Over the past year, a number of biopics on musical entertainers have been released, the most famous being the one on rock band Queen and its vocalist Freddy Mercury; Bohemian Rhapsody. Although it won British actor Rami Malek an acting Oscar for his portrayal of Mercury, I've seen reviews of the movie which described it as by-the-book and sterile. The other one, Rocket Man, portraying the life of Elton John, came out a little after Rhapsody.
I'm not planning on watching either of the two films, as I find biopics a little formulaic. I've watched the one on country music legend Johnny Cash, and the most recent one I saw was the one on some Indian mathematician, played by Dev Patel; The Man Who Knew Infinity. Oh, Gandhi too of course. Even Gandhi, which I enjoyed due to its production value, suffers from its predictability. Public figure catches public attention for their raw talent, they face challenges or personal demons that they need to overcome, before bouncing back to win the public's adulation once again in the later stages of their life, corresponding with the movie's third act.
One reason for the whitewashing of the biopic subjects, especially if they are musical entertainers, is that the movies need to use the songs composed or made popular by the subjects, and they need the subjects or their estate to sign off on the songs. So they have to acquiesce to the demands made to maintain the biopic subject's reputation. Hence why if the singer was once caught diddling a child, this particular part of their life won't be touched in the movie.
However, I've come across two biopics which I admire immensely, if not outright adore, for the risks they take.
I can't say I enjoyed watching the first one, but I admire the makers for going down the road less travelled. It's on the legendary folk singer-songwriter Bob Dylan; I'm Not There. I can't even say I understand what went on half of the time, but I respect the story-telling choice of having multiple actors and actresses portray differing facets of the folk singer. It's been a while since I watched it, but I remember him being portrayed by Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and a black kid, among many others.
The other one, the one I enjoyed, was the one on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The eponymous movie has Michael Fassbender playing Jobs just a few year after the latter's death, and boy he looked nothing like Jobs, if I'm being honest. But that's about the only complaint I have about it. Instead of going down the familiar route of trying to replicate the important events from Jobs' life, instead it tries to portray the effects of his single-mindedness on those closest to him. I guess verisimilitude takes a back seat to good story in the film, and I believe this decision serves it well in the end.
I've also been meaning to watch another recent biopic, the one on John F Kennedy's wife; Jackie.
