When it comes to biopics, I think there are two very different, yet passionate opinions on them: Number one they are overdone and not that good, and number two, they are a good way for people to learn about people’s lives that they might not have been educated on. I, personally, am a fan of the biopics I have seen and always tend to be really fascinated by them and their impressive storytelling. However, I do agree with those who believe that not everyone or everything needs to be a biopic, and some stories are left better in the hands of the creator. Biopics can be about many different people from many different walks of life, from musicians, to wrestlers, to addicts on the road to recovery, to parents. The question is, are we in a biopic epidemic?
This past decade, it seems that biopics have made a real return to the big screen. From the 2022 Elvis movie to the recent Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere movie, they just seem to keep coming. The biggest issue about biopics is that these are stories that people have witnessed. I can understand the perspective of consumers stating that biopics are “overdone” because they are in a sense. It feels repetitive for people who lived through the Elvis era or were big fans of Michael Jackson— it almost feels pointless for them to get a movie about something they remember and lived through. I told my mom, who is the biggest Whitney Houston fan I know, that they are making a movie based on her life, and she wasn’t excited at all. She felt as though it was not necessary and if anything too soon for a film to be based on her life; that her death hadn’t been sat with enough to make a movie about it. This really puts into perspective why people tend to reject biopics; it’s not like they are learning something new.
As for me, someone who is presumably young, I enjoy biopics. Mostly because these stories were not the things my generation focused on. Although I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Wham!, New Edition, and other music from the past, they were not artists of my generation. So when I do hear about biopics about people and eras I didn’t have the privilege of living through, it does intrigue and excite me. I loved learning about Elvis Presley from both Presley’s perspective in his biopic film starring Austin Butler, and through Priscilla Presley’s perspective in the film Priscilla. This was a story I had not known about in depth, and one that I was able to educate myself on more through these films. Even with movies like The Iron Claw—I don’t have a real interest in wrestling, and due to this, I don’t think I would’ve ever heard the story of the Von Erich brothers and their wrestling legacy if I had not been interested in the film itself. I think biopics have the opportunity to transport you and give you new perspectives on rare stories you may have already heard of, but not been diverse in.
All in all, I can understand both arguments when it comes to the over-making or general creation of biopics. While I tend to enjoy them and learn about people’s passions and perspectives specifically through film and television, I can understand why they may feel inane to others. I think you can gain really interesting insight from biopics, but I do think that filmmakers and artists are being a little heavy-handed in mass-producing this genre of film. I think spreading them out and focusing on really impactful humans can help people want to engage with them more. Instead of finding that biopics are profitable and making a bunch of them, put passion and care into these people’s stories so they are wanted and not rejected by the general public.