10 Most Disappointing Biopics of Beloved Musicians

Audiences adore seeing the lives of their favorite musicians portrayed truthfully in movies. Many remember Jamie Foxx’s stunning performance in Ray, where he perfectly captured the singer’s voice and mannerisms thanks to a brilliant script. Austin Butler also delivered an amazing portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s detailed film. Other well-made musician biopics include La Bamba, Straight Outta Compton, and Get On Up.

It seems Hollywood makes more unsuccessful musician biopics than good ones. Often, the filmmakers struggle to capture the full scope of a musician’s life – someone like Bruce Springsteen, who has created over a thousand songs, presents a huge challenge. However, the films mentioned show that a compelling story can be told, and hopefully, we’ll see fewer disappointing biopics in the future.

Here are some of the most disappointing biopics of beloved musicians.

‘Bob Marley: One Love’ (2024)

The movie Bob Marley: One Love takes place in the 1970s and tells the story of reggae superstar Bob Marley (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir). The film focuses on Marley’s efforts to bring peace to Jamaica through a concert called “Smile Jamaica.” After an assassination attempt, he goes to London to create his famous album, Exodus. While achieving international success, Marley struggles with personal issues, including difficulties in his family life and a serious battle with melanoma. The film concludes with Marley and his band preparing to perform for his fans in Jamaica.

All Over the Place

Despite a life filled with challenges, Bob Marley’s story deserved a more focused film. One Love includes many scenes that don’t add to the narrative, which unfortunately leaves the actor Kingsley Ben-Adir struggling to connect with the material. The movie jumps around too much, relying heavily on flashbacks and frantic conversations instead of truly exploring the most compelling moments of the reggae icon’s life. The film is saved only by its music and Ben-Adir’s strong performance. A lot of the problem lies with the script, written by Terence Winter, who has created excellent work in the past with shows like The Sopranos and The Wolf of Wall Street, but couldn’t recapture that magic here.

‘Stardust’ (2020)

Stardust tells the story of a young David Bowie (played by Johnny Flynn) in 1971 as he gets ready for his first tour of America. He’s promoting his album, The Man Who Sold the World, but is struggling with self-doubt. With the help of his publicist, Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), Bowie is pushed to embrace his unique side. The film shows how Bowie battles personal challenges, including mental health struggles, and ultimately creates the iconic persona of Ziggy Stardust.

No Hits

Johnny Flynn’s grounded performance provides a welcome burst of energy to a film that otherwise relies too heavily on familiar tropes. While Stardust feels emotionally flat, that’s not the fault of the filmmakers – David Bowie’s estate wouldn’t allow his actual music to be used, meaning the film lacks the impact of hearing his iconic songs. Instead, it features only a handful of covers. Ultimately, the movie feels more like a simple road trip story than a compelling biography of a legendary artist.

‘All Eyez On Me’ (2017)

“All Eyez On Me” tells the story of Tupac Shakur’s life, from his challenging childhood raised by his mother, Afeni Shakur, a Black Panther activist, to his rise to fame as a rapper and actor, and his time in prison. The movie also explores his well-known rivalry with the Notorious B.I.G.

Project Your Eyez Elsewhere

Demetrius Shipp Jr. delivers a strong performance as Tupac, and his resemblance to the rapper is striking, especially considering his father worked with Tupac on music videos. However, the biopic All Eyez on Me, after years of delays, feels superficial and tries to cover too much ground. The first part of the movie moves very slowly because the story doesn’t give Tupac a clear goal or direction. This is a weak point for director Benny Boom, who is more experienced with music videos than feature films. Many fans likely wish that one of the previously attached directors, John Singleton or Antoine Fuqua, had stayed on the project.

‘Jimi: All Is by My Side’ (2013)

Jimi: All Is by My Side tells the story of a year in the life of Jimi Hendrix (played by André Benjamin), widely considered one of the most talented guitarists ever. The film focuses on 1966-1967 in London, showing how Hendrix transformed from an unknown musician into a rising star. This change begins after he meets Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), who helps connect him with important figures in the music scene.

Only a Taste

Both All Is by My Side and Stardust ran into trouble before filming because the estate of the musician they portrayed wouldn’t allow the use of their songs. This was particularly frustrating for All Is by My Side since the film focuses on Jimi Hendrix’s life before he became famous. Despite tackling serious issues like racism and drug use, and featuring a strong performance by Andre 3000 as Hendrix, director John Ridley (known for 12 Years a Slave) couldn’t quite make the movie compelling. The film gets off to a weak start, and unfortunately, it doesn’t improve. In fact, Hendrix’s ex-girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, famously called the movie “absolute nonsense.”

