver singing about 'outer space' is just good fun. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmrHc4KfadOHo5o

[@pedrobuson5880]

Actually Inside Llewin Davis has some basis on reality, on the life of Dave Van Ronk, a folk musician who just played old songs and never had much success. I saw an interview with the Coen brothers and one of them pitched to the other "What if we make a movie that starts with Dave Van Ronk getting his ass kicked while Bob Dylan is playing?". Apparently, this is how Inside Llewin Davis started.

[@jasonblalock4429]

I'd also toss Velvet Goldmine in there, even if it's technically fictional. The way it resuses the Citizen Kane framework was really clever, and would be a good way to frame a real biopic. (Although they'd need to do a better job of disguising it.)

[@MagmaInfinity]

I would put Behind the Candelabra and The Pianist on that list too.

[@TheCinemaMonologues]

@@MagmaInfinity Yes, Behind the Candalabra is fantastic !

[@lauramiller1967]

This Is Spinal Tap is the best music biopic ever made

[@JP-qn2gu]

What about 'Walk Hard :- The Dewey Cox story'. Both might be the best satire on music biopics

[@jakejakejakey]

That's a mockumentary, though.

[@ja9luvs2befree]

@@jakejakejakey R/whosh 😂😂😂😂😂 lol get rekted On a serious note, these people are annoying

[@DsRelaxingSounds]

Almost. Bad News from the English 80s show The Comic Strip Presents is even better. (Although that was probably based on This is Spinal Tap.)

[@deliquescencemusic]

D love Bad News. Strangely enough, they were made at exactly the same time. Both comedy troupes hatched the idea simultaneously : )

[@noah_the_nerd]

Patrick's telling us we need to start making biopic trilogies.

[@felizpanda]

Noah Akkerman You know, if you pitch it like that, studios might actually listen...

[@owencantwell-kelly1544]

@@felizpanda See the funny thing is right after I walk out of Bohemian Rhapsody I thought exactly the same thing. I was talking to my cousin about making like a limited 'The Crown' style series about David Bowie. That's the only way really to accurately cover a whole life if that's what you want to do

[@ErmenBlankenberg]

Let's think bigger. What about music biopic cinematic universes, huh?

[@JustKrin]

@@ErmenBlankenberg the rise to fame of every musician and culminates in an avengers style supergroup movie? That doesn't sound half bad

[@goodial]

@@ErmenBlankenberg just another in patrick h. willems ever growing list of original cinematic universes ;)

[@samuelmartin2992]

I think we can all agree that "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" is the greatest music biopic of all time. Edit: Damn, the actual video beat me to it.

[@chiara1194]

I know...such a great Glen Campbell/Johnny Cash/Brian Wilson biopic.

[@RM-es3zu]

Wrong kid died

[@esotericVideos]

You ain't half the boy that Nate was. You ain't even half the boy that the top half of Nate was after you cut him in half.

[@RM-es3zu]

@@esotericVideos so you're saying i'm not even a quarter of the boy Nate was?

[@esotericVideos]

@@RM-es3zu This might be my favorite joke in any movie ever.

[@silasnichholson2575]

Rocket man seems to avoid a good amount of these tropes, AND it uses Elton Johns music in a interesting and fantastic way by going full on MUSICAL. Capturing what the songs were trying to say and applying it to moments in Eltons Life.

[@crptpyr]

Yeah, it's really the only music biopic I actually like

[@jeff-6943]

@@crptpyr if you want another one, Love and Mercy is a great one. It’s about Brian Wilson and talks about his life in 60’s and 80’s.

[@amymormino3029]

It’s a pity this movie came out after this video. It does contain some of the standard beats but I like its personal tone (probably because Elton John had some involvement in the film). It felt like Elton telling us how he saw his life.

[@muriela.4673]

Great video as always. I would also quote "I, Tonya" as a movie that cleverly subverts some of the biopic tropes. The framing device is built around a crew filming a documentary, and the protagonists are established from the start as unreliable narrators. This allows for some clever use of breaking the fourth wall that reminds you of this meta-level of narration in the movie, and, while the narration is clearly sympathetic to Tonya, doesn't pretend to be a definitive life story, and always cast doubt upon what you're seeing. And by focusing on the 1994 "incident" (as they call it, not without irony, in the movie), the narration is tight, with no triumphant comeback at the end, with the ending playing very much as a bittersweet tragedy (plus all-around great performances)

[@emigrant1510]

I have no clue as to what that Acadmy saw on Darkest Hour (even though I like it) and The Post to not nominate I, Tonya instead.

[@scottlapier4797]

I, Tonya was an incredible movie. The 'body guard' absolutely stole the show

[@Pinkladyisv]

Muriel A. It was really fantastic and I agree it wasn’t as predictable as some of these music bio movies.

[@Amandanumnum]

Couldn’t agree more

[@ktsb1563]

I think that's why "I, Tonya" worked. They weren't focused on telling the story that Tonya or Jeff or anyone on the Olympic team or the public wanted to tell, they were focused on making a good movie. Movie first, biopic second. It's even evident in the casting; they could've easily found actors that looked more convincing, but they decided to go with acting powerhouses in Margot, Sebastian, and Allyson. (All three even said they were not setting out to play true portrayals of the real people, but characters.) They used the true story to make a movie about abuse and poverty, rather than just a girl that was good at ice skating and was in a fucked up situation. Tonya's life story was more of a setting for the theme and message rather than just an awkward, forced plot, like in Bohemian Rhapsody, for example. I do enjoy biopics, and I did enjoy Bohemian Rhapsody as entertainment, but "I, Tonya" is one of the best biopics I've seen (even if I 100% do not believe that Jeff thought that the $1000 was going to send a only threatening note to Nancy Kerrigan, but what do I know?) Even though it's not about a musician, the filmmakers had the opportunity to use this formula, and they did to an extent but with much more intention than others. (to be fair, I think it's helpful that there seemed to be a lot less political nonsense in the making of "I, Tonya" than in BoRhap, but still)

[@SamAronow]

The existence of movies like this over a decade after Walk Hard is like if they kept making straight old-school John Ford westerns after Blazing Saddles.

[@equusquaggaquagga536]

Sam Aronow Or airline disaster films after "Airplane!". Oh wait. They did that.

