The Unfortunate Problem With Biopics (Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman)

Biopics have been around almost as long as motion pictures. Films like Ali, A Beautiful Mind, Chaplin, Lincoln, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Rocketman, all bring extraordinary real people to the silver screen. Though the modern day landscape of Biopics have run into a problem. Films like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman are often compared, but whats the major difference in films like this? It's the way a Biopic decides how to balance the real persons life with an entertaining narrative.
#bohemianrhapsody #rocketman #nerdstalgic
Sources:
ew.com/movies/2019/06/02/rock...
screenrant.com/rocketman-bett...
variety.com/2020/film/news/el...
gointothestory.blcklst.com/mo...

[@TheLewistownTrainspotter8102]

5:37 With _Bohemian Rhapsody_ it's worth noting that Brian May and Roger Taylor were involved in it as executive producers, which honestly was a mistake. I mean, they made themselves appear more like saints than Freddie. When Roger Taylor himself was a well known party animal, womanizer and coke user. And most of the fighting and arguments within Queen were actually started by Brian May, and he often targeted his frustration at either Roger or Freddie (mostly Roger). (There's also the weird way that they make it as if Freddie was constantly tardy and not in the studio that much, when in fact he was very dedicated to his craft to the point of spending more time in the studio than anyone else in the band.)

[@TreySarver]

When they tried to make Freddie straight that was when I checked out. And the crazy thing is I’m neither gay or homophobic, neither end of the spectrum, I just want an accurate biopic lol

[@Craxin01]

@@TreySarver Biopics aren't accurate, they're fictionalized accounts of a person's life. If you want accuracy, you're better off with a documentary, though those often fall into fiction too, usually inadvertently.

[@MikeMJPMUNCH]

Yeah and I loved how they said they delayed making a film about Queen for so long because they wanted to honour Freddie's legacy when in actual fact they clearly just wanted a film made they showed them in the best light and showed Freddie coming to realise how important his other band members were to Queen and his success. Although I'm glad we didn't get the original pitched two hour movie where at the one hour mark Freddie died and next hour was about the band going on without him.

[@TreySarver]

@@Craxin01 either way Bohemian Rhapsody needed more butt fucking

[@RafitoOoO]

​@@TreySarver they didn't try to make him straight lol. He really did marry a woman in real life. There's no fiction there.

[@catrine982]

I think the "warts and all" approach is easier when your subject (like Elton) is alive, well and blessing the story telling. No one can know how Freddie would have felt about Bohemian Rhapsody cause his life ended tragically too soon. The movie was however a lovely tribute to the music

[@Astfgl]

The one thing Freddie specifically said about his legacy before he died, was to never make him boring. And, well, that’s what the movie did. It made Freddie look like a boring, annoying and selfish prick.

[@tomboz777]

They also made Freddie look like the bad guy most of the time and the rest of the band were saints, in bed with a warm cup of cocoa at 9pm. It was pretty disgusting considering he’s not here to defend himself really. It being a tacky, bland film doesn’t exactly help either.

[@ECKohns]

But also doing a Biopic while the subject is still alive can leave it feeling incomplete and color it in a biased way.

[@mankytoes]

They actually changed the film to make him look worse, like having him break the band up, when actually Brian May was the one who left. When you consider that Brian May was closely involved in the film's production, you can see why the film has only got less popular with Queen fans, despite that awesome Live Aid scene.

[@DanteMustLearn]

The aldi made John a background character appaet from that One seen

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

Telling Elton John's story using Elton John's music was genius. That put it a cut above the rest.

[@Altajp]

I'm so happy to see The Rocketman get the recognition it deserves. If we're talking about raw bios let's not forget What's love got to do with it. RIP

[@empresssk]

Fair mention… it really is too good of a biopic

[@tbuggy55]

RIP Tina 🙏🏾

[@BryanCostner]

Rocketman is exactly what Bohemian Rhapsody should've been

[@MarioGMan25]

I still think it's a hilarious idea to watch Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, then Weird: The Al Yankovic Story as a Triple Feature.

[@anubusx]

Then watch Elvis!!!

[@manichispanic999]

Watch Walk Hard, it’s better than all 3

[@lyricahm3370]

one bio pic you can just avoid altogether is Straight Outta Compton

[@jackbynum]

Modernism, Post-modernism, Absurdism

[@SmeagolTheGreat]

​@@manichispanic999 Yes, Walk Hard is all you need really.

[@tayj5160]

I think one of the reasons why Rocketman works is because Elton is still alive, so he could approve how much of his trauma could make it in the movie. It's harder to do that if (one of/the main) character is dead, because too much of the bad stuff comes across as exploitative (re: Blonde) or not enough personal history as generic like Bohemian Rhapsody feels sometimes.

[@utbrottstjuv]

“Oates insists that the novel is a work of fiction that should not be regarded as a biography.” re: Blonde

[@ThisIsMyRodrick]

In my opinion, Rocketman is extremely overrated and is very cliche. To me, it was doesn't portray Elton well at all (yes ik he helped write it but still). if you want a good biopic, Walk The Line.

[@tuckerdoyle4492]

Blonde wasn’t a biopic, it was an act of fiction

[@thejaded]

​@@tuckerdoyle4492Still exploitive though.. Marily Munroe is a "character" in that waste of time

[@melaniemanning2462]

I'm so glad you pointed out how good Rocketman is. It's one of my favorite movies. His journey got me through some hard times, and the way they incorporate the songs and magical realism is beautiful

[@anthonyparkernearlifeexp]

Rocket man felt like an actual artistic film, while Bohemian Rhapsody felt like an after school special. Bohemian Rhapsody was so obviously little more than a commercial for Queen. I love queen more than Elton John, but I enjoyed Rocket man FAR more than Bo Rap.

