Music Biopic backdrop

Music Biopic movies

Biopic-style music stories: rise to fame, creative breakthroughs, conflict, and fallout.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

1. Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Documentary Music Biographical Documentary Music Biopic
7.9
20081h 21min

Overview

At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams.

Themes

Staying true to roots, Independence from majors, Financial precarity, Friendship as ballast, Artistic perseverance under pressure, Touring hardship

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
The Roku Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

2. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Comedy Music Parody Music Biopic
6.9
20071h 36min

Overview

Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage.

Themes

Wedding complications, Fame and addiction, Creative reinvention under pressure, Extramarital affair tensions, Family cost of fame, Influence seeking

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

La Vie en Rose

3. La Vie en Rose

Music Drama Music Biopic Historical Drama
7.5
20072h 20min

Overview

From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Edith Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th century.

Themes

Poverty shaping ambition, Addiction and rehabilitation, Gendered vulnerability constraints, Memory as endurance, Fame under public gaze, Romance amid fame

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Get Rich or Die Tryin'

4. Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Drama Crime Music Entertainment Industry Drama Narcotics Crime
5.5
20051h 57min

Overview

A tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from crime to pursue his passion, rap music.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Revenge and survival, Family loyalty under pressure, Identity through music, Crime to artistry, Power struggles within crime networks

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Walk the Line

5. Walk the Line

Drama Music Romance Music Biopic Entertainment Industry Drama
7.8
20052h 16min

Overview

A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

Themes

Drug dependency pressures, Family conflict and reconciliation, Fame versus personal stability, Partnership under strain, Creative ambition vs chaos

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Two Sons of Francisco

6. Two Sons of Francisco

Drama History Music Historical Drama Music Biopic
6.9
20052h 12min

Overview

The story of Francisco, a very simple and poor man whose dream was to see his children become country music stars, and who made all the efforts to make it happen.

Themes

Based on true story, Family relationships under strain, Peasant origins, Car accident impact, Rags to riches trajectory, Obsession with success, Brazilian music heritage


Beyond the Sea

7. Beyond the Sea

Drama Music Entertainment Industry Drama Music Biopic
6.7
20041h 58min

Overview

Based on the life and career of legendary entertainer, Bobby Darin, the biopic moves back and forth between his childhood and adulthood, to tell the tale of his life.

Themes

Pressures of fame, Family secrecy and lineage, Artistic reinvention, Public life vs private life, Romantic strain with fame, Class-bound ascent

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Ray

8. Ray

Drama Music Music Biopic Historical Drama
7.7
20042h 32min

Overview

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

Themes

Trauma shaping artistry, Poverty to stardom, Addiction vs genius, Civil rights pressure, Gospel and secular fusion, Fame under exploitation

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

De-Lovely

9. De-Lovely

Drama Music Entertainment Industry Drama Music Biopic
6.6
20042h 5min

Overview

From Paris to Venice to Broadway to Hollywood, the lives of Cole Porter and his wife, Linda Lee Thomas were never less than glamorous and wildly unconventional. And though Cole's thirst for life strained their marriage, Linda never stopped being his muse, inspiring some of the greatest songs of the twentieth century.

Themes

Public vs private life, Blackmail pressure and control, Extramarital intimacy and secrecy, Creative life under scrutiny, Illness and aging, Muse and collaboration

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Immortal Beloved

10. Immortal Beloved

Drama Music Romance Historical Drama Music Biopic
7.4
19942h 1min

Overview

A chronicle of the life of infamous classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven and his painful struggle with hearing loss. Following Beethoven's death in 1827, his assistant, Schindler, searches for an elusive woman referred to in the composer's love letters as "immortal beloved." As Schindler solves the mystery, a series of flashbacks reveal Beethoven's transformation from passionate young man to troubled musical genius.

Themes

Unspoken love vs duty, Family loyalty and conflict, Artistic genius under hardship, Legacy and secrecy, Memory and reconciliation, Public performance vs private life

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.