Special Report

The Best Movies About Music Icons

Many musicians become actors (think David Bowie, Will Smith, Mark Wahlberg, et al., et al.) and many actors lead a double life as musicians. And there are also those who do the next best thing – play a real-life musical icon in a major film, sometimes winning an Oscar nomination or even award in the process. (These are 25 pop music stars who played dramatic roles in movies.)

Good music biopics offer much more than just good music. Many offer a great rags-to-riches story or include a near-death experience with a phoenix-like revival at the end.

To determine the 34 best music biopics of all time, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of August 2022, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies with at least 3,500 user reviews on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes were considered.

Click here to see the 34 best music biopics of all time

Music biopics have always been a popular genre in Hollywood, and there’s no sign that will change any time soon. In fact, they have been among the biggest movie hits of the year. Just think of the Oscar-sweeping “Amadeus,” about the rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the lesser composer Antonio Salieri – or, more recently, the NWA origin story “Straight Outta Compton,” or such acclaimed features as “Bohemian Rhapsody” (about Freddy Mercury) “La Vie en Rose” (Edith Piaf), and “Sweet Dreams” (Patsy Cline). (Musicians and otherwise, these are the best movies made about real people.)

Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

34. The Doors (1991)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (88,174 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (60,671 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 57% (61 reviews)
> Starring: Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley

Directed and co-written by Oliver Stone, “The Doors” is about the life of singer and songwriter Jim Morrison, played by Val Kilmer. It portrays his rock-and-roll and counterculture lifestyle, including his drug use.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

33. Selena (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (27,425 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (166,934 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65% (49 reviews)
> Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Jackie Guerra

“Selena” is about the life and career of Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who was murdered at the age of 23. It stars Jennifer Lopez in her breakout role.

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

32. I’m Not There (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (57,699 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (113,902 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (162 reviews)
> Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw

“I’m Not There” is a musical drama based on the life and music of Bob Dylan. The artist is depicted by six actors in the film – a different actor for a different stage of his career.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

31. Get On Up (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (23,900 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (25,406 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (172 reviews)
> Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis

The late Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul – James Brown – in this film, which uses a nonlinear narrative, following Brown’s stream of consciousness as he recalls events from his life.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

30. Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (4,167 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (8,004 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65% (17 reviews)
> Starring: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan

The 1972 film “Lady Sings the Blues,” starring Diana Ross, is the story of Billie Holiday, born Eleanora Fagan – one of the greatest jazz singers of all time, and a major influence on both jazz and pop vocalists who came after her. She struggled with drug abuse, and died of cirrhosis at the age of 44.

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

29. Nowhere Boy (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (36,976 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (25,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (149 reviews)
> Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, David Threlfall

This British biographical drama is about the teenage years of future Beatle and music legend John Lennon. The film focuses on Lennon’s relationships with his mother and aunt and the formation of his first band.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

28. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (486,836 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (23,599 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 60% (411 reviews)
> Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy

“Bohemian Rhapsody” tells the story of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek), from the formation of the band up to the 1985 Live Aid performance at London’s Wembley Stadium. The year after his death from AIDS in 1991, a major benefit concert in his honor, benefiting AIDS awareness, was held at the same venue.

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

27. Respect (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (14,145 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (2,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (191 reviews)
> Starring: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald

“Respect” is a musical drama based on the life of Aretha Franklin. The singer is played by Jennifer Hudson, who was handpicked by Franklin herself for the role. The film follows Franklin’s life from her childhood as a musical prodigy to the recording of the live album “Amazing Grace.”

Courtesy of IFC Films

26. Born To Be Blue (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (8,696 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (119 reviews)
> Starring: Ethan Hawke, Carmen Ejogo, Callum Keith Rennie, Stephen McHattie

“Born To Be Blue” is loosely based on the musical comeback of legendary West Coast jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker. Set in the late 1960s, the film reimagines Baker’s affair with an actress as he tries to rise to the top of the industry again.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

25. La Bamba (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (31,872 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (52,278 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (74 reviews)
> Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña

“La Bamba” features Lou Diamond Phillips as Chicano rock-and-roll star Ritchie Valens, who died in the 1959 plane crash that also claimed the life of Buddy Holly.

