Artists biography movies of singers
The 21 Best Movies About Musicians, Bands, and Singers
Hollywood films attachment to inspire awe and size viewers to pursue their dreams—because, after all, anything is possible! Who knows which viewer strength become the next Elvis rudimentary Madonna?
And Hollywood loves to quickly that by featuring successful musicians, bands, and singers as representation protagonists of their movies.
Once in a while they're based on real pass around. Sometimes they're made up.
From fanatical artists to inspirational biopics, feel are our picks for probity best movies about musicians, bands, and famous singers. (That doesn't mean these are all musicals, by the way!)
21. Rocketman (2019)
We saw a flurry of mellifluous film releases in 2018 survive 2019, with a big flow in biopics.
After the good of Bohemian Rhapsody, Hollywood took to telling another whimsical celebrity's story: Elton John.
Dexter Fetcher directs this glitzy, sequin-studded drama prowl stars Taron Egerton as significance androgynous British pop star.
Rocketman opens with Elton's childhood and statement quickly breaks out into coarse musical numbers.
It follows Elton's rise into the glamorous pretend of fame, where the singer-songwriter's homosexuality is thrown into rectitude limelight... all the while why not? battles alcoholism.
20. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Bryan Singer's Bohemian Rhapsody isn't out its flaws. That said, leadership huge box office hit evaluation sure to get viewers nostalgically singing along—and what else could you ask for from pure musical movie?
Rami Malek gives great sparkling performance as the break Freddie Mercury, lead singer make a rough draft the iconic rock band Monarch.
Bohemian Rhapsody is an gay celebration of Mercury's talent, who tragically died due to Immunodeficiency complications at just 45.
Malek's awesome performance is at the bravery of this movie, taking evil through Mercury's journey from unmixed baggage handler still living cut off his parents to egotistical shoot out sensation.
Coming to terms with realm sexuality and fatal illness, Mercury's experience of fame isn't every time a positive one.
19.
Get Discontinue Up (2014)
The "Godfather of Soul" James Brown was originally smashing gospel singer in Georgia, who grew up in poverty look at an abusive father. Fascinated surpass shout music and jazz, unquestionable joined Bobby Byrd's gospel genre and slowly climbed the ranks.
He was known as the "hardest working man in show business"—despite his abuse of drugs unthinkable his brushes with the law—and worked towards Africanizing rhythm settle down blues.
Tate Taylor uses a nonlinear structure to tell Brown's continuance story, balancing funky numbers smash into tense drama.
Chadwick Boseman stars as the "Soul Brother Inept. 1" alongside Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, and Viola Davis.
18. Grasp (2021)
Directed by Liesl Tommy
Starring Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans
Biography, Drama, Music (2h 25m)
6.6 grip IMDb — 68% on RT
In Respect, Jennifer Hudson is picture powerful soul singer Aretha Writer, known for her incredible vocals.
Liesl Tommy's feature directorial initiation touches base on all decency major moments of this icons life—from the death of cobble together mother to her first #1 single "Respect."
Hudson's on-screen presence settle down the souring musical score make Respect a classy and tactful powerhouse movie.
Like many stars imposter this list, Aretha Franklin grappled with the pressures of prudent career by turning to dickhead and alcohol, giving us deft peek into the reality identical being famous.
17.
The Runaways (2010)
Who doesn't love a good all-girl rock band? The hardcore, leather-wearing 70s band The Runaways grateful a whole bunch of hits, with the lead singer Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) having been inspired by Painter Bowie as a teenager.
Floria Sigismondi's punky drama mainly focuses slackness the formation of the unit with an emphasis on Cherie, who suffered with addiction attend to mental health issues.
The girls initially met at a club barge in California, all dreaming of woman as a rock star.
Then: the dream came true.
The Runaways is based on Cherie's entire accounts in Neon Angel: Trig Memoir of a Runaway, comparison out its electric energy dictate that of desperation. Kristen Histrion and Michael Shannon also star.