[@BryanCostner]

Rocketman is exactly what Bohemian Rhapsody should've been. It's brutally honest and doesn't play safe which is why i was so happy that the movie was getting an R Rating. Instead of a PG13 safe BoRhap movie, i was just in complete disbelief how safe the filmmakers were when portraying Freddie's dark life when he wasn't on stage. Even Sacha Baron Cohen who was supposed to play Freddie with David Fincher directing it wanted the movie for an Rated R, such a missed opportunity

[@zacharyoff6805]

It was Brain May/Queen that wanted the darker side of Freddy toned down. They refused to let the movie tell the brutal truth. It’s why SBC eventually left the project.

[@chrisjfox8715]

I actually didn't care to see BR because it's preview did come across as too sugar-coated. Apparently they dismissed Sasha Baron Cohen's desire to play the role in a much more honest rendition of the character yet Queen was too afraid of making the character look bad.

[@arthas640]

I saw a film expert walk through some scenes in Bohemian Rhapsody to explain just why they didnt work and there were some pretty entry level problems with the film, like in 1 scene where the characters were sat around a table but facing the wrong directions so IRL they wouldnt even being facing each other, and at one point someone walks into a scene from the wrong direction. He also pointed out how some scenes drug on too long and recut them to show how the pacing was off.

[@Supertaldo916]

@@arthas640 Bohemian Rhapsody’s editing is atrocious. Some of the worst I’ve seen in a mainstream blockbuster film.

[@johnkyd3977]

The biggest problem with a lot of biopics is their inability to keep to the facts. Bohemian Rhapsody played so loose with the truth that even casual fans kept going "well, that's not right" and the real shame is the filmmakers didn't have to. There were so many great real events, but Bryan Singer chose to make stuff up. Walk the line suffers from this badly too.

[@MikeMJPMUNCH]

Considering Brian May and Roger Taylor were executive producers and they wouldn't allow the filmmakers to use any Queen songs without script approval that's the reason alot was made up to make them look better

[@jordanread5829]

Kind of why I sort of give Rocketman a slap on the wrist for its historical inaccuracy's. As the film is basically told from Eltons pov, making him an unreliable narrator. So his relationship with his father etc might not be the way it was in reality, but from Eltons, that is how he viewed it.

[@luckykennedy7364]

Love & Mercy is probably the best of the music biopic. Taking place between two points of Brian Wilson’s life. One during 1966-67 (Pet sounds/SMiLE era) and the mid 80s (The Landy era) both giving you a deeper understanding of the man without having to cover his entire life.

[@JoJoJoker]

Yes. It’s absolutely perfect.

[@Missjunebugfreak]

I concur. Love & Mercy is actually my favorite music Biopic.

[@Jimmyc6969]

Absolutely agree- the pet sound scenes are identical to the real life promo footage

[@daffyrwt]

YES! absolutely loved that movie

[@Devon2112]

I immediately went to the comments to see if someone said Love & Mercy. Great film!

[@s.g.7572]

This is why I think Ray is hugely underrated, and really one of the best musical biopics I've ever seen. We come away from the film with huge respect for Ray Charles, his accomplishments and his talent, as well as sympathy for all the hard things he went through. He still does not come across as a good person.

[@Chris24_]

Facts

[@BryanCostner]

Rocketman did a great job handling Elton's music work and his dark personal life too. I mean the scene where he attempted suicide in the swimming pool was pretty heartbreaking

[@empresssk]

YES. Watching that film is such a visceral experience as Ray is not fed to us an exclusively good guy. Still, we can empathize with all the things that made him into the man he was.

[@lonellfletcher]

One of the smartest things Ray did was use his music to guide his story. I didn’t realize how much his life and music were intertwined.

[@someoneghvjvj1808]

Yeah but despite this I can never make it through the rehab scene and him ripping a sink off the wall without thinking about how Dewy Cox did it.

[@chrisfox6843]

After seeing Walk Hard, I can't watch biopics any more with out seeing every trope. At the end of everyone I just bring up they died 3 minuets after this performance and laugh. RIP Dewey Cox

[@trainsandmore2319]

If you’ve seen Walk Hard, you’ll love Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

[@theadvocate4698]

@@trainsandmore2319 The movie weird is aptly named! A real fun movie!

[@arthas640]

Same, especially since so many biopics use tropes so shamelessly.

[@arshadibrahim897]

I can't believe he didn't mention Elvis once in this video. I haven't watched it but it was such a big thing this year, it's hard to miss

[@enkiitu]

horrible.

[@chrisjfox8715]

​@@enkiitu disagree. I loved it.

[@lessalazar9068]

Because it didn't follow the usual biopic trope shit. It actually made a decent story that was pretty accurate to history.

[@lonefinch2127]

Surprised to not see Spike Lee’s Malcolm X mentioned here. It both models of biopic filmmaking simultaneously. I think it is one of the best biopics ever made. Probably due to the fact that is based on Alex Haley’s autobiography of Malcolm X.

[@chrisjfox8715]

It's briefly in the video but the essay's focus was just Bohemian vs Rocketman. What works so well for Malcolm X is that he quite genuinely underwent a double character arc.

[@mlw9195]

@@empresssk the length? Are you a child or something? The length isn’t an issue and If you ever heard any of Malcolm’s speeches you’d know, Denzel and spike Lee did a great job (I’m not a fan of any of his other work tho)

[@mrmeeseeks2534]

And david leans Lawrence of Arabia

[@MelchVagquest]

Alex Haley wrote Malcolm X's autobiography? Wouldn't it be a biography, then?