[@vilmathealien]

This explains pretty well my thoughts on Bohemian Rhapsody. I love Queen. I love Freddie Mercury. I hated Bohemian Rhapsody. It felt fake and I was cringing most of time watching it. The people didn't feel like real people, and the story felt too polished. And if you want to see the Live Aid concert, most of it is on KZbin.

[@AJ-cq5pw]

Same. The movie is absolute garbage and I'm surprised that so many Queen fans who defend this movie aren't more upset with how the movie treated Freddie Mercury.

[@christodoula]

Anyone remember that ridiculous part where someone gets kicked out of the car during an argument and he actually lingers in the middle of the street to throw a snowball? If that was supposed to be New York, you better believe at the very least 3 guidos would yell at him to get da fuck outta da road.

[@backtoklondike]

And the sad part is that if Sasha Baron Cohen got his way, we might have seen a Freddie Mercury movie that he would've been proud of with sex, drugs, crazy parties and his larger then life persona. When somebody asked him how he wanted his life to be portrayed, Mercury said (not a direct quote): "Do whatever you want, but don't make me boring darling!"

[@Evan15]

Moiz Jafferji I think they did the best with celebrating what he’s created rather then just showing the drugs and sex because nobody truly knows what Freddie would’ve actually wanted because he’s not alive to speak his opinion.

[@GameyRaccoon]

@@christodoula woah you're just gonna drop the g word???

[@moneytimesfifteen]

I was hoping the "Do It Like Marty" segment was going to be about how Back to the Future is a perfect biopic

[@antzpantz]

THIS IS YOUR COUSIN, MARVIN BERRY. YOU KNOW THAT NEW SOUND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

[@VicenteTorresAliasVits]

Me too!

[@gonesnake2337]

I was hoping it was about Ernest Borgnine's film 'Marty'

[@charlieni645]

It seems the whole genre is a microcosm of the "there is no meaning, there is only lore" approach of how people consume pop culture these days. The filmmakers only care about delivering the basic facts about the subjects' lives and stringing them together with some dramatic flourish instead of conveying messages or revealing larger truths about what made their lives special.

[@pennyfarting]

That's a pretty good point. It's like the newer Star Wars movies, which seem much less interested in telling satisfying, well-executed stories than in adding bullet points to the wiki.

[@oof-rr5nf]

No wonder I find most biopics so boring.

[@maximeteppe7627]

@@pennyfarting to be fair, this is not really true of "the last jedi". Sure the movie has flaws and weaknesses, but it has a core theme of breaking from tradition and expectations and forging a new path.

[@pennyfarting]

And that theme is poorly executed in the context of the film and exists solely to advance "the lore" of the series rather than to tell a singular, satisfying, well-told story.

[@tnuoccaeht]

Nobody wants to put in the effort.

[@TheBurkissWay]

Reminds me of VH1's Behind the Music. Formulaic: childhood, growing up, making it big, Then It All Went Wrong, inspirational ending (either overcoming hardship or the legacy left after they're gone). They were so committed to the formula that when they did a straight-faced episode on Weird Al Yankovic, the closest thing they could find for It All Went Wrong was that Polka Power didn't sell quite as well as the other albums. "I had to buy a MEDIUM-size jacuzzi!"

[@submortimer]

And then they made a formulaic biopic about him, except most of it was made up.because Weird Al is a cinnamon roll of a human being.

[@thezplayer3002]

​@@submortimer i love how he's dead in the ending, truly a parody of biopics

[@kumquatlich]

No film does song writing quite as well as Sing Street.

[@oof-rr5nf]

That film was so sweet.

[@patromo]

Hustle and Flow, I love the whoop that trick scene

[@seamac206]

@@patromo people don't respect rap enough to agree with you

[@rafael3893]

man of culture

[@isitamoguel]

One of my favorite movies

[@jliller]

I'd be interested in a Fleetwood Mac biopic that starts with Buckingham & Nicks joining in 1975 and only covers about 5 years. Three albums, three shattered romantic relationships, and a whirlwind of cocaine. Like the Oasis biopic, there is plenty of real-life tension between the main characters to drive the plot.

[@94dfk1]

Heck, I think you could make two films out of that. Part 1 and Part 2. Fleetwood Mac is rife with material.

[@gonesnake2337]

@Eddie at The LMV 'Second Hand News' I great title but there's no way it wouldn't be called 'The Chain'

[@rawyld]

Ohh that would be interesting considering the songs were to one another of someone cheating, divorce or something else and that was on there first album.

[@alskndlaskndal]

I would watch that.

[@lastguyminn2324]

Just the making of Rumours would be an awesome movie...a band at each other's throats...the breakups of Lindsey/Stevie, Christine/John, and Mick and his wife...the mountains of cocaine...the excess...the egos...and somehow one of the greatest albums in rock history came out of all that pain and discord. It would be amazing.

[@SeppukuDoll]

I was moved to tears by Bohemian Rhapsody, but it was when the movie ended and the actual Queen footage for Don't Stop Me Now started.

[@Vincente22]

I just realized that all the sketch parts of this video and its structure fit into the formula and that's simply genius

[@segamble1679]

All his videos as of late do that. It's pretty brilliant.

[@caitlinroseblaney226]

It’s smart... do we have to use the word “genius” for anything creative or smart now?

[@mrypXnlDKr]

@@caitlinroseblaney226 yes we do because of the normalization of shitty content on youtube. Anything that isn't bad is called great, and everything well made is amazing and genius. I still like this video.

[@caitlinroseblaney226]

Tree Beast I’m not angry lol 😂 it’s just a huge stretch to say that making the commentary into a meta-commentary is “genius”.

[@Trxpamvs]

So Pat you basically did a 30 min video on how much you wanna do an oasis biopic? THATS DEDICATION!!!

[@jardelelias5625]

I would watch it if there was commentary by Noel Galagher saying nothing makes sense.

[@dlbkelly1]

But his Oasis movie does sound good, so fair play. As soon as he said "Oasis biopic", I did immediately think that the only way to do it would be a tight focus on the Knebworth-Be Here Now period, so I'm glad Patrick gets that too.

[@killergoose7643]

It would need subtitles in the US

[@matthewmarr8513]

biblical

[@Trxpamvs]

I think a Michael Jackson biopic with the focus on identity would be very cool, seeing as how his skin changed from black to white plus the kind of musical transition he was having during that era focusing on his identity as a human being & musician would be very nice.