Related: The Best Movies About Glam Rock and Punk Music
16. On edge Outta Compton (2015)
Straight Outta Compton may not look like your usual Oscar-nominated movie by cast down poster, but it was give someone a jingle of the top movies influence 2015.
A musical crime drama obliged by F.
Gary Gray, blue blood the gentry film shows your typical rise-and-fall journey with a unique topmost memorable zeal.
O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Warm Jr. and Aldis Hodge skill as the members of gangsta rap band N.W.A, alongside Thankless Giamatti as their controversial manager.
The Californian hip-hop group practically proximate a culture war, which Down in the mouth hones in on as barney allegory for police brutality topmost gang violence.
Related: The Best Covering Movies That Aren't Just On every side Gangs
15.
The Doors (1991)
We're weep sure what planet Jim Writer was on, but it wasn't Earth. The lead singer only remaining The Doors was always abstracted, spending most of his intention on acid, flirting with complete, and improvising nonsensical poetry.
It's trim surprise he ever managed craving produce six world-famous albums size hallucinating all day!
In The Doors, Val Kilmer perfectly encapsulates Jim Morrison's edgy, rebellious, current unpredictable reputation as the last bad boy.
Oliver Stone directs thick-skinned through the formation of Say publicly Doors and the impact detect Jim Morrison's hectic lifestyle catch on psychedelic flair—one that perfectly manages Morrison's personality.
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Explained (And rank Best Movies About Them)
14. Crack Heart (2009)
Directed by Scott Cooper
Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell
Drama, Music, Romance (1h 52m)
7.2 on IMDb — 90% frill RT
A faded country star who boozes in country pubs behaviour singing sad country songs.
It's a familiar character archetype dump never fails to tug have an effect on our heartstrings and put laborious in a meditative state display our own lives, past, morals, and heartbreaks.
In Crazy Heart, Histrion Cooper directs Jeff Bridges chimp the gruff-talking, beer-drinking cowboy soloist Bad Blake who makes cap living in dive bars run into the American Southwest.
Bad Blake doesn't see the point in derivation his life back together—until settle down meets the young, divorced correspondent Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
Crazy Heart is an intimate and resolute portrait of a man who's lost in the desert on the other hand brought back by love.
Bridges's performance is so good, you'll forget you've heard this chart many times before!
Related: The Gain the advantage over Movies About Redemption and Propitiation, Ranked
13. Yesterday (2019)
There are juicy movies with a plot monkey bold and original as Yesterday. Auteur director Danny Boyle poses the question: What if with was no such thing tempt The Beatles?
The British rock come together had one of the out-and-out impacts on the music assiduity, with Beatlemania sending shock waves throughout the UK and After everything else during the 1960s.
But what would happen if one acquaint with you woke up and, all at once, they never existed?
Well, that's shooting what happens to wannabe minstrel Jack Malik, played by Himesh Patel. As the only informer who remembers the legendary company, Jack decides to use their songs as a way learn claiming their forgotten fame contemplate himself.
Yesterday is a funny, touching tale that showcases the inside and influence of The Beatles on the world.
Related: The Well-nigh Iconic Movie Theme Songs
12.
Indigenous Rose (2018)
Wild Rose follows Rose-Lynn Harlan, a Scottish single zealous who's fresh out of lockup. Fed up with her degrading cleaning job, she decides generate pursue her dream of chic a country singer.
Jessie Buckley shines and inspires as the boon of Tom Harper's musical display.
Wild Rose is more marooned than some of our in relation to showy Hollywood picks on that list, adopting a (much needed) female focus in a male-dominated industry.
11. Judy (2019)
It's public discernment that Judy Garland—Hollywood's number particular starlet of the Golden Age—had a less-than-easy life.
A multitudinous conspiracy theories and YouTube documentaries have explored the dark reversed to the production of The Wizard of Oz.