[@MelchVagquest]

@@empresssk My point is, an autobiography is a book written by the subject themselves. That's the "auto" part. I'm not commenting on what the movie would be called 🤓

[@aidandennis8096]

Love & Mercy is the best music biopic I’ve ever seen. I like how it’s a snapshot of two different eras of Brian Wilson’s life that work together to create a better understanding of the man it’s about. The acting, visuals, score, and sound design are brilliant too

[@matt-irby]

Paul Dano and John Cusack do incredible jobs at their different parts of Wilson's life. I'm glad that Brian Wilson was willing to show such dark times of his life (that weren't absolutely fictionalized). By the end of the movie, I found great respect for him.

[@47d75]

I know it's a recent film, but Rocketman is truly my favorite movie of all time. I saw it three times in the theaters, and I've rewatch it at least 20 or more times at home. Something about the film really connected with me on an emotional level, that it has kind of become my comfort film. I even got my friend to watch it with me at least four times, once in the theater and 3 times at their house.

[@langreeves6419]

Wow.... I've never watched it. I LIKE Elton John, and I didn't want a movie of inaccuracies to irritate me like Bohemian Rhapsody. After watching fictional movies like Immortal Beloved and Bohemian Rhapsody, I don't know if I'll ever watch biopics. If it's not accurate, why bother? I'll watch a movie like Almost Famous because it's not pretending to be true.

[@lovingherwasgay]

@@langreeves6419 the main issue bipopics face with inaccuracies is the fact that they make those films when the person is already dead, and has no say in the making of it. That's not the case with Rocketman. Elton was very involved in the making of the movie. He could've also used this as an opportunity to paint himself in a good light, hide the ugly parts of his life, but he TRULY doesn't shy away from any of it, because, according to himself, why would that story be worth telling? I think you should give it a shot. It's impressive how accurate it is, while still remaining a well told narrative with a clear story structure.

[@jdenino6022]

I happened to catch it on cable about 3 months (Rocketman) and it really moved me emotionally. I was a fan of Elton John, not a superfan but I've become obsessed with his music for the last few months. I can't find the movie streaming anywhere like on Netflix. I don't want to buy another DVD bc I have too many of them already. Been watching all of Elton's concert clips mostly from the seventies on youtube. My friends all loved him back then. He's obviously a music genius.

[@shmeeden]

I just listened to the Elton John autiobiography "Me," as an audiobook, and he pulls no punches, and is self-deprecating, honest, and frankly HILARIOUS in telling his life story. It's easy to see how Rocketman was able to take that attitude and run with it to make an incredible, moving, and at times very funny movie. I highly recommend that autobiography. One of the best things I've read in ages.

[@DarkMetalSpider]

Rocketman... literally the most EPIC biopic ever created, I put it right up there with Walk the Line... when you can truly, really 'feel' every single emotion coming through from any of the characters, especially from the main character... very believable, with so much emotion! I watched Rocketman for the first time last year, I watched it... and loved it so insanely much, accidently made a marathon run of 22 times ((in a row)) watched... has instantly shot up in my top 5 movies ever made, of all-time, to me. as someone (me) struggles with alcoholism and pills (I have a few diagnosed mental disorders), it was so real, and upfront with Elton's story... so much so, few times through the movie were very tearful, especially with the sui/ cide attempts, especially with the last one... it was almost like I could 'feel' myself (through) Elton... a very draining, and realistic, overwhelming experience! Rocketman truly means the world to me, and I thank Elton so much for sharing his life so public like that. now, I do love Queen as well, and watched it once, and I really don't care to see it again, it was just o.k., kind of boring, and I did fall asleep twice while watching it, too dull, too clean, and very uninteresting... on every single level. Rocketman >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Bohemian Rhapsody... any day, every day... all day...

[@SK-vw6gj]

I think you're right that the songs for Rocketman were more smoothly integrated into the story then in Bohemian Rhapsody, even the ones where he is playing at a concert don't stay that was for long. The lyrics to his music don't really tell his story in the same way that something like The Wall is Rodger Water's story. The Wall was written from Water's life so it fits into a story of his life, and you can play the music over a story of his life and it works. This wasn't the case with Elton John so when his music is played over his life it felt kind of forced. If only there was someone named Daniel who left for Spain part way through one of the tour scenes.

[@captainhomie6156]

The Wall and Rocketman actually felt like musicals that explored the artists' stories while Bohemian Rhapsody felt like a story that had Queen's music as white noise

[@NothingNowhere-vu5oq]

Most of Elton's lyrics were written by Bernie Taupin. Of course they don't tell Elton's story the way Roger Waters' lyrics told his story.

[@TheSinlessAssassin]

I’m surprised you didn’t talk about the Elvis biopic and the huge mess it was trying to be both types of biopics. So rapid and messy with very few moments to breathe in any real drama.

[@enkiitu]

terrible film...

[@galaxybrain_658]

That may simply be because that’s what Elvis’ life was like. Rapid and messy is exactly the words I’d use to describe the life of a man who ruled an entire genre for decades despite having died on a toilet right at the beginning.

[@goodburger1114]

Elvis was amazing

[@KreatedbyKrause]

@@enkiitu I tried twice and couldn't get through it either time.

[@jacobkirk1846]

I thought it was pretty decent, it all felt like too much until it managed to pull itself together at the end to convey a pretty impactful message that summed up the rest of the film.