[@theMoporter]

The Simpsons did the B Sharps episode in 1993. 26 years ago.

[@URBONED]

I am so glad you brought up Love & Mercy as your key example of a good biopic. I was thinking about it non stop from the very beginning of the video hoping you had atleast seen it. I highly recommend people to check it out. It's so nice to see a film (specifically a music biopic) that has some artistic integrity behind it

[@notyourdad]

I'd completely forgot about that one for some reason, but it was really good.

[@luciddreams7540]

I second that. It was so specific to Wilson's life. Paul Dano was amazing in it. Bohemian Rhapsody made up the "band breaking up" bit just to hit that "alienating everyone" beat, and the Mike Myers character just to get that "people not believing in them" beat. It really was only successful because the music's so classic and the performances were so dedicated.

[@rattyeely]

"La Bamba" is a musican biopic that doesn't follow this formula, because it builds it's story around the relationship between Ritchie and his brother, so instead of ending on a freeze frame or his death, it ends on his brother reacting to his death. It's not a perfect biopic by any measure and still follows the formula to a degree, but the concept of focusing on someone close to the famous person instead of just the famous person themselves makes it stand out amongst other biopics

[@theobuniel9643]

And speaking of musicians with tragic ends to their lives, "Control" is a great example too, because like how you describe "La Bamba", it's not just a story about Ian Curtis, it's also a story about his wife Deborah's relationship with him, and how she could never fully understand how he really feels. And the ending is pretty fucking heartwrenching.

[@meep9231]

Exactly, I think that biopics in thee sense, should be based off of perspectives of people close to the person they’re telling. Maybe for a Nirvana biopic they could focus on the relationship between Kurt and Krist

[@rosebyanyname]

This is why one of the best biopics ever made, IMO, is Tim Burton's "Ed Wood." He picked a subject that had a compelling life story, then showed a single period of his life with the most professional and personal struggles, and still had space to stylize it. It's by no means a one-to-one retelling, but the liberties are understandable and the movie is effective.

[@timbates12]

This video reminded me of my favourite musical biopic of the last few years, if only because it's not really a music biopic: Nowhere Boy, about the few months/year as a teenager when John Lennon went from layabout delinquent to young man wanting to make music. It's not really a music biopic, because the music is never the focus of the story, even though Paul and George are in it, and you see things like John and Paul writing, John learning to play guitar, John's first band, etc. The focus is always on John as a person, and the real miracle the film pulls off is by making you forget about the global success of The Beatles, and what their music represents to you after the fact, and what the music meant to HIM at the time; how it became an outlet for his frustration and energy, or an escape from a really chaotic home life. The fact that his little band becomes the biggest band in music history is utterly irrelevant; 'The Beatles' never get named at all. But you come away with a much richer understanding of who John Lennon was., and it's wonderful. Highly recommended, even if you're not a big fan of their music. PS. It even does the ending text thing, and honestly, the information the text conveyed made me cry my eyes out.

[@jmorales09]

I love how it subverted the genre tropes, but overall I found it to be a pretty uninteresting movie. I didn't really feel an emotional connection to any of the characters.

[@timbates12]

@@jmorales09 That's fair enough. I really connected with John, so I guess that carried me through it.

[@emigrant1510]

It still took some liberties (some of which, I didn't like) but yeah, at least it dared to be different.

[@feeno1188]

I love this film. It's so nice and charming and all that. I like it so much it was one of my main reason to go to Liverpool.

[@moshyura]

Thank you so much for sharing this recommendation. Watching this video made me scour over my collection of music films; I stopped on a recent 2017 documentary of the Beatles, remembering how bored I was when I watched it. The most influential band in the world, made boring. Never listened to them before that properly. Gonna watch Nowhere Boy ASAP though and try to redeem the feelings.

[@Alec.V.]

Bohemian Rhapsody really shows how an ending can impact my opinion on a movie. I loved it when we first saw it, and it was likely because of the Live Aid scene.

[@BigFatCock0]

Rogue One is exactly the same. Amazing final scene that made me forget how fucking boring that movie is.

[@HoovyTube]

I wanted to leave during Live Aid honestly.

[@dylan9025]

Was I the only one who hated the Live Aid scene? The movie just stops right at the climax to show us a beat for best remake of the show for like twenty goddamn minutes

[@Radien]

I'm afraid I enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, and in retrospect it's because of a sincere desire to experience the musical career of a band that was around before my time. I enjoyed the Live Aid segment in much the same way that I might have enjoyed an actual concert. I also went in expecting the exact same formula that Patrick outlined here, even though I wasn't nearly as conscious of it as I am after this video. I wonder what Patrick would say about other movies that imitate or parody the musical biopic formula, such as That Thing You Do.

[@ethant055]

Live aid scene started out great but went on far too long for me. Could've halved it and still got the same or better effect

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

I can't believe you didn't mention _Josie and the Pussycats._

[@JBaum55]

@NIA JACKSON Yeah, but the movie follows a similar formula to the music biopic as it follows the band as they rise to fame and have to deal with it. It's kinda like Walk Hard where it makes fun of those tropes and concepts. However, Walk Hard is more a direct parody of music biopics and the tropes/structures within them, while Josie is more a general satire of the classic rags-to-riches band story, which is probably why it wasn't covered in this. Good film too, though.

[@StephenLewisUniverse]

I completely forgot that movie existed and I had seen it several times as a kid!

[@ethanyoder9953]

William KZbin? Of the Connecticut KZbins?

[@mchedrick3173]

The very same.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

Surprised they didn't go through his cousin, Marvin KZbin.

[@AlexR2648]

William KZbin never returns my calls 😒

[@mchedrick3173]

@Jonathan Eilbeck I heard they do things different down there in Louisiana, with their nudity and such.

[@whoknowswhocares885]

Cousin of Red KZbin?

[@lavafire2]

The acting in Bohemian Rhapsody was amazing, but that's honestly the only noteworthy thing about the entire movie. If you take out Rami Malek's stellar performance you're stuck with a long, boring, cliche movie with no actual message and does no justice to the man they claim they're trying to depict.

[@TheRachaelLefler]

Yeah... It's a good actor stuck in a dull movie.

