Why are good biopics so rare?

By Violaine Schütz, 

translation by Emma Naroumbo Armaing .

Published on 16 October 2025. Updated on 22 April 2026.

In recent months, many biopics have come out about 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. In 2025, a feature focusing on a specific part of Bruce Springsteen’s life starred Jeremy Allen White as the rock legend. This year, fans are treated with a flattering portrayal of Michael Jackson in the biopic Michael (2025). Yet, the project received a lukewarm reception from the critics.

A biopic on Michael Jackson met with a lukewarm reception

Hardly a week goes by without the announcement of an upcoming biopic. Johnny Hallyday, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Ronnie Spector (with Zendaya), the Beatles, Susan Sontag, Scorpions, Nat King Cole, Julio Iglesias, Frank Sinatra… Many projects are currently in development.

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 the filmmakers’ and audiences’ enthusiasm for the genre and the actual quality of these productions?

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

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.

Some parts of the story are 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. The same goes for Michael (2026), in which Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson, son of Jermaine Jackson and nephew of Michael and Janet Jackson, embodies his uncle. There is no mention whatsoever of the allegations of child abuse that long surrounded the star…

As for Back to Black, the failed biopic about Amy Winehouse, it glamorizes the relationship between the star and her father, Mitch Winehouse. The latter was far more toxic and self-serving than the work suggests. As a matter of fact, he was delighted by the cast. Some even believe that he played a major role in the singer’s hellish fall.

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

Biopics often have one flaw in common. They are offering 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. It 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. As a consequence, the authenticity of a biopic is hindered.

Well-done biopics focusing on only one part of an artist’s 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.

Biopics about Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan in 2025

The same goes for A Complete Unknown (2025), the biopic about Bob Dylan starring Timothée Chalamet. It focuses on the early years of the folk legend’s career. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025) only tackles with the recording of the Boss’s album Nebraska. As for Gus Van Sant’s Last Days (2005), it recounts Kurt Cobain‘s final days in a rather free form.

Schindler’s List and Elephant Man, 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, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The latest one is 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.

Michael (2025) by Antoine Fuqua, out in theatres now.