[@b1g_m00n]

I seldom watch biopics but when they're done well, they usually become some of my favorite movies. One example that jumps to mind is "Steve Jobs" by Danny Boyle. The artifice of condensing three points of some of Jobs' greatest interpersonal conflicts before some of his most impactful presentations really does a great job towards building A character. if not a realistic one, at least a solid and well built one

[@andrewgoode7640]

Steve Jobs is one of my favorite movies of all time. It sucks I never hear people bring it up. I love the approach of not trying to tell everything in exact order while changing details to make the movie watchable. If you're not going to be perfectly accurate, don't try. Just make something unique that tells the story of who Steve Jobs was and what he was like without necessarily showcasing this moments exactly as they happened. It makes for a wonderful film experience. Although after seeing Oppenheimer, I am convinced traditional biopics can work, it just depends on the crafting of the story and it really needs to feel like an entire life was told on screen. The Irishman is another good example of this

[@nicholasleavitt5326]

The best musical biopic came out almost 40 years ago and it’s called Amadeus. I’m so fascinated by the approach of the movie, taking one of the best classical composers of all time and putting it in the perspective of a rather forgotten composer. It’s such a unique take on the biopic genre and it never fails to hook me from beginning to end when I watch it

[@user-mp4iw8bz9l]

It's also historically inaccurate

[@JCJTC]

@@user-mp4iw8bz9l exactly

[@LynnHermione]

... everything in that film is fake. Amadeus isnt a biopic, it is 100% fiction.

[@hallamhal]

The thing that makes it great though is that noone alive now remembers Mozart and there is no video footage of Mozart, the writers could make him whoever they wanted and noone has any reference for him. A biopic about Queen or heaven forbid David Bowie? We've got a digital record of their lives and no matter how good/bad the biopic is we'll always be comparing them with it

[@marcosrecio4062]

Its not a biopic, its an adaptation of a play

[@jacobvarney23]

I've always found Rocketman to feel separate from other biopics It never feels corny for me and instead is a very moving story, plus the musical fantasy elements worked beautifully imo

[@erakfishfishfish]

My favorite music biopic is 24-Hour Party People. It’s not about a musician but a record producer/nightclub owner. It’s got a hilarious 4th wall breaking style somewhat similar to American Splendor.

[@liamn.watson4867]

I think a big issue that biopics can run into is the creators thinking that the more successful their subjects are and the more iconic moments are replicated, the more interesting they’ll be instead of just making them interesting and 3 dimensional. I don’t want Michael Jackson to be defined by his success the way a blind person would be defined by “being blind”. It would just make them boring.

[@Yasmin-dx3ek]

Agreed! I think a film tracking the unique circumstances and upbringing that made him so unique and 'strange' would be more facinating. I wanna see the plight of the child star, which is so underexplored. He opened up a lot more about later on in life.

[@ELS-tone]

I think there is an added problem of BR as depicting Queen. Because of it's realism, the fact that huge details that are not just cosmetic but actually foundational are made up & changed. It's more like Queen fanfic at times which doesn't give the sense that it is a real look into the lives of these men

[@dykevader01]

I cried in the cinema at Bohemian 'cause I saw myself and my struggles in Freddie. The titular song feels now like a whole expirience of a bipolar disorder. He is a complex person in the movie while it still being about his life and showing events making for great cinema.

[@richardroberts6021]

i think another interesting recent biopic is the Elvis one, it sort of combines the 2 approaches discussed here. Like it does ultimately cover several decades but it picks several key events to focus on, such as one of his famous early performances, his 1969 comeback, etc and hones in on those while sort of whipping around and filling in the rest with montages and quick scenes. it still felt rushed in places (and i get people are divided on Tom Hanks performance) and i would still rate Rocket Man higher but the Elvis movie was a pretty good approach in theory

[@trinaq]

While most biopics are well written and performed, they tend to be very formulaic, particularly those centering on musicians. They typically start with the protagonist's troubled childhood at the hand of their abusive parent/guardian, then it'll depict their adult lives, which are frought by addiction, until they find the love of a good partner.

[@kamsismith]

I agree with you. The problem with biopics and I don't know if you'll agree with me on this, is that some life stories shouldn't be told at all or they're just not interesting enough to be told on screen.

[@elliswilson2530]

Yeah, he literally said all of that word for word in the video

[@19Rena96]

That's just how the lives of many people look like?

[@chrisjfox8715]

What works so well for Malcolm X is that he quite genuinely underwent a double character arc, not just one. The film captures this well while increasingly being peppered with effective foreshadowing/paranoia of his forthcoming death. The more he changed, the more susceptible he was to being killed which forced him to wrestle with his purpose vs a need to protect his family.

[@The-Seventies]

The Doors and The Dirt were awesome biopics: The Doors really captures the psychedelic and dangerous vibe that surrounded the band, and The Dirt is fast, funny, dirty and does not take itself too serious. Just like the band.

[@genius179]

I watched both of these movies a few months ago. The Doors is not very good, Val Kilmer is doing the best he can with that movie but man I think Oliver was just out of his element. The Dirt is fine, and to your point of representing Motley Crue as reeking of sweat, sex, and alcohol It did it's job well.

[@thewalruswaspaul.]

The doors is a good movie introduced me to my favourite band changed my life. But it blows Jim's assholeness out of proportion and makes him appear as what he not was. As ray manzerek said.

[@TheMilitantHorse]

Porbably my favorite biopic is _Patton_ (1970). It's very much a piece that shows just how flamboyant of a general Patton was, yet showcases what made him such a general. It's not exactly a snapshot pic, but it focuses solely on his time in the war.

[@KingYahshua]

Get On Up was such a great biopic that few talk about. Chadwick Boseman was a phenomenal actor, and that film showcased his virtuosity more than the main figure of focus-James Brown. It was one of the few films to do this-Jamie Foxx in Ray as well.