[@willpbh9694]

The only good thing about Bohemian Rhapsody is Rami Malek and the music. That's it! And they didn't even have to do the music

[@smugcat723]

Control, the biopic of Ian Curtis/Joy Division is a fantastic example of a biopic. The fact that every actor is actually playing the music and seem like an actual band really qualifies the movie

[@yPGzRicardo]

That's why I like Nowhere Boy. The movie IS a music biopic but it makes a conscious effort to steer away from that formula by completely avoiding any of the actual "Beatles era".

[@louismackey1438]

Roger S. I loved the movie but I think the main reason they steered away from the Beatles era was because there wouldn’t have been a clear place to stop, meaning it would go for about 10 hours

[@WDESJ3]

I hope there isn't a Pink Floyd biopic in the near future because THE WALL is a Pink Floyd biopic in a way only they could do

[@theskoolmustard00]

Nobody wants to watch a movie about a band where all 4-5 members hated one another and couldn't ever get along nor see a manic drug addict assault his girlfriend

[@kuntalhalder]

@@theskoolmustard00 dude i'd pay all my money to watch how pink floyd came up with shine on you crazy diamond

[@Guitarmadillo1]

you might enjoy this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZOwY5Jjf8p3q7s

[@tonywords6713]

Personally I’d love to make or see one about Syd Barrett that plays it very loose and deals more with consciousness fame and memory. Sort of a mindfuck psychedelic experience art house type film. One where remaining Pink Floyd is barely mentioned or seen. I could see something similar working for Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, or Kurt Cobain.

[@bigboy-qi7sf]

tonywords This please

[@BrendanJSmith]

If they ever make a Pink Floyd biopic, it NEEDS to be about the band's relationship with Syd Barrett and how he affected them with his creativity, his persona, and especially his absence from the group. We could start with them right after the mega-success of Dark Side of the Moon but instead of riding that high they're all bitter towards each other and they're having a hard time working together as a group. The whole film would be about the making of Wish You Were Here and how the album is about Syd. We could see flashbacks as they work on it to show how real events inspired the music like how the band formed, Syd's drug abuse, David Gilmour joining only to soon replace Syd entirely, Roger taking creative control over the band leading to their big success, among other things. I can already see the climax in my head: the famous encounter when Syd visited the studio while they were mixing Shine On You Crazy Diamond and he was so overweight and messed up by the drugs that his former bandmates couldn't even recognize him. That's the kind of scenario that a bad biopic would make up just to force some emotional weight but it actually happened! But knowing Roger Waters, we'll probably never see a Pink Floyd biopic as long as he's still alive.

[@amitklain4199]

"If you don't like this movie you don't like Freddie Mercury", an actual quote by an actual person.

[@oof-rr5nf]

lmao

[@visualvellichor6273]

Oh God, no 😂😂 another one that I hate is “fans love it, critics hate it. Typical Queen” as a way to justify the movie. Freddy was revolutionary, this movie is as basic as it can be and the only good thing about it is Rami and the music.

[@neuralmute]

@@visualvellichor6273 You nailed it. The acting and the music were great. The script they had to work with was boring as hell. The fact that I still enjoyed the damn movie is a testament to just how good the acting was, and how much I enjoy over 2 hrs of nonstop Queen.

[@lucyl9816]

I loved the movie, but that's just bullshit

[@whoknowswhocares885]

The movie did a shit job of portraying Mercury’s personally

[@dfolz1101]

Walk hard is a cult hit for sure. All the kids that saw it, and loved it, caught it on DVD later because we weren't old enough to see it in theaters yet.

[@Posiman]

My most favourite music biopic is 24 Hour Party People. It's just amazing in its self-awareness, acknowledging the revisionism. Most importantly, it's not a story about brilliance but a story about failure. It dares to portray all of its heroes as self-important obnoxious assholes and makes them all absolutely lovable and very relatable in the process. but film about David Bowie should it's also a great tribute to the music itself. This is what filmmakers need to realize, the film should reflect the music, what it means. A film about Sex Pistols should be loud and ugly. A film about David Bowie should be glamorous and otherwordly.

[@hotelmario510]

This is kind of what I like about _Rocketman_ despite its flaws - it is at least an extremely glammy film with lots of over-the-top special effects.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

How do you think a David Bowie biopic would play off the fact that he raped a good deal of underage girls?

[@ulrikesextro4187]

There is now a Film about David Bowie: Moonage Daydream

[@IndyFilmProductions]

I'm still interested in Rocketman due to the magical realism angle they're going with and the fact that it's a full blown musical in a nondiogetic way

[@MysteryMii]

Maybe that will be the film that breaks the mold.

[@owencantwell-kelly1544]

Desperately hoping it will be more like a musical rather than a biopic - that would be awesome

[@justinmonisit5932]

Welp now I'm hyped. Thanks for telling!

[@spencerbrodsky359]

I am really excited about this one. Even if the trailer hits on many of the tropes from the genre.

[@CIDILIABRA]

Oooh I'm excited

[@jxomxo]

This is why I love the film Control so much. It's less focused on being a Wikipedia article on the tragically short life of Ian Curtis from the band Joy Division but it actually takes its time to feel like it's own story in a much more _real_ light than Bohemian Rhapsody or Ray did.

[@celinak5062]

+

[@magicalmeadows5163]

Control is probably one of the best music biopics ever made about Ian Curtis.

[@hypnodelica]

If the Buddy Holly story was made today it wouldn't start with him as a kid learning to play guitar - it would start with him walking in slow motion up the steps of the plane he died on... then it would flashback to him as a kid learning to play the guitar...

[@average_peanut_fan3059]

Oooweeeooo

[@spellman007]

Me personally, my favourite music biopic is Jesus Christ Superstar.

[@Asmr_kungfu]

Daemon Amdusias exept, it’s not

[@calvinfeustel2147]

Boooooooooo.

[@LPTV84]

@@Asmr_kungfu he said his favorite, not yours

[@johnnye87]

I have to admit, when he was talking about flashing forward from troubled childhood to discovery and superstardom, skipping everything in between, I did think "Hey, that's the New Testament!"

[@arabesque1]

me too, Judas had some pipes man

[@alexgarrett9453]

Love & Mercy is a perfect example of a "non-traditional" music biopic. It's a fantastic movie, and I highly recommend watching it if you are into the Beach Boys.

[@1rustyray]

Yes! This was great. I loved it.