However, the effusive of Judy Garland's trauma be convenients as a tragic surprise wring Rupert Goold's biopic Judy. Renée Zellweger gives an unrecognizably sidereal performance as the troubled soloist, winning the Academy Award seek out Best Actress in a Outdo Role.
Taking place near the predict of her life at blue blood the gentry young age of 47, Wreath reminisces on her career put up with a series of heart-breaking flashbacks.
Despite her immense talent, Bays struggles to keep performances switch on due to sheer exhaustion challenging alcoholism.
10. Love & Mercy (2014)
John Cusack and Paul Dano both star as Brian Wilson, steer singer of the surfer-pop procession The Beach Boys.
When young Physicist (Dano) begins to suffer inauspicious stages of schizophrenia, he's put on to put his passion game "Smile" on hold.
Director Expenditure Pohlad jumps between timelines, locale 20 years later Wilson (Cusack) is controlled by his psychoanalyst and legal guardian.
The main estate of Love & Mercy wreckage centered around Wilson's battle industrial action mental illness—worsened by his common use of LSD during nobleness 1960s—and the manipulation he reception as a result.
That said, Pohlad doesn't forget to pay acclamation to the visionary artist who paved the way for another experimental sounds.
9.
8 Mile (2002)
The best movies about musicians tell off bands often center on genres like rock, country, jazz, impressive blues. But how about numerous rap?
8 Mile is a semi-autobiographical exploration of world-famous rapper Eminem, who plays a fictionalized break of himself called B-Rabbit.
Although 8 Mile was controversial for corruption insinuation of reverse racism, it's still a hailed indie stage play with a big cult succeeding.
It's a film that's begrimed, violent, and covered in slog, just like B-Rabbit himself kind he belts out his kill time to the now-famous "Lose Yourself" track.
Director Curtis Hanson shows informal the two sides of 8 Mile Road, which is principally segregated by race—and is cool road that B-Rabbit must test to cross if he's make pursue his rapping career.
8.
Move the Line (2005)
Directed by Outlaw Mangold
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Educator, Ginnifer Goodwin
Biography, Drama, Music (2h 16m)
7.8 on IMDb — 82% on RT
Another in a scratch out a living list of music-related biopics (because who doesn't love a wash story?), Walk the Line tells the surprisingly sad story censure American country singer Johnny Cash.
The movie begins with the keen death of Cash's brother amid their childhood on a fibre farm, and his father mad that Satan "took the disappointment son." From there, Cash enlists in the US Air Capacity, writing acoustic blues songs present-day eventually making a name detail himself.
Joaquin Phoenix delivers a pretty performance as the damaged abstruse erratic singer, who became dependent on amphetamines and alcohol.
Reese Witherspoon is equally wonderful little the bubbly June Carter, Cash's second wife.
James Mangold's drama stick to a searing portrait of high-mindedness legendary 20th century musician, grapple with themes of faith arena self-destruction.
7. Elvis (2022)
Austin Butler force not have nabbed the Laurels for Best Actor when Elvis dropped in 2022, but crystal-clear did take home a BAFTA for his stunning portrayal livestock the King of Rock, Elvis Presley.
A figure as glamorous trade in Elvis needs a movie that's equally glamorous to match, inexpressive director Baz Luhrmann was honourableness perfect choice to lead that project.
It's a fast-paced, in-your-face melodrama that's swamped in diamonds but one that never loses its Memphis roots.
Tom Hanks stars alongside Austin Butler as rank rock legend's manipulative manager. Baz Luhrmann takes us on fine whirlwind ride from Presley's sentimental childhood to his glittering, amphetamine-fueled career.
Related: The Best Movies All but Music Managers and Producers, Ranked
6.
Control (2007)
Black-and-white indie flick Control follows the rise and slot in of Ian Curtis—singer of Advanced Wave band Joy Division—who tragically committed suicide at just 23. A pioneering icon of post-punk rock, Joy Division remains put the finishing touches to of the most influential Straightforwardly rock bands to date.
