Why are good biopics so rare?

By Violaine Schütz.

In recent months, biopics have been released about the lives of Bob Marley, Priscilla Presley, Maria Schneider, Maurice Ravel, Amy Winehouse, Lee Miller, Charles Aznavour (with Tahar Rahim), Bob Dylan with Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Maria Callas (with Angelina Jolie), Pharrell Williams, and Robbie Williams. On October 22nd, 2025, a new feature focusing on a specific part years of Bruce Springsteen’s life will come out, starring Jeremy Allen White in the lead role.

Biopics about Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan in 2025

Johnny Hallyday (with Raphaël Quenard and Matthias Schoenaerts), Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Ronnie Spector (with Zendaya), the Beatles, Susan Sontag, Scorpions, Michael Jackson, Nat King Cole, Julio Iglesias, Frank Sinatra… Numerous biographical films are currently in the works.

Hardly a week goes by without the announcement of the release of a new biopic. Yet, these biographical works recounting the lives and careers of deceased (or still alive) stars rarely live up to the aura of their notorious protagonists. How can we explain this gap between filmmakers’ and audiences’ enthusiasm for the genre and the actual quality of these productions?

Bob Marley: One Love, Back to Black… Biopics approved by the stars’ relatives

One possible explanation is the involvement of a relative in a biopic that sanctifies a celebrity. Indeed, when someone close to the star is involved, one can be sure that many of the rough edges will be ironed out, especially regarding drug addictions.

And some parts of the story will be rewritten in a positive light. For instance, the terrible biopic Bob Marley: One Love has been approved by Bob Marley’s mother Rita and sister Cedella. While the eldest son of Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, co-produced the film about the reggae icon.

As for Back to Black, the failed biopic about Amy Winehouse, it glamorizes the relationship between the star and her father, Mitch Winehouse, a man far more toxic and self-interested than the work suggests, and who by the way was delighted with the film’s cast. Some even believe that he played a major role in the singer’s descent into hell.

Bohemian Rhapsody or the Hollywood vision of the life of Freddie Mercury

Biopics often have one flaw in common – they offer a simplified, sanitized Hollywood vision of the life of a star. An illustration of that is Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), starring Rami Malek, which very poorly addresses the icon’s homosexuality, and waters down Freddie Mercury’s bacchanalia and dark side.

Yet, when the rights holders don’t approve the film projects, the music of the singers cannot be used, which hinders the authenticity of a biopic.

Rather well-done biopics focusing only on one part of a life

However, there are a few exceptions. When the genuine vision of a screenwriter writes the story of a myth, then we’re dealing with a success story. Examples of that include Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla (2024), about Priscilla and Elvis Presley, and Anton Corbijn’s Control (2007), about the tormented life of Ian Curtis, leader of the cult band Joy Division.

But also A Complete Unknown (2025), the biopic about Bob Dylan led by Timothée Chalamet, which focuses on the early days of the folk legend’s career. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025), which only depicts the recording of the Boss’s iconic album, Nebraska. Or Last Days (2005) by Gus Van Sant, which takes liberty in imagining Kurt Cobain‘s final days.

Schindler’s List and Elephant Man are among the best biopics of all time

Biopics also tend to be more convincing when we know very little about the life of the person being portrayed and celebrated – or not. One can think of Steven Spielberg‘s Schindler’s List (1994) with Liam Neeson, Tim Burton‘s Ed Wood (1994), Peter Farrelly‘s Green Book (2019) with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, David Lynch‘s The Elephant Man (1981) with Anthony Hopkins, or Martin Scorsese‘s Raging Bull (1981) with Robert De Niro.

But one could also add Goodfellas (1990), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) by Martin Scorsese, Dallas Buyers Club (2014) by Jean-Marc Vallée with Matthew McConaughey, Into the Wild (2007) by Sean Penn, or The Imitation Game (2014) by Morten Tyldum with Benedict Cumberbatch. The most recent being Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster Oppenheimer (2023).

These biopics often have the merit of brilliantly shining a light on figures barely known by the audience. For when a biopic tackles the story of an icon, like Marilyn Monroe for instance, it remains difficult for the actors to match the aura of the figure they embody, even with all the make-up and prosthetics in the world.

Springstreen: Deliver Me From Nowhere by Scott Cooper, coming out in theatres on October 22nd, 2025.