[@CynicalHistorian]

I've been saying some of this stuff for years. Basically, filmmakers need to tell the stories they're capable of, not cradle-to-grave biopics, but pick their battles. You do need to be careful with the term "revisionist," but your use was acceptable. The usage of that term can easily play into bad ideologies.

[@rorqualmaru]

Policing language in and of itself plays into bad ideologies.

[@CynicalHistorian]

@@rorqualmaru Careful usage is not the same as "policing." Reactionaries are ignorant of that term's definition, and it sounds like you're coming from that same place, which is precisely the bad ideology I speak of

[@rorqualmaru]

The Cynical Historian “reactionaries” eh? Sounds like you’re firmly entrenched within a bad ideology’s framework yourself.

[@fiorefiore9910]

If walk hard came out now (after Bohemian Rhapsody) it would probably be a success because now it's evident that musical biopics are losing their power

[@Discosaturn]

But how long will this latest trend of music biopics last? That's why every singer and band deserves it now. Let's see how successful 'Rocketman' becomes on the box office a few months from now and what happens to biopics after that.

[@AndroidsDontDance]

I mean, bohemian Rhapsody got nominated for a lot of Oscars. And it score Malik an Oscar. I promise we'll see more in the next award season.

[@JohnDRuddyMannyMan]

I love how this video completely inaccurately depicts the long and arduous process of making a KZbin video! Nicely done ;)

[@dcaouki]

I always loved 24 hour party - focusing on the manager, with the key personalities all being interesting side characters. Also I love Steve Coogan and fourth wall breaking

[@sue_m]

that was a bizarre movie - primarily because of the fourth wall breaking. but yes, i do like how it focused on the manager and his company, instead of the individual musicians. side note - i would have never even heard of that movie if andy serkis hadn't mentioned it in his book. :) but i'm glad i saw it - like topsy turvy, it's great if you're playing a game of 'six degrees of british actors.' :D

[@1965official]

@@sue_m Yes, 24 hour party is awesome!

[@MicahEdmonds]

Music biopics with an artist focus like this are broken ideas from the outset. The artist themselves already told their story in their music - if someone wants to know about them, everything they thought someone needed to know is already there. I've always preferred biopics centered around one major event in that person's career, not an overlook of what they did.

[@KookiesNolly]

Micah Edmonds very interesting perspective. I guess I never thought of it this way 🙂. Thanks

[@SlapadelicMusic]

walk hard singlehandedly killed this genre by parodying it so perfectly while also having incredible music and performances of its own. one of my favorite films ever

[@JayAyers]

10,000 didgeridoo!

[@Carina5707]

Throughout this whole video I was just like, "Damn, hasn't he seen Love and Mercy?" I was so pleased when you praised it as one of the best biopics. IT'S SO GOOD. All the performances are just outstanding, but Paul Giamatti is phenomenal. I've never hated a character more.

[@historicalentertainment3736]

i clicked on this video just so he might talk about it.

[@prezdabeast6264]

I agree - Love and Mercy deserves so much credit for being a cohesive story about mental illness and not a Wikipedia article about Brian Wilson

[@prezdabeast6264]

Also I’m very glad to see I’m Not There featured here, that’s one of my favorite films period

[@caitlinroseblaney226]

Just finished watched the “John Adams” miniseries starring Paul Giamatti. It was outstanding

[@blurplebird13]

This is precisely the reason I clicked on the video too. Love and Mercy is absolutely beautiful

[@chriscorben-green2640]

With the video ending on giving an idea for a Oasis bio-pic,I'm surprised Patrick did not mention Michael Winterbottom's outstanding bio-pic look at the Manchester music scene of the 70's-mid 90's: 24 Hour Party People (2002).

[@Langolyer2010]

I think in the «Love & Mercy» portrayal of creative process was done rather well. Oh damn, he mentioned it later. Patrick knows his shit.

[@yanceynitzsche5115]

I am dyin' for a Pink Floyd biopic that covers the Syd Barret era up to The Wall, but I fear exactly what you are talking about. Syd had the prototypical rise and fall via drug use (albeit super-accelerated), and the band had all the infighting and dramatics that screenwriters could very easily slot them into the formula, but their aesthetic was so unconventional (ie. the fusion of visuals with the aural experience and the weighty themes of their music) that their story demands something more art-house than mass-market. Maybe the book I have been planning to write should be a screenplay instead... *chin stroke* Where's my heroin...?

[@Ellionart]

Thats the thing though, Pink Floyd went off and became famous without Syd Barret. That doesnt quiet fit into the formula, does it?

[@ericgollinger367]

Big fan of Rock 'n Roll movies. I dig Alan Parker and Martin Scorsese. Let's do this! Email me.

[@zachreddy]

Ellionart kinda fits into a formula with Backbeat though...

[@TheMovieslingers]

Completely agree with the Wikipedia article thing. That's exactly what I felt watching Bohemian Rhapsody !! Like the screenwriter read Wikipedia and made a checklist of important things to show LoL

[@krautgazer]

And the frustrating part is that it's not even accurate; it doesn't work even as a Wikipedia film. Freddie and the band learning about his AIDS diagnosis before the Live Aid? "We Will Rock You" being composed in 1980? Hell, Freddie only went solo AFTER Roger Taylor and Brian May had released solo albums themselves, so all that drama about releasing a solo album is no big deal. It's not a great film and it's also not a great docudrama/Wikipedia article-type of film because it doesn't do justice to either cinema or reality. It's really a thing that doesn't know what to say. P.S.: I'm not saying film or even a biopic should be strictly realistic but make up your mind on what you want to make.

[@emigrant1510]

Anthony McCarten is quicky becoming known as the guy who makes biopics based on their Wikipedia pages.

[@ryksdavies]

Tbh, Rocketman is one of the best music biopics. In Rocketman, the jumpy montages and weird transitions in the story are portrayed by fantasy like musical numbers. The way we see everything from Elton's dream like perspective keeps the focus on him. This way, it leans away from a lot of the problems other biopics like it have. In Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie cant decide who the focus is on, the band, or freddie. Rocketman retains the format, but breaks it at the same time. It starts near the end of the movie but not at a good point. It starts with an AA meeting. Elton narrarates some parts of his life to the others. Then it goes to his childhood. In his childhood, the fantasy aspect remains, we sorta grow along with Elton and his imagination. You would have to watch it to understand but its honestly a masterpiece.