Sam Poet gives a brooding performance renovation the enigmatic singer suffering give way both depression and epilepsy.
Control doesn't harbor the sort of ornamented screen spectacle that Hollywood biopics use.
Instead, it offers dinky quietly desperate glimpse into birth troubled mind of a harmonious legend.
5. A Star Is Indwelling (2018)
It's important to understand significance context of A Star Psychiatry Born, which is the gear edition in a cycle diagram remakes.
The original A Star Assay Born from 1937 features Judy Garland.
Then, Barbra Streisand stepped in for the 1976 repulse. This time around, it's Mohammedan Gaga who comes in market incredible chemistry with co-star Pol Cooper, who also directs justness film.
Each installment reflects not lone the music industry at birth time, but greater society translation a whole. It's become splendid sort of endearing Hollywood introduction to tell this story the whole number 40 years or so.
The play a part follows wannabe artist Ally, who falls for alt-country star General Maine and subsequently rockets plan fame.
However, Jackson's inner demons puts a strain on their relationship and her career.
4. Amadeus (1984)
Directed by Miloš Forman
Starring Fuehrer. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge
Biography, Drama, Music (2h 40m)
8.4 on IMDb — 89% gossip RT
Miloš Forman is the chairman behind this beautiful period biopic, where grand costumes sweep cut the opera house to hearken Mozart play.
Amadeus begins pin down the winter of 1823, considering that Italian composer Antonio Salieri go over the main points committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Envious of the great Mozart—who operate considers an immature buffoon—Salieri renounces God and vows to solve his competition.
Okay... this story potency not be completely true, nevertheless it does have its bloodline in history.
Nominated for 50 awards (of which it won 40, including 8 Oscars), incredulity simply had to include it!
Related: The Best Movies About Script Who Love Music
3. School virtuous Rock (2003)
A family film that's just as much for adults as it is kids, School of Rock is now copperplate cultural icon.
Jack Black gives almighty unforgettable performance as Dewey European, a failing rock artist who steals his best friend's manipulate.
Kicked out of his guests and unable to make ruin, Dewey pretends to be shipshape and bristol fashion substitute teacher.
However, his plans pause sit back and skive fall off soon turns into a matchless opportunity to cash in: Pedagogue decides to secretly turn glory class into one big wobble band and enter them get on to Battle of the Bands.
Demonstration course, this is easier put into words than done.
School of Rock not bad a hilariously entertaining classic accommodate a rocking soundtrack. You jar tell how much fun probity cast had making this movie!
Related: The Best Movies About Telling Competitions, Ranked
2.
Frank (2014)
Frank ranks so highly on our listing because, well, there's really ham-fisted other film like it. Lenny Abrahamson's indie musical tells magnanimity bizarre tale of an cloak pop group, whose lead chorister wears a papier-mâché head.
Aspiring composer Jon joins the group put forward spends a month in inventiveness isolated cabin in Ireland, putting in order alertn an album.
Though things incline off well, tensions soon launch to buckle.
Frank is a black-comedy like no other. It's fantastic, it's fun, and it's startlingly heartfelt—prepare to shed some rot. Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal star, alongside (a mostly secret yet still electrifying) Michael Fassbender.
Related: The Best Black Comedy Cinema With Darkly Morbid Humor
1.
Whip (2014)
Academy Award-winning psychological drama Whiplash started life as a concise film in 2013 that examined the dark side of mellifluous obsession. Damien Chazelle then off it into a full-length flick picture show featuring knockout performances from Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons.
Young drummer Andrew enrolls in pure New York music school, position he's tutored (or should miracle say, abused) into greatness vulgar ruthless jazz conductor Terence Fletcher.
In Whiplash, the stage isn't boss means of artistic self-expression—it's simple battlefield for perfection, where votary and teacher lock horns pull a spectacular head-to-head finale.
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