20 Best Rock and Roll Biopics of All Time!
From 'A Complete Unknown' to 'Walk the Line,' Moviefone counts down the greatest movies ever made about Rock and Roll musicians.
Timothée Chalamet in 'A Complete Unkown'. Photo by Macall Polay, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
Rock and Roll musicians always make interesting subjects for biopics, and often win Oscars like in the case of 'Ray' or Bohemian Rhapsody.'
We've already seen the release of biopics about Bob Marley ('Bob Marley: One Love') and Amy Winehouse ('Back to Black') this year, and on December 25th 'A Complete Unknown' will be released in theaters, which stars Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan.
In honor of the new film, Moviefone is counting down the top 20 Rock and Roll biopics of all time.
Since the term "Rock and Roll" can cover several different genres of music, we are only including movies about musical artists who were known for performing popular music within the rock genre, including jazz, blues, country, rap, etc.
Without further ado, let's begin!
20. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (2018)
Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Singer Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee), drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and bass guitarist John Deacon (Joe Mazzello) take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet – finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.
19. 'La Bamba' (1987)
Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens in 'La Bamba'. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips) becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob (Esai Morales), and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw).
La Bamba
18. 'The Dirt' (2019)
(L to R) Douglas Booth, Colson Baker, Daniel Webber and Iwan Rheon as Mötley Crüe in 'The Dirt'. Photo: Netflix.
The Dirt
17. 'Bob Marley: One Love' (2024)
Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in 'Bob Marley: One Love' from Paramount Pictures.
Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.
Bob Marley: One Love
16. 'The Runaways' (2010)
(L to R) Alia Shawkat as Robin Robins, Riley Keough as Marie Currie, Scout Taylor-Compton as Lita Ford, Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett, and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie in 'The Runaways'. Photo: Summit Entertainment.
Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), two rebellious teenagers from Southern California, become the frontwomen for the Runaways -- the now-legendary group that paved the way for future generations of female rockers. Under the Svengali-like influence of impresario Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), the band becomes a huge success.
15. 'Get on Up' (2014)
Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in 'Get On Up'. Photo: Universal Pictures.
A chronicle of James Brown's (Chadwick Boseman) rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
14. 'Miles Ahead' (2016)
Don Cheadle as Miles Davis in 'Miles Ahead'. Photo: Sony Pictures Classics.
An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis (Don Cheadle).
13. 'Jimi: All Is by My Side' (2014)
André 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in 'Jimi: All Is by My Side'. Photo: Darko Entertainment.
A drama based on Jimi Hendrix's (André 3000) life as he left New York City for London, where his career took off.
12. 'Control' (2007)
(Left) Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in 'Control'. Photo: The Weinstein Company.
The story of Joy Division’s lead singer Ian Curtis (Sam Riley), from his schoolboy days in 1973 to his suicide on the eve of the band's first American tour in 1980.
11. 'Ray' (2004)
Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in 'Ray'. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx) 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.
10. 'Sid and Nancy' (1986)
(L to R) Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious and Chloe Webb as Nancy Spungen in 'SId and Nancy'. Photo: Palace Pictures.
January 1978. After their success in England, the punk rock band Sex Pistols venture out on their tour of the southern United States. Temperamental bassist Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) is forced by his band mates to travel without his troubled girlfriend, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb), who will meet him in New York. When the band breaks up and Sid begins his solo career in a hostile city, the turbulent couple definitely falls into the depths of drug addiction.
9. 'Love & Mercy' (2015)
Paul Dano as Brian Wilson in 'Love & Mercy'. Photo: Lionsgate.
In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson (Paul Dano and John Cusack) stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, Wilson, under the sway of a controlling therapist, finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks).
8. 'Rocketman' (2019)
Taron Egerton as Elton John in 'Rocketman'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The story of Elton John's (Taron Egerton) life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell).
7. 'Elvis' (2022)
Austin Butler as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama 'Elvis,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The life story of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
6. 'What's Love Got to Do with It' (1993)
Angela Bassett as Tina Turner in 'What's Love Got to Do with It'. Photo: Touchstone Pictures.
Singer Tina Turner (Angela Bassett) rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike (Laurence Fishburne).
What's Love Got to Do with It
5. 'I'm Not There' (2007)
Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn in 'I'm Not There'. Photo: The Weinstein Company.
Six actors (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw) portray six personas of music legend Bob Dylan in scenes depicting various stages of his life, chronicling his rise from unknown folksinger to international icon and revealing how Dylan constantly reinvented himself.
4. 'Walk the Line' (2005)
(L to R) Reese Witherspoon as June Carter and Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in 'Walk the Line'.
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's (Joaquin Phoenix) 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.
3. 'The Doors' (1991)
Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in 'The Doors'. Photo: Tri-Star Pictures.
The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer).
2. 'Straight Outta Compton' (2015)
O'Shea Jackson Jr. as O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson Sr. in 'Straight Outta Compton'. Photo: Universal Pictures.
In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Starring O'Shea Jackson Jr. as O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson, Corey Hawkins as Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, and Jason Mitchell as Eric "Eazy-E" Wright.
Straight Outta Compton
1. 'A Complete Unknown' (2024)
Timothée Chalamet in 'A Complete Unkown'. Photo by Macall Polay, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
Set in the influential New York music scene of the early 60s, 'A Complete Unknown' follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan's (Timothée Chalamet) meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts – his songs and mystique becoming a worldwide sensation – culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
A Complete Unknown
Set in the influential New York music scene of the early 60s, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician BOB DYLAN’s (Timothée Chalamet) meteoric... Read the Plot