[@YungM.D.]

In the 2010s we also had Miles Ahead, which nobody remembers. It’s a Miles Davis movie. Biopics that are actually good: Lawrence of Arabia Malcolm X Goodfellas (loosely) Howl Amadeus The Buddy Holly Story Coal Miner’s Daughter The Wolf of Wall Street The Elephant Man Schindler’s List Sweet Dreams The Hurricane Monster (2003) Raging Bull La Bamba The big secret to a successful biopic? Focus and a purpose. Each of these biopics listed above creates either a stylized telling that helps the life story feel more impactful, or goes for zeroing in on some sort of key struggle or event in the person’s own life. Some of these also do great because they know to take their time developing the story, as some of these films are 2 1/2- 3 1/2 Hours long, yet keep their stories focused and the events don’t feel as much like a checklist as a natural progression that has actually developed over a long time. Edit: it’s also okay to bend History a bit (all of these films do to an extent) if it serves making the film a good story. There’s always History books for people to read up on. A film still has to be artistic and emotionally impactful. Now, I’m not saying just make shit up. But if you need to blend certain periphery figures together or cut out some superfluous details, it’s okay. Edit 2: Here’s to examples to contrast what I mean: Malcolm X- due to rumored threats from Louis Farrakhan (Who was still kind of scary in the early 90s), Spike Lee made up a fictional stand-in for him in order to not get on the bad side of the guy who probably had Malcolm killed in the first place. Totally reasonable and understandable change that doesn’t effect the life story all that much. Example 2- Bad: Despite Ray Charles being involved in the production of Ray and Jamie Foxx doing an impressive impression, one thing I cannot forgive the film for is the scene where Ray tries to convince his mistress to abort their illegitimate baby and then tells her to beat it. It is known that Ray Charles welcomed all his children into his life, even his illegitimate ones, and never backed out on his responsibility as a father. This change not only is a cheap ploy to show what a “dark place” Ray is in, but also completely misrepresents what kind of a person he was in order to have some more drama in this dry and boring film.

[@lysergicserpent7676]

Young MC I enjoyed Miles Ahead but don't remember it well enough to know whether it passes Patrick's criteria for what not to do. IIRC tho it did a lot more to explore and develop the "character" of Miles Davis rather than act as a mere superficial tour through his life. Also Don Cheadle kicked ass in it. His performance was an obvious labor of love.

[@ethant055]

A good list but missing some crucial big hitters as there are an awful lot of biopics. The Social Network comes immediately to mind. And although I'd say it's not to the calibre of these films if I'm to be unbiased, but I personally adore First Man.

[@oof-rr5nf]

@@ethant055 Man. Thinking of The Social Network just reminds of how Fincher knew what a dick Zuckerberg is years before I caught on.

[@YungM.D.]

ethant055 totally forgot that one. My b

[@kostajovanovic3711]

La bamba is good?

[@JoshuaFagan]

Scorsese is good at making biopics because they're biopics by incident, not by design. Goodfellas, for instance, isn't about Henry Hill because Scorsese thinks he's interesting. It's about Henry Hill because Scorsese wanted to explore what would drive someone to desire the life of a gangster even considering how immoral and dangerous it is.

[@butchjohnson9736]

Exactly that and to be fair the Wolf of Wallstreet rehashes a lot of the Good Fellas techniques.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

They are biopics by design.

[@DJKento]

I want to give a huge shout out to Amadeus as being one of the most interesting and beautiful biopics. IT doesn't do many of these tropes, and it also is told from the perspective of the villain, Antonio Salieri. The story isn't so much of Mozart's success but rather the guilt Salieri feels for his actions, of robbing the world of it's greatest composer... his jealousy and madness... I love this film so much.

[@BrendanJSmith]

There's a reason why there haven't been ANY Mozart movies after Amadeus.

[@cieproject2888]

A central facet of how Amadeus manages to be such a good film is that it just straight-up fictionalizes much of the story. The characters are written in ways that make them dramatically interesting, rather than historically accurate. Mozart is written largely as a projection about Salieri's fears of his own inadequacy, rather than as a full creative musician on his own. Great film, but basically untrue in all but the most basic facts of its history

[@LOTWStudios]

This was a great analysis! Despite not really being too familiar with the music biopic genre as a whole, I did notice a lot of formulas that you mentioned within Bohemian Rhapsody. I couldn't help but laugh at how they portrayed the band's creative process and the way they messed around with history also got to me too. I also totally agree that a biopic about a particular era of a band, such as the recording of a particular album, would make for a much better narrative for a movie and would prevent it from being a cinematic Wikipedia page. Personally, I would really love to see a biopic about the recording of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. I feel like the behind the scenes drama and how it influenced the writing of the music would make for a really great movie, in the right hands

[@Gemnist98]

A Fleetwood Mac biopic? Hot damn, I'd personally finance that.

[@felipwild]

A movie about Rumors would be AWESOME!

[@MrJonnyPepper]

They should make a biopic about a musician that never got famous

[@joeypethan5083]

You mean like Inside Lewyn Davis?

[@Gemnist98]

Have you seen the documentary Searching for Sugar Man? That's the most ironic yet touching story about a musician that never got famous - or so he thought.

[@theleap2946]

They did do a good documentary on Death, one of the first punk bands. That would make a good biopic.

[@kostajovanovic3711]

@@theleap2946 there are two bands named death, right?

[@bobunitone]

@@kostajovanovic3711 yes, the punk band and the death metal band (my favorite)

[@sydneynordhagen7891]

Things that I loved about Rocketman: great portrayal of the creative process and friendship between Elton and Bernie, subversion of some tropes and forumulae bc it's hella (and accurately) queer, shot less like a prestige film and more campy/silly. There are more, but those are points that this video made me think of. :)

[@jenniferschillig3768]

I loved the sense that it was Elton John's life story, as told by Elton John--hence the musical numbers and glitz. (The tagline was: "based on a true fantasy.")

[@Multifixated]

Honestly I don’t know why Rocketman was such a sleeper. It’s so much fucking better than BR, BR felt insulting to me like as a gay man. Rocketman felt like watching my struggle.

[@etherealsky7078]

Zalgo Zenedetti Rocketman is what Bohemian Rhapsody should have been. Super disappointed that BR was the more successful/popular one out of the two.