Courtesy of United Artists

24. Bound for Glory (1976)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (4,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (1,394 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (23 reviews)
> Starring: David Carradine, Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland

Based on Woody Guthrie’s 1943 autobiography of the same name, “Bound for Glory ‘ focuses on the folk singer’s early years as a struggling musician making his way from Oklahoma to Southern California and becoming politically active.

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Courtesy of New Line Cinema

23. Sid & Nancy (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (32,470 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (25,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (69 reviews)
> Starring: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman

“Sid & Nancy” is a biographical drama portraying the destructive relationship between Sid Vicious, bassist and singer for the iconic punk rock band Sex Pistols and his girlfirend, Nancy Spungen, whom he stabbed to death in a drug-fueled haze at Manhattan’s legendary Chelsea Hotel..

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

22. Bird (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (12,071 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (6,258 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (23 reviews)
> Starring: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright

Forest Whitaker stars as the troubled legendary jazz musician Charles “Bird” Parker. Moving back and forth in time, the film covers Parker’s life from his childhood in Kansas City to his death from a heroin overdose at age 34.

Courtesy of Home Box Office

21. Behind The Candelabra (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (42,144 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (15,191 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (108 reviews)
> Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Eric Zuckerman

“Behind The Candelabra” follows the last 10 years of megastar singer and pianist Liberace, focusing mostly on his tumultuous love affair with the much younger Scott Thorson. The film is based on Thorson’s memoir about his life with the larger-than-life personality.

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Courtesy of Picturehouse

20. La Vie en Rose (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (86,995 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (100,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (153 reviews)
> Starring: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner

“La Vie en Rose” is about the life of iconic French singer Edith Piaf. Marion Cotillard’s performance as Piaf received critical acclaim and won her an Academy Award for Best Actress – the first time an Oscar had been given for a French-language role.

Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

19. Sweet Dreams (1985)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (4,528 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (6,496 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (20 reviews)
> Starring: Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ann Wedgeworth, David Clennon

Critics lauded the performance of two-time Academy Award winner Jessica Lange, who received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance as the legendary country music singer Patsy Cline. Janet Maslin of the New York Times said Lange “makes herself a perfect physical extension of the vibrant, changeable, enormously expressive woman who can be heard on these recordings.”

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

18. The Glenn Miller Story (1953)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (8,868 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (9 reviews)
> Starring: James Stewart, June Allyson, Harry Morgan, Charles Drake

James Stewart stars as the famous swing-era bandleader Glenn Miller. The movie covers Miller’s life from his early years as a struggling trombone player dreaming of making it big and working to start his own band to his death over the English Channel during a period when he was entertaining troops during World War II. Louis Armstrong, drummer Gene Krupa, and other top musicians of the era put in cameo performances.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

17. Ray (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (142,924 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (214,613 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (207 reviews)
> Starring: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell

“Ray” stars Jamie Foxx as the legendary blind rhythm and blues singer and pianist Ray Charles. Foxx won an Academy Award for Best Actor, as well as Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics’ Choice awards for his performance.

Courtesy of October Films

16. Hilary And Jackie (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (10,310 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (58 reviews)
> Starring: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, James Frain, David Morrissey

Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths were nominated for an Oscar for playing Jackie du Pre, an elite cellist, and her sister, Hilary du Pre, a flutist. The film tells the story of the much more famous Hilary from the point of view of her less accomplished sister.

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Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation

15. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (37,404 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (25,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (99 reviews)
> Starring: Steve Coogan, Lennie James, John Thomson

The biographical figure in “24 Hour Party People” – a comedy drama about the pop music scene in Manchester, England – isn’t a musician, but rather a TV reporter and record company head, Tony Wilson, though it also deals with the careers of famed Manchester groups like New Order and Joy Division.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

14. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (17,650 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (36,315 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (22 reviews)
> Starring: Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Levon Helm, Phyllis Boyens-Liptak

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” tells the story of Loretta Lynn, from her youth “in a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler” through her rise to country superstardom. Sissy Spacek, who in 1983 would release her own country music album, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Lynn. In 2019, the movie was selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Film Registry.