[@empresssk]

Gotta admit that I’ve avoided “Get On Up” in fear it’s a cheap snapshot biopic.

[@KingYahshua]

@@empresssk it’s very much along the same lines as Rocket Man and doesn’t come off as too aggrandizing (it is James Brown after all lol). Def recommend a watch!

[@stevolution7833]

Man on the Moon has always been one of my favourite biopics. I wasn't familiar with Andy Kaufman prior to seeing it, and Jim Carrey really played the part with a lot of heart and just enough zaniness to get the essence of Kaufman across.

[@iammikelake]

I wonder if Elton’s “permission” allowed for a better film version of a biopic whereas most biopics are of ppl that have passed and filmmakers have estates and memories to contend with and end up sugar coated.

[@t221000]

Just because they’re dead 💀 doesn’t mean you can’t do research on the person. I’ve seen documentaries on Queen 👸 more accurate than that trash 🚮 film 🎥 😢.

[@Housewarmin]

My favorite thing about Rocketman is Taron Egerton getting to sing "I'm Still Standing" again on the big screen (first sung in Sing as Johnny)

[@Monkeypole]

Ray is brilliantly done. Jamie Foxx kills it.

[@austinjones7104]

Very much agree with this take, they had way too many historical inaccuracies in bohemian rhapsody and didn’t include enough key moments in Freddie’s life, also it would have been interesting for you to include comparisons to Elvis which was an excellent biopic.

[@enkiitu]

Elvis was terrible.

[@danbam3411]

Lmao no. Movie was garbage too.

[@lessalazar9068]

​@@danbam3411Need more reasons than that. Elvis had its problems, but was leagues better than these movies. It wasn't the same formulaic biopic, it actually had an actor that looked and sounded like the person they were portraying, it had flashy visuals, yes, but the story was pretty accurate to history and the events that unfolded. Austin Butler completely knocked it out of the park with his performance as well. But anyway, please tell me your exact reasons for it being garbage.

[@danbam3411]

@@lessalazar9068 lol no. It was beyond camping to the levels of absurdity.

[@micahcaraballo5917]

Let’s not forget Bohemian Rhapsody’s infamous, horribly-edited talking scene and yet the movie somehow won the Oscar for Best Film Editing 🤣

[@erakfishfishfish]

Often Best Editing goes to the movie with the most editing. Sadly, it’s not a category that celebrates nuance!

[@MikeMJPMUNCH]

Agreed it can be the most edits win but also he got it mainly for having to deal with all the behind the scenes drama on that film. Plus that Oscar year was a particularly weak year for all the films nominated.

[@t221000]

They give awards to the dumbest movies 🎥

[@t221000]

@@MikeMJPMUNCHIt was a weak year of nominations yet 2018 was my favorite ❤️ year of movies 🎥 with dozens of amazing 🥲 movies 🎥 like 👍 Boy Erased that got zero nominations

[@edgydreamy681]

Rocketman, became one of my favorite biopics at the time I had now idea who Elton John was and didn’t realize how much of his music I’ve heard in my child life. From the Road to Eldorado and Gnomeo and Juliet..

[@funkkymonkey6924]

You can’t take sex, drugs, and rock and roll out of the sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

[@bibrosko]

so true

[@jamesgatz5301]

One of the other problems with the Freddie Mercury movie was that 90% of the movie never actually happened.

[@philfitnesspt6139]

Your being generous ied say 95 percent 😅

[@jamesgatz5301]

@@philfitnesspt6139 it’s amazing, they take a great actual real life story, and make it fake.

[@LoneWulf278]

My favorite is ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ and ‘The Josephine Baker Story.’ ❤

[@Rockin_Art]

One of my biggest gripes with bio-pics of musicians is they always make it seem that a song magically appears from the first piano chord, guitar strum etc. The documentary "Get Back" by Peter Jackson shows the long process the Beatles took to develop songs. I understand that this is done to quicken the pace of the film but it's often done in a lazy way. Bohemian Rhapsody was supposed to be a straight forward bio but the chronology of the songs did not match the time line. The film's finale suggested that Freddy died soon after the Live Aid concert.

[@SimmoOfficial]

Unpopular opinion but Rocketman >>>> Bohemian Rhapsody

[@butters1273]

❤ totally agree

[@Rowe104]

I think this is actually a popular opinion

[@waywardrat76]

That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.

[@SimmoOfficial]

@@Rowe104 after watching this video, seems like it is but when it came out it went hugely under the radar compared to the Oscar winning and almost Billion dollar crossing Bohemian Rhapsody 🤷🏼

[@slystone4892]

Yes indeed

[@Miliregretz]

So on point about Bohemian Rhapsody, it is a highlight reel but all the plotlines are either heavily manipulated or made up. They added all this unessecary drama that the movie doesn't even have time to explorer or resolve properly without the use of tropes and clichés. And in the end it feels like nothing meaninful has happened and Freddy's character is still just a shallow pop reference.

[@butters1273]

Freddy Mercury would be the 1st to trash his biopic.

[@blackguyofthesouth2161]

How would you know😐😶

[@KaoruMIDoma]

Scorsese can do bipoics so well. Incredible director

[@jacobasuncion3132]

I remember rewatching Selena with my mom and grandma I forgot how amazing, beautiful, and sad the movie was the casting and acting was great also how the movie was set looks incredible

[@PaulDozierZZoMBiE13]

I remember when I was younger, I loved The Doors. The movie came out around the time I was in college, so everyone was getting into them because of it. I missed the film at the cinema, but picked up a copy of it at Blockbuster (kids, ask your parents). By the time we were nearing the 2 hour mark I was rooting for Death to claim Jim Morrison. That movie was a slog for me and I never understood how it garnered so much acclaim. Admittedly I have never tried to give it a second viewing. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for that type of film at the time. But I returned it that night in the drop-off box even though I could have kept it for an extra day. Still dig their music of course ,Doors have a bunch of great classic tracks. But man that movie was a drag.