[@petergermain8443]

wait... chadwick boseman played black panther, jackie robinson AND james brown?

[@tristanhartup4936]

Pretty much

[@MrWillcapone]

And Thurgood Marshall

[@MrAdamloring1985]

Yes. He’s very good as James Brown. The movie isn’t that good. But he’s great.

[@LegoJunk128]

Within like 3 years of each other too lol

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

And Ernie Davis.

[@ifilmstuf24]

Good shoutout to Love and Mercy, which has been ignored for far too long.

[@wengo4602]

Can we please get a fleetwood Mac biopic around the rumours album

[@blokey8]

Hell yes.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

God, people wouldn’t believe it was real. Fleetwood Mac were cartoonishly dysfunctional even for rock stars. The Beatles? Creedence? Nothing in comparison.

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

That not even the best story. How about the time where one of their principle members suddenly joined a cult mid-tour, and to finish the tour, they had to call in the band's founder to return. Or the time where the lead guitarist had an affair with the drummer's wife, they fired him and canceled the tour, so their manager made a fake Fleetwood Mac to play the tour instead, and they could no longer tour or release music under that name. Or the straight up debauchery in their early shows that ended when they played in Texas and decided they didn't want to get lynched. Or any of the other tour stories.

[@le0nSe8]

Now more than ever 💯

[@jackelliott6685]

I saw Walk Hard twice in the cinema but my effort was not enough to save it.

[@ConnorMcCartney95]

It's not like it was getting a sequel

[@CatLives9]

Same. It's a brilliant mockery of all these musical biopics. It even poked fun at tropes we saw in "Bohemian Rhapsody" that came out 11 years later.

[@jamilabrownie]

Jack' Elliott I see it on tv sometimes and it’s strange how this legendary beloved musician’s story is reduced to Joaquim Phoenix being a sweaty asshole for what felt like more than two hours.

[@alidaraie]

@@jamilabrownie Haha! Dude you're talking about the wrong movie

[@jamilabrownie]

Ali oh, well. Walk the Line counts as a formulaic biopic too.

[@blackhletherapy]

I enjoyed the cinema experience of bohemian rhapsody, but deep down, that’s probably just because of the soundtrack

[@detimeditom]

Yeah I loved it

[@felizpanda]

100%. I’m pretty sure these movies do so well not just because the formula works, but also because they’re basically guaranteed an amazing soundtrack that’ll hit you in the feels

[@killergoose7643]

I see how they're including the full Live Aid reenactment on the Blu Ray, and honestly that's probably better than the entire actual movie.

[@arians3713]

Ot because it was so perfectly recreated and acted

[@linnycrocus6023]

I will never understand why people's panties were getting so wet over the Live Aid scene. Anyone can put on a white wifebeater and lip sync. Hell there are several Queen cover bands who do a better job. If I wanted to watch Live Aid....I would just go on KZbin and watch Live Aid, lol

[@Treyworld]

'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story' is one of my absolute favorite comedy films. Also, I'm cracking up at the thought of one of the dudes from the bathroom scene in Bohemian Rhapsody telling Ramicury that he doesn't want any part of that shit. XD

[@CodyHazelleMusic]

This is why I really enjoyed Love and Mercy. Two very distinct moments in Brian Wilson's life, keeping it focused and tight, and also a lot of insight into the creative process--like showing Brian playing a prepared piano on Still Believe in Me. Or explaining to a session musician what key his song was in. Or demanding that the cellists play 8th note triplets that sound like a helicopter for an hour. Bohemian Rhapsody had them fight about "I'm in love with my car" and then... They just don't talk about it again. EDIT: I originally posted this comment before finishing the video. Glad this dude also feels the same about love and mercy.

[@TheSharbear14]

Love the shout-out to Love & Mercy. I really enjoyed that movie and I wish more people saw it.

[@kevinryan294]

A great music biopic is Sid and Nancy (1986, directed by Alex Cox)) based on life of punk bassist Sid Vicious. The music and the story of the band The Sex Pistols is background to romantic story of Sid and Nancy Spungen, two self-destructive star-crossed lovers who found and promptly destroyed each other. This was Gary Oldman’s break out performance and is one of the bleakest films ever made. There is no redemption (unless you include the taxi ride to heaven). This film takes a point of view, the relationship from hell, and does not try to shoe-horn in the story of the band. Worth watching if you have not seen it

[@tatehildyard5332]

And Carrie Brownstein's book about Sleater Kinney's early years is basically a Hollywood musical biopic but in book form. It's got everything; well documented highlights from early childhood, estranged family dynamics, random, brief cameos from other musicians who were in the same genre, a steamy but doomed romance subplot, an early rise through the scene that plays out like a montage, an experimental period where things get out of hand and band members start getting on bad terms with each other, the band falling out when the star is at their lowest point, followed by a gradual recovery. It even opens right before a SK concert with an inciting incident triggering a flashback.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Yeah, it didn’t even sugarcoat the fact that Sid Vicious was a terrible musician, and is only notable for his comically dysfunctional personal life.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

@@tatehildyard5332 Does it work better in book form than in movie form? I can imagine it does.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

Sid and Nancy is very un-commercial but very good, it’s purely about these two individuals and shows the sad downward spiral of their lives. It begins at the end but otherwise it’s pretty anti formula.

[@tatehildyard5332]

@@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168 It’s kind of the same thing. Plays very basic but most of the pleasure comes from the fan service aspect and recognizing the Easter eggs and names of the 90s Pacific Northwest alternative scene.

[@DrMadd]

A biopic I would want to make would be a Stan Lee & Jack Kirby biopic. A lot of what happened between them is shrouded in mystery due to their conflicting testimonies so if I was to make the biopic you’d see each major event from two different perspectives, Lee’s more upbeat and exaggerated perspective and Kirby’s more cynical and down to Earth perspective. The thesis of the film would be how easily the public eats up the magical version of events and mostly ignores the more realistic tellings.

[@ingonyama70]

Contrasting cinematography styles would be great as well. Not like "animated vs. live action" degrees of over-the-top, but present Lee's worldview as more saturated. vibrant and colorful, but give Kirby a more subdued, naturalistic palette (DON'T desturate his segments completely into blues or browns, that'll bore the audience right out of the theater)

[@FlorenzoFilms]

Did the 'Selena' biopic break the mold? There was no drug breakdown or rehab in that film. Unless we can consider her love story as that sort of plotline.