‘The Dirt’ (2019)

The movie The Dirt tells the story of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe – Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, and Vince Neil – based on their autobiography, Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band. It follows the band’s beginnings in 1980s Los Angeles, their quick climb to fame, and their struggles with excess and self-destruction. The film highlights important events like Vince’s serious car accident, Nikki’s overdose, and times when the band almost broke up.

Funny… But That’s All

As a movie, The Dirt doesn’t offer much in the way of new ideas or compelling characters. The script is fairly basic, and most of the people outside the main band feel like familiar stereotypes. While it’s not groundbreaking, the film is somewhat amusing. It uses raunchy humor and occasionally acknowledges the audience directly, focusing on the fun and wild side of rock music, which makes it entertaining.

‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ (2022)

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” tells the life story of iconic singer Whitney Houston, played by Naomi Ackie. The film follows her incredible rise to fame, starting from singing in a New Jersey church choir and continuing with the support of music producer Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci). However, as her career takes off, she faces challenges in her personal life, including a difficult marriage to Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders) and struggles with addiction.

I Wanna Complain With Somebody

I was really impressed with Naomi Ackie’s performance – she’s fantastic! The movie itself is visually polished, and it even got some recognition for its effects. But honestly, I Wanna Dance with Somebody felt a little…safe. It just hits all the expected biographical beats without really trying anything new. It didn’t quite connect with me emotionally because important moments felt rushed over, and they seemed to shy away from the tougher parts of Whitney’s story, probably to keep things upbeat. I think that actually hurt the film overall.

‘Back to Black’ (2024)

The film Back to Black tells the story of singer Amy Winehouse (played by Marisa Abela), from her childhood in London to the height of her fame after the 2006 album of the same name. It shows her early career, including her struggles with her record label, her increasing reliance on alcohol, and her complicated relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O’Connell).

Nothing New To Discover

The film received a nomination for its excellent make-up and hair. The actors look incredibly realistic. While the soundtrack is impressive, the movie doesn’t offer much beyond the public image of Amy Winehouse as portrayed in the tabloids, and lacks truly memorable scenes. Though Marisa Abela’s singing is commendable, the film prioritizes sound over the emotional depth typically found in biopics, leaving you with a loud experience rather than a moving one.

‘Beyond the Sea’ (2004)

As a film buff, I always find stories about musical legends fascinating, and Beyond the Sea is no exception. It’s a really compelling look at the life of Bobby Darin, played brilliantly by Kevin Spacey. The movie shows his incredible journey – how he went from being a sickly kid in the Bronx to becoming a huge star in the mid-20th century, constantly in the spotlight. It also explores his ambition to be even bigger than Frank Sinatra, and his beautiful, but sometimes complicated, romance with actress Sandra Dee, played by Kate Bosworth.

Dizzying

While not consistently strong, Beyond the Sea shines in moments, thanks to its energetic musical numbers and playful storytelling. The acting is a highlight, particularly John Goodman, who convincingly portrays a weathered Hollywood figure, and Kate Bosworth as Sandra. Kevin Spacey deserves praise for doing his own singing, but at 45, he appears too mature to convincingly play Bobby Darin across all ages, including his teenage years. The film also suffers from a disjointed narrative, jumping frequently between different time periods and dreamlike sequences, which makes it hard to follow.

‘Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story’ (2004)

“Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story” is a TV movie where Flex Alexander plays Michael Jackson. The film covers Jackson’s entire life, from his beginnings with the Jackson 5 to the various controversies he faced as an adult, including the accusations of child molestation.

No Moon-Walking

While it’s watchable, Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story feels conflicted. The film tries to both honor Jackson’s musical legacy and address the serious accusations against him, even though he was found not guilty. Strangely, none of his actual songs are played – they’re only talked about. However, Flex Alexander delivers a fantastic performance as Jackson, earning him an NAACP Image Award nomination.

‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ (2025)

Inspired by Warren Zanes’ biography, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere tells the story of rock star Bruce Springsteen (played by Jeremy Allen White) in the early 1980s, just after the huge success of his album The River. Facing pressure from his record label to create another hit, Springsteen retreats to a house in New Jersey to escape the intense public attention. It’s there that he grapples with difficult experiences from his past and begins working on his critically acclaimed acoustic album, Nebraska, using a simple four-track recorder.

Deliver Us From Boredom

Featuring strong performances from actors like Jeremy Strong and Stephen Graham, Deliver Me from Nowhere will satisfy viewers who appreciate good acting. However, those hoping for a captivating story about Bruce Springsteen himself may be let down. Despite being about a famously energetic performer, the film feels surprisingly slow, largely because it focuses on a quiet time in his life. This is a pattern for director Scott Cooper, who also lingered on the less exciting aspects of Whitey Bulger’s life in Black Mass. The film also relies heavily on predictable, overused storytelling techniques.

2025-11-06 02:20