[@krombopulos_michael]

I think the Bohemian Rhapsody type films that do the sort of paint-by-numbers biography story also suffer way more from historical inaccuracies. All films based on real stories take some historical liberties with plots and characters to make it work better in terms of these and pacing, but with a film like Rocketman, it's far better understood by the audience that what you're seeing is a sort of abstract interpretation of the person's life and not a literal sequence of events that happened. Bohemian Rhapsody was infamously extremely inaccurate, and it feels more annoying when you find out how much of it was just done to try and shoehorn in phony conflicts and resolutions for things that never really happened.

[@grants9282]

Somehow you failed to mention that WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story is the greatest cinematic masterpiece to ever be made

[@docsamson198]

Bohemian Rhapsody had more heart, energy and a legendary lead performance, though TE was awesome. Aside from the musical numbers (which I loved), I can’t remember one scene from Rocketman. Here’s a few from Bohemian Rhapsody just from the top of my head: Mary and Freddie’s breakup, birthday party scene, Freddie and Paul’s breakup, Freddie reconciling with his father, Freddie being diagnosed and obviously, Live Aid.

[@Justachamp772]

These two were one of my favorite Biopics as I love their music very much, but yes Rocketman is far better as a movie and more serious drama just adds to it. It had more character

[@OlgaKuznetsova]

I looooved Bohemian Rhapsody, seen it maybe 6 times, it's just so fun! Plus, it's pretty accessible to my parents, for whom English is a second language. Bohemian Rhapsody is super easy to translate and they love it.

[@NoUploadJustComment]

Weird and Walk Hard are such brilliant parodies you'll never be able to watch a lifespan biopic in the same way again.

[@trainsandmore2319]

The Weird Al movie was the best for me because at least it never tries to take itself too seriously and craps upon many of the cliches that we’ve become too tired of seeing in biopics.

[@TG13ism]

What a ridiculously great series of observations! Gorgeous critique!

[@TravisMackie12ft4]

I feel like one thing I see people not say about Rocketman is that it has a built in thematic purpose. A reason more than just "this famous guy lived a crazy life". Rocketman tells the story of a person who is desperate for some form of love and connection. From his parents not being there for him, from not having it easy as a gay man, even to marrying a woman that he doesn't have that connection to just as an attempt to have some sort of love, he never finds that love and continues to self destruct. The conclusion where he goes to rehab and tries to better himself helps him come to realize that for him to feel love, he should have started by loving himself first. That leads into the end credit song "I'm gonna love me again:". The creators of the film took advantage of Elton's story to not only tell a unique creative jukebox musical, but to teach people a lesson using exaggerated, yet still grounded experiences that he had. Bohemian Rhapsody hired a great actor, jotted life events in order as a script and thought that was enough. Most of these films do this. Hell, The Doors didn't even get the majority of facts right. The way I see it, if you are making a biopic you have two choices. You can tell an exaggerated story of the person's life, but with creativity matching the artist themself and having a point, or you can do a beat for beat film that just is moments in the person's life. If you are going to do the latter, at least have accurate information. Bohemian couldn't even do that right. The main conflict at the end where Mercury breaks up the band to go solo is not only a pure fallacy (other members had already done albums prior with no band in fighting issues), but the film goes on to say Freddie can't make music without the other guys, basically undermining the guy you focused your tribute movie on. Bohemian is such a weird, confused movie and it wastes Malek's performance. I really do wonder where the Sacha Baron Cohen version of that movie would have went. It is interesting because in all three cases (Rocketman, Bohemian Rhapsody, and The Doors), members from those groups were all involved in the making of the films, and I feel like Elton was the only one to have the balls to tell them to show the full thing. These kind of movies need to be reinvented, and while I love Rocketman and think it is one of the best ones in recent history, even that film still falls under a lot of the same traditional issues from these kinds of biopics. Personally, I recommend giving Love and Mercy a look, the film about Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

[@samueltheuma1538]

I loved Bohemian Rhapsody and absolutely loved the Whitney Houston i wanna dance with somebody one that was great also can’t wait for the MJ one hoping it’s done well

[@Buffy8Fan]

There's a difference between a biopic and a story being based off a real event. _A Beautiful Mind_ is a story based off a true event. A biopic is a story based off the person's perspective of events. And the problem suggested isn't a problem because Hollywood doesn't do real stories it does stories based off of real events and/or people as credits even tell audiences (which means the entertaining narrative is a given).

[@chrisjfox8715]

This is what I found interesting about Lincoln, and A Week with Marilyn. They were bold enough to not breeze through a highlight reel like most biopics do but to narrow in on a thin snapshot. That said, I think Stephen Hawkings' biopic benefitted from covering most of his life. How his condition progressed yet how he managed to rise above it is a great story.

[@empresssk]

I fail to see how this varies from the snapshot and conventional categories discussed. A “story based off a true event” sounds like the micro version of either a snapshot or conventional biopic.

[@Buffy8Fan]

@@empresssk The difference is the biopic shows the perspective of the person while "based off true events" is so broad I could be talking about the civil war, but the whole story is made up or "A Beautiful Mind," which is the struggles about the married couple because of his life's issues (and the first half the movie might as well be a Bourne movie), not just the man. I understand people not understanding, but to me, the biopic means biopic because its a movie about someone's biography (without actually being based off a book just from that person's perspective).