[@summerw.1425]

I have to say Selena is my favorite music biopic, but looking back on it, it does follow a lot of the same tropes. A lot less so, but a lot of the formula is still there. Not all biopics are EXACTLY alike. The point of the vid was more about the excessive use of the formula. The 90s were a good time for music biopics tho! Selena, Whats love Got to do with it, and The Doors were all pretty decent. The Bodygaurd wasnt really a biopic, but danm close to one lol

[@FlorenzoFilms]

@@summerw.1425 Yeah I agree. I does hit alot of the same beats. Even when not exactly following the same formula, the all do share multiple similarities. And yeah, it's my favorite as well. :)

[@theleap2946]

Selena is kinda formulaic as well, but it also presented a viable piece of information to people that never heard her style of Tejano. If anything, the movie was a good intro to a fun style of music that is easy to dance to as well as showing how she "Americanized" a traditional male oriented Mexican form of music by simply being there. I think the formula is viable if you bring someone you never really heard of into a higher prominence.

[@BriSand1993]

They also do something not really seen in any other biopics in which the movie basically starts out with her father's point of view and his anger and frustration about not being able to make it big while raising his middle class family. He is actually the driving force into making his daughter a big name because he is the one pushing all of his kids to practice for hours even when they don't want to. It isn't actually until we see Jennifer Lopez enter the film that we enter into Selena's mindset in that she loves to sing and perform but unlike her dad she can live without it because we see her other interests such as being a fashion designer and wanting to start and raise a family with her husband. Another unique thing about Selena is that she's a murder victim and the movie doesn't focus on her killer or her motivations but is simply a tribute and celebration of her life as a human being.

[@Discosaturn]

'Selena' was only made because there were already unauthorized biographies all made without the consent of her family, and it was her father who authorized the biopic to be made. The media has been releasing a lot of false rumors about her after her death and they too were telling the wrong story of her life. So Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., authorized the film as its producer and instructed how it was going to be made with its purpose: to celebrate her life and achievements and to keep her death at a distance.

[@lostpear]

One of my favorite comedies is "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" because it really hits all the tropes perfectly and blows them out of proportion. Because it came out right after Ray and Walk the Line, it's really edited well.

[@theonlymexicanman4422]

People only praised Bohemian Rhapsody because they like Queen. Also WTF was the editing nomination when it had some of the worst I’ve seen... *cough, concert montage

[@Theriot6592]

When the Academy says "Best" what they really mean is "Most." Most Editing Most Sound Mixing Most Acting

[@Glaswegiangod]

In fairness, I'd give the editor decent credit having to stitch a movie together from such a troubled production as Bohemian rhapsody's.

[@theonlymexicanman4422]

Glaswegiangod troubled, Singer got fired two weeks before shooting was done. Singer made 90% of the movie, another reason this movie shouldn’t be up there. You can nominate Rami’s performance but not the movie

[@brwi1]

But I’m only 30 and queen is my favorite band

[@emigrant1510]

Nah, if there's a horrible editing moment to be pointed out, it should be the scene where the band has dinner with Freddie's family. It went full direct-to-DVD action film editing for a goddamn simple dialogue driven scene.

[@freebirdttv]

Walk Hard is amazing. Thank you for mentioning it here.

[@doomsday519]

Bohemian Rhapsody won for best editing at the Oscars even after what went down in 15:16 in this video. What a joke.

[@jacob_filmmaker]

Maybe it won because of the live aid scene but yeah Bohemian Rhapsody shouldn't have won that oscar.

[@Wired4Life2]

​@@jacob_filmmaker The Live Aid scene *AND* editors (and with them, the entire rest of the Academy) thinking they're getting their revenge on director Bryan Singer by awarding the craftsperson arguably most responsible for salvaging the production after Singer was ousted, i.e., editor John Ottman.

[@VicenteTorresAliasVits]

@@Wired4Life2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6qWZo2AmN18nZo

[@Wired4Life2]

@@VicenteTorresAliasVits Yup. Love that guy's video essay. Haven't gotten through his reaction to Ottman apparently having seen his video essay.

[@arqumfarrukh7751]

Another approach could be to turn music biopics into TV series, so as to flesh things out a lot more if they go the “summary of a life” route.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

Limited Series and Mini-Series are re-emerging in popularity due to the nature of the market nowadays, so that could definitely be a way to explore the life of a music icon.

[@kostajovanovic3711]

The temptations anyone?

[@spaceage04]

hey Vsauce Patrick here

[@GERBOY90]

That's who I was thinking about.... Thank you

[@drewanderson3429]

I came down to the comments to make sure someone commented that

[@DsRelaxingSounds]

Yes!

[@oneinathousand2156]

Stardust isn’t being made with the approval of the subject’s family... *sweats nervously*

[@aldensteur9107]

also won't have any of his music OR Tilda Swinton in the lead role! :(

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Good, maybe they’ll actually acknowledge the fact that David Bowie was a repeat statutory rapist, and casual nazi sympathizer. Probably not, though.

[@BadSodaProductions]

Oh then it may be good

[@mikewazowksi7938]

@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick you're right, they didn't. because that's just simply not true jfc

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

@@mikewazowksi7938 Whatever you say. Enjoy your parasocial relationship.

[@dylan9025]

Baby Driver is a better Queen movie than Bohemian Rhapsody. At least I felt something while hearing Queen in Baby Driver.

[@savannahkrystall2698]

Or Shaun of the Dead

[@mokslobrokolis6685]

Bohemian Rhapsody didn't send shivers down your spine?

[@TheBasaltHorogium]

@@mokslobrokolis6685 no. it gave us headaches instead

[@dylan9025]

Mr. Radiator shivers of boredom, maybe. At least a Star is Born actually had interesting and engaging musical sequences.

[@ameliaspell3726]

Or Wayne's World

[@VOLT14]

"a remake of walk hard without jokes" LOL

[@sb11116]

One of my favourite films is Velvet Goldmine. It is essentially a biopic of David Bowie's early career but the main character has a different name and the story is told through the memories of another character all together. I seem to remember a lot of people disliked Velvet Goldmine but, if nothing else, it's another example of a different way to tell a biopic story.

[@courtneyjohnsonhaber4591]

I'm here for any mention of Walk Hard. The movie and the soundtrack as the best