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Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

13. Love & Mercy (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (37,844 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (19,961 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (218 reviews)
> Starring: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti

“Love & Mercy” is about Beach Boys co-founder and leader Brian Wilson as he faces mental illness while creating ground-breaking music. It stars Paul Dano and John Cusack as the young and middle-aged Wilson, respectively. The title comes from a 1988 song by Wilson.

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

12. The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (8,679 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (7,554 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (30 reviews)
> Starring: Gary Busey, Don Stroud, Charles Martin Smith, Conrad Janis

“The Buddy Holly Story” chronicles the life and short career of early rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. The film focuses on his quick rise to fame and his marriage. Gary Busey was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Holly, who died in a plane crash at age 22.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

11. Elvis (2022)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (80,015 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (10,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (364 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson

“Elvis” is about the life of music icon Elvis Presley – from his childhood to his evolution into an international music and film superstar. The story is told through the prism of Presley’s relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), over the span of two decades.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

10. Rocketman (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (157,733 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (21,654 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (390 reviews)
> Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard

“Rocketman” is a musical fantasy drama based on the life of Elton John, named after his 1972 hit “Rocket Man.” It stars Taron Egerton as John and Bryce Dallas Howard as his mother, Sheila Eileen.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

9. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (14,257 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (8,139 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (29 reviews)
> Starring: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf

This musical biopic about the life of composer George M. Cohan won Oscars for Best Music, Best Sound, and Best Actor – for star James Cagney. It was later selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry and included on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

8. Walk the Line (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (241,495 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (545,710 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (210 reviews)
> Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick

“Walk the Line” is based on two autobiographies by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, “Man in Black” and “Cash: The Autobiography.” It stars Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as his wife June Carter Cash, and focuses heavily on their relationship.

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

7. Funny Girl (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (21,324 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (19,909 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (45 reviews)
> Starring: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis

A biographical musical about the rise of comedian and Broadway star Fanny Brice, “Funny Girl” details her struggles with the industry’s beauty standards and her marriage to professional con artist and gambler Nicky Arnstein.

Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company

6. Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (3,775 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (2,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (25 reviews)
> Starring: Colm Feore, Derek Keurvorst, Katya Ladan, Devon Anderson

“Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould” is what the title says – an anthology film of short films about famous 20th century pianist Glenn Gould. The film includes both real interviews with people who knew Gould and fictional reenactments of his life.

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Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

5. Control (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (63,385 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (48,485 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (116 reviews)
> Starring: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Craig Parkinson, Alexandra Maria Lara

“Control” is set in the 1970s, as Ian Curtis was rising to fame as the lead singer of the Manchester band Joy Division. The biopic shows how Curtis deals with being a young superstar as well as a father and a husband and depicts his worsening epilepsy and eventual suicide.

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

4. What’s Love Got to Do With It? (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (19,816 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (52,290 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (58 reviews)
> Starring: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, RaéVen Kelly, Virginia Capers

Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne received Oscar nominations for playing Tina and Ike Turner, respectively, in this gripping biopic. It chronicles their torrid marriage and Tina’s struggle to break free as an independent woman and artist.

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Courtesy of Fine Line Features

3. Shine (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (54,278 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (25,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (44 reviews)
> Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine, Lynn Redgrave

Geoffrey Rush stars as Australian concert pianist David Helfgott, who suffers a mental breakdown as a result of the pressures of his fame, and spends years in various institutions, eventually playing a critically acclaimed return concert, reviving a career that continues to this day.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

2. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (188,551 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (24,335 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (247 reviews)
> Starring: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr.

F. Gary Gray’s film is about how the influential rap group NWA came out of the hardscrabble streets of Compton, California, to bring hip-hop music to the cultural forefront. Powerful performances by O’Shea Jackson Jr. (son of NWA member Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins, and Jason Mitchell helped the film win an Oscar nomination.

Courtesy of Orion Pictures

1. Amadeus (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (382,367 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (180,242 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (100 reviews)
> Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice

Based on Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play of the same name, this account of the life and successes of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – told through the eyes of his rival, Antonio Salieri – dominated the 1985 Oscars, winning eight awards, including those for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.

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