[@GayLatinoBear]

Im surprised they didn't mention other failed biopics such as "All Eyez on Me" or "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

[@esior8284]

Rocketman is a perfect biopic but it’s underrated mainly because Elton is still very much alive so his story doesn’t touch viewers’ emotional and nostalgic sides

[@ralph90009]

Pretty sure the main difference between Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody is that you had Elton John pushing for an accurate (to him) account of his life while Queen may have felt terrible about letting their dead friends be portrayed in a bad light.

[@frosthammer917]

Brian May and Roger Taylor were both consultants who could basically force the scropt to be what they wanted. And they cleaned the story up a lot, not only Freddie's story but they also made themselves look better and cleaner than they were. It was a big whitewashing of the band's history in general

[@lovingherwasgay]

but they made freddie look even worse than it actually was though? making it look like freddie broke Queen off when he decided to make solo music, when in reality Brian was the first one to do that, and it didn't break them apart, it was just a break. Then making a whole show about forgiving Freddie and messing with him when there was nothing for Freddie to be forgiven for? Or the fact that they make it sound like Freddie's AIDS diagnosis inspired him to bring back Queen in time for Live Aid, when in reality he found out about his AIDS long after playing that concert??????? Making him sound obsessed with Mary like a pining fool while paying his actual long-term partner and husband absolute dust?? possibly because mary is still alive and paul and freddie aren't :) they modified real History as they pleased to fit the typical character arc, to the point where it loses ALL resembles it might have with real life. At that point, why make the biopic at all?

[@zachthura8437]

I think the two best biopics I’ve ever seen are Ed Wood by Tim Burton and Mishima: a Life in Four Chapters by Paul Schrader

[@Housewarmin]

I can't lie, I love BoRap. Despite the horrible editing, bias, and lack of depth..It makes me cry everytime. I love the characters and music so much, and just think of it as a tribute to Freddie instead of a accutate depiction of him.

[@domokuo6318]

I think what makes the wolf of wall street work is that it doesnt feel like a biopic. It's a biopic, but Jordan's insane lifestyle make it feel like a work of fiction even though most of it is somehow true.

[@daffyrwt]

Well, Rocketman for one, and you covered everything why it's good.... but sadly you didn't even mention or even hint at Love & Mercy, such a gem of movie, probably the best of the biopic genre.

And there´s also the Oscar factor. Years ago, Val Kilmer was excellent as Jim Morrison in "The Doors", but he wasn´t even nominated. Denis Quaid was great as Jerry Lee Lewis... no nomination. Angela Bassett was nominated for Tina Turner, but no win. More recently, however, many actors got Oscars playing real people in biopics... Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher, Jamie Foxx playing Ray Charles, Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland, Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, Rami Malek playing Freddie Mercury... and on and on and on.... it´s almost a guaranteed nomination and Oscar if you play a famous person. I call them "Best Cosplay Oscars"...

[@vppendragon]

Huge difference, Elton John can give his approval of his own biopic vs Freddie Mercury.

[@blackfox4138]

The first problem with Bohemian Rhapsody was that it was rated PG-13. Freddy Mercury lived a life that would make most porn directors blush, so displaying his life in an easily digestible family-film format really made it feel less like a bio-pic and more like a fun little snapshot at Queen's legacy. That's not to say you needed to film drug fueled sex scenes, but by sugar coating the insane psychodelic drug trip of dubauchery that was Mercury's life, you make his story seem stale and artificial.

[@finslaw]

It felt like Bohemian Rhapsody was more or less concocted to make the bandmates look good, which makes sense considering they are still alive. Same reason the Elvis biopic didn't mention Priscilla's many affairs.

[@bartonfarnsworth7690]

Not sure if this is technically a biopic or not, but Straight Outta Compton was one of the best movies based on real people/events to come out of the 2010's I wasn't too familiar with the history NWA going into that movie, but that movie made me curious to learn more about the real people involved and more about that time period of music in general

[@empresssk]

YES. That screenplay was excellent and def got an Oscar nomination. The film WAS long but enjoyable and informative. Great casting. Just yes, a good biopic

[@djyanno]

One thing that makes a big difference between Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman is the number of egos to satisfy. Elton John was the only subject of his movie therefore the only person to please. On the other hand Queen is a band so I am pretty sure there was many: why we don't see me there? I want to see my reaction to this dialogue! etc... That gives an over editing so that we can see everyone all the time. I can't believe it won best editing, because there was lots of issues (better people made videos about them). And honestly, despite my respect to the rest of the band, we only cared to see Freddie's life.

[@kyleway8513]

Whenever I look at Biopics now a line from Mank (which seems quite appropriate) always enters my head: "You can't capture a man's entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one."

[@c.w.k.n.5117]

Tbf Elton gave them the greenlight to get down and dirty with his life. The surviving members of Queen wanted to tell Freddie's story but they also wanted to be respectful since he's dead and can't give his say.

[@jpmnky]

This was on point. Good job man. I’ve seen most biopics out there. And they are almost always completely ridiculous. The best one imo was Ray. The Walk Hard movie was a perfect spoof of the music biopics in particular. I guess I need to go watch Rocketman. Should I watch the new Elvis film? Or is it a waste of time too?

[@FatNorthernBigot]

Elton's biopic was only as honest as it was because he fought, and successfully conquered, his demons. Sadly, Mercury did not.

[@melissawickersham9912]

Freddie Mercury died of AIDS. He couldn’t fight that demon no matter how hard he could try because effective antiviral treatments weren’t available back then.

[@langreeves6419]

That's quite a judgmental nasty statement to make, which contradicts the three biographies I read about Mercury as well as the many interviews I've listened to.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

@@langreeves6419 Hey, judgemental and nasty statements is what the KZbin comments section is all about. 👍

[@langreeves6419]

@@FatNorthernBigot lol Thank you!

