# Recommend some good musical biopics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199 "2009-01-20T20:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/1 "2009-01-20T20:19:28Z")
Lately, I’ve been watching a bunch. So far I’ve enjoyed Why Do Fools Fall in Love, What’s Love Got To Do With It, and La Bamba. (The earlier stuff is my favorite.) I’ve got “The Buddy Holly Story” in my queue ready to go. What are some other good ones? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/2 "2009-01-20T22:16:23Z")
[Coal Miner’s Daughter](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080549/) (1980) is a really, really good movie chronicling Loretta Lynn’s career. I lived in Houston when Selena was killed, but I wasn’t very familiar with her music. I happened to catch [Selena](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120094/) (1997) the other day on television, and liked it quite a lot – I can understand why her death was so tragic. For more recent ones, both [Walk the Line](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/) (2005 – Johnny Cash) and [Ray](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0350258/) (2004 – Ray Charles) were quite good. I’m waiting for a biopic about [Jiles Richardson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bopper) – together with _La Bamba_ and _The Buddy Holly Story_, you could have a “Day the Music Died” film fest. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/3 "2009-01-20T22:29:49Z")
[Sweet Dreams](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090110/) - with Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline [Great Balls of Fire!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097457/) - with Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis and Winona Ryder as his young cousin/wife. [The Doors](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101761/) - with Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/4 "2009-01-21T00:53:26Z")
I liked the Bobby Darin biopic “Beyond The Sea”, starring Kevin Spacey, though I’ll admit that it’s flawed. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/5 "2009-01-21T01:43:00Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > I’m waiting for a biopic about [Jiles Richardson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bopper) – together with _La Bamba_ and _The Buddy Holly Story_, you could have a “Day the Music Died” film fest. Yeah, I was wondering why they didn’t do the Big Bopper as well…from what I saw of him in La Bamba, he seemed like a fascinating character. Thanks for the tips, all! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/6 "2009-01-21T02:08:42Z")
[Bird](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094747/) (Charlie Parker) And a great fake biopic of a musician is Woody Allen’s [Sweet and Lowdown](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158371/) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/7 "2009-01-21T03:01:49Z")
There were a lot of fanciful musician’s bios back in the 40s – not accurate in the slightest, but a lot of fun. Top among them, of course, was **Yankee Doodle Dandy** , but I have a fondness for **Three Little Words**. ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/8 "2009-01-21T03:13:20Z")
Would **This Is Spinal Tap** qualify? 😃 S^G ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/9 "2009-01-21T14:50:06Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There were a lot of fanciful musician’s bios back in the 40s – not accurate in the slightest, but a lot of fun. > > Top among them, of course, was **Yankee Doodle Dandy** , but I have a fondness for **Three Little Words**. Speaking of fanciful, Ken Russell did a series of “biographies,” including Tchaikovsky (_The Music Lovers_), Liszt (_Lisztmania_), and Mahler (_Mahler_). These may not be what you have in mind, depending on where you are on combining drug use and movie-viewing. ETA: I am fond of _DeLovely_, a Cole Porter bioflick of a few years back starring Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. It hews significantly more closely to the facts than the Cary Grant one of the '40s. If you like the Classic American Songbook, the film is filled with wonderful versions (by Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, and many others) of some of the best songs ever written. As a movie, it’s not without its flaws, but I own a copy and have watched it many times with great enjoyment. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/10 "2009-01-21T17:33:22Z")
How about some great _roman-a-clef_ movies? **Grace of My Heart** (Carole King), **Almost Famous** (Cameron Crowe semi-autobiographical; as a 15-year-old \*Rolling Stone \*writer, he toured backstage with the Eagles and the Allman Brothers), **The Rose** (Janis Joplin via Bette Midler), **Dreamgirls** (Supremes), **That Thing You Do** (every one-hit wonder from the early 60s), etc. **Back Beat** was a terrific movie about the early days of the Beatles. **Sid and Nancy** ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/11 "2009-01-21T17:54:32Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > ETA: I am fond of _DeLovely_, a Cole Porter bioflick of a few years back starring Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. It hews significantly more closely to the facts than the Cary Grant one of the '40s. If you like the Classic American Songbook, the film is filled with wonderful versions (by Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, and many others) of some of the best songs ever written. As a movie, it’s not without its flaws, but I own a copy and have watched it many times with great enjoyment. Ooh. Nice pick. Also not entirely accurate (nitpickers have complained about him singing songs before he actually wrote them), but it’s more like a Broadway musical in the way it uses songs to tell the story. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/12 "2009-01-21T18:07:55Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > How about some great _roman-a-clef_ movies? **Grace of My Heart** (Carole King), **Almost Famous** (Cameron Crowe semi-autobiographical; as a 15-year-old \*Rolling Stone \*writer, he toured backstage with the Eagles and the Allman Brothers), **The Rose** (Janis Joplin via Bette Midler), **Dreamgirls** (Supremes), **That Thing You Do** (every one-hit wonder from the early 60s), etc. Add _The Idolmaker_, based on Bob Marucci, “discoverer” of Fabian, Frankie Avalon and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/13 "2009-01-21T18:27:12Z")
> [@Satellite\_Guy](#): > > Would **This Is Spinal Tap** qualify? > > 😃 > > S^G If so, we could include **Hard Core Logo**! (Would you believe they’re talking about [sequels](http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2008/08/25/hardcore-sequel.html)?) [Velvet Goldmine](http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Goldmine-Ewan-McGregor/dp/0788815741/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1232562114&sr=1-14) depicts an artiste who resembles Bowie in many ways… [Topsy Turvey](http://www.amazon.com/Topsy-Turvy-Jim-Broadbent/dp/630589423X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1232562250&sr=1-1) shows how Gilbert & Sullivan (may have) create **The Mikado**. Has anybody mentioned [Amadeus](http://www.amazon.com/Topsy-Turvy-Jim-Broadbent/dp/630589423X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1232562250&sr=1-1)? (Why, yes, my musical tasts are wide-ranging.) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/14 "2009-01-21T18:34:21Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > **Sid and Nancy** This reminds me of a good recent entry in the genre: [Control](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421082/) (Joy Division) ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/15 "2009-01-21T18:43:18Z")
This is more documentary than biopic, but \*\*[Tom Down and the Language of Music](http://www.thelanguageofmusic.com/synop.htm)\*\*was completely great. In case you’re not familiar with him, he was an engineer and producer for Atlantic Records from the time he was a teenager, and he worked with some extraordinary musicians. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/16 "2009-01-21T18:51:32Z")
I really enjoyed Walk the Line–the two leads are perfect in it. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/17 "2009-01-21T19:01:18Z")
[Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098465/) ---
**Author:** ![Labor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Labor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labor)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/18 "2009-01-21T22:06:40Z")
Immortal Beloved - it’s about Beethoven Impromptu - Chopin ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/19 "2009-01-22T00:22:21Z")
The best one is _Walk Hard_. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199/20 "2009-01-22T01:07:56Z")
[Young Man With A Horn](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043153/) - Kirk Douglas in a thinly veiled version of the life of Bix Beiderbecke. [The Five Pennies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052809/) - Danny Kaye, loosely based on the life of Loring “Red” Nichols. [Elvis](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079103/) - Kurt Russell as Elvis in a film directed by John Carpenter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-musical-biopics/482199.md?page=2)