[@BryanCostner]

The movie's main problem is the PG13 rating, which is why they played it way too safe with Freddie

[@virginia64]

You know it helps that Elton John was actually involved in the production of Rocketman

[@trainsandmore2319]

Weird Al too.

[@BryanCostner]

And Elton didn't want the movie to be PG13 which i'm very happy for

[@marshmallowfluff2nd413]

I just watched the Bohemian Rhapsody movie a few days and I enjoyed it and i can't stop watching Elvis 2022 which developed my love for Elvis 😆 and i don't understand why people suddenly hate it now 🤨😕 and I'm looking forward to the Michael Jackson biopic starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson (in which i find very wholesome) and hopefully it'll be as successful as The American Dream tv movie that starred Wylie Draper (R.I.P) and not as bad as The Man In The Mirror movie that starred Flex and he was SO horrible as Michael.😣 So I'm pretty hit or miss with these biopics.🤷🏾‍♀️

[@fbomb7184]

Walk Hard is an under appreciated movie with an awesome sound track. Loved that you used it in this video.

[@mzilg]

This is the best KZbin video on biopics I've come across. 🏆 Side note: the narrator sounds like the vo narrator for Toyota videos. 🤔👍

[@tomassalvoaportone7474]

This is why Weird: The Al Yankovic Story works so well. It's a parody of a biopic masquerading as one, it's beautiful.

[@Malum09]

Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver writer) has mentioned he doesn’t like biographical films due to altering the actual events, so he tries to prevent it by imposing structures and stylization. Look at some of the Biopics he has written like Raging bull, Mishima, Patty Hearst and Auto Focus.

[@OctoStar20]

Bohemian Rhapsody is my ultimate guilty pleasure movie. I know the movie missed a lot of important points of Freddie's life (and there's that one really really REALLY badly edited scene) but it's such a fun ride, and Rami Malek's Oscar win is one of the most deserved wins in the history of the Academy.

[@charliegold3227]

Its a movie, not a timeline

[@tiggotv]

honest question: how can you say "Rami Malek's Oscar win is one of the most deserved wins in the history of the Academy" if he's on a biopics of a singer and he isn't the one singing - and fake mustache lol

[@lessalazar9068]

I heavily disagree. Rami Malek didn't even play Freddie Mercury. He played a flamboyant twink that dressed up as Freddie Mercury.

[@FabledGentleman]

Speaking of getting to know people who shape our world. Oppenheimer is going to be one of the, if not the greatest biopic ever made. I just feel it, it's going to be incredible. And it's hard to find anyone who has defined human history as much as Oppenheimer, i mean, holy crap.

[@_Mr.Tuvok_]

Personally, for movies I prefer the snapshot model. For the conventional model, I STRONGLY wish the industry would pivot toward making series rather than feature films. You get more time to really tell a story

[@ayanchoudhury6697]

One of the least talked about biopics that often gets looked over is Rush. It is one of the finest sports biopic and it captures the life of Niki Lauda exceptionally well accompanied by brilliant performances by Daniel Bruhl and Chris Hemsowrth

[@alexpatrick3333]

You are so on point about Rocketman but I’ve been thinking that about it ever since I first saw it.

[@jediknightbus_1936]

after this video i am really intrigued to see a video analyzing war movies, whether it be the grandiose epics of the wars in th e20th century , the wars in "ancient times" and the brutal modern wars , idk seems interesting

[@derekmatzek9551]

5:07 “Squidward’s father… Never hugged him” was all I could think during this scene

[@Braxtonsport]

I loved how different the Elvis biopic was

[@lessalazar9068]

Yes, and it helped that the lead actor looked and sounded like the person he's portraying.

[@L33tSkE3t]

I liked Rocket Man because it didn’t seem to take itself too seriously and took a more artistic approach.

[@localblackman427]

Steve Jobs is my favorite biopic it was just so different. The music was original and writing used the stage to recap different parts of his life

[@VaiOr6]

The video should be renamed let's rave about how great "Rocketman" was

[@petertalbot646]

"Like watching a theatrical Wikipedia article" is exactly what I said after seeing bohemian rhapsody

[@miguelhernandez6733]

What a nice video assay, guys.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

BioPics are always either hit or miss. Most of them follow the same narrative structure and that sadly has become too cliché. I do love "Ray", "the Jacksons", "Walk the Line", "What's love got to do with it" and think they somehow manage to deliver an interesting character study in a really well done dramatization without too much sugarcoating and don't really try too hard to make the main protagonist a Hero but try to re-tell their drama to the point where they became their definitive most iconic self. Without too much style-over-the-top VFX or distracting cinematography. But BioPics about politicians such as Idi Amin, Napoleon Bonaparte, Marie Antoinette, Nelson Mandela, Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth, Richard Nixon or Adolf Hitler, always carry a motherload of Propaganda-smell with them so i can never really watch them as authentic and historically accurate, because they are almost always massively tainted by a lot of Bias and how favorable and un-favorable history looks at these persons. When these figures appear in a normal movie, you know at least it's not authentic but just played for pure entertainment.

[@RafitoOoO]

I think people are too harsh on Bohemian Rhapsody, it's a fun movie with some of the greatest hits in the history of rock and roll. It's exactly what was advertised.

[@lessalazar9068]

Wrong. It advertised itself as a Freddie Mercury Biopic, but was actually a made up story extremely loosely based on the members of Queen.

[@JohnSmith-cn4cw]

"Jo Jo Dancer, Your life is calling" maybe just cause I'm a fan of Richard Pryor.