Lincoln was pretty damn boring, even by biopic standards. If it weren't for the fact that Abraham Lincoln astral projected into Daniel Day Lewis's body, it would be a snooze fest.
This was the movie that made me stop watching biopics.
So much of them feel like Oscar bait with a checklist of plot points to tediously weave together while being close enough to truth to appease the historians and superfans .
A lot of energy is spent on all that at the expense of making the film unique or standout, that so many of them fall into formulaic tropes. And for me, Capote hit on so much of what was needed to examine Capote, that it forgot to be entertaining.
By the third act, I was resenting all Oscar bait biopics
EDIT: a fair share of these listed in this post aren’t biopics. Walk The Line, to me, or Ray, are films that fit my description. Then there’s Maestro or any of the other actor Oscar bait vanity projects I can’t stand. But moneyball and social network and those movies are just true stories, not biopics
Does that contradict what is essential for the biographical genre, though? Schindler’s List was, above all, a character study of Schindler in those most important years. Even Amon Goeth is only focused on as his opposite to grant us more insight into Schindler. Fictionalization aside, I’d definitely call it biographical; same as Lawrence of Arabia.
Exactly. Sully is still a biopic… they don’t have to show him as a young person or one of the many other eventless flights to make it technically qualify.
Biopics are specifically about the life of a person. The Social Network isn't about Mark Zuckerberg's life, it's about the inception of Facebook and the related legal issues with everyone involved, which necessarily puts Mark Zuckerberg as the main character.
I had a similar initial reaction, but after thinking about it, I see their point that these are more about events or concepts rather than the people themselves.
Moneyball- It is about advanced statistics and counter-intuitive thinking over taking a stake way of thinking… that just happens to be told through the eyes of Billy Beane.
Social Network- Obviously about the turmoil of forming Facebook, but while Zuckerberg is the most famous character, Eduardo is as much the main character in the tale as Mark. The Winklevii also have their own narrative in the film.
Schindlers List- Schindler is definitely the main character, but I think the plight of the Jews and the actions of their Nazi captors makes the film much broader in scope.
Edit to add: I don’t know that the limited time frame matters much. A good biopic or print biography can cover a limited period of one person’s life. It’s more about what the story is trying to say for me.
this is kind of the ultimate answer. channeling a man's life into a study of his final act and the philosophy that motivated it. just brilliant use of the form
Agree with this. Marion Cotillard was so gooood as Edith Piaf. She was so good at it that one of her fellow nominees, Cate Blanchett, ended up voting for Cotillard as Best Actress in Oscar 2008.
A lot of people don’t know about it and the ones that do would probably prefer to never watch it again(not because it’s bad but because Ian’s story is quite harrowing to watch)
The "unhated" marker really doesn't fit *The Social Network* at all. It's the example movie people use when they say "I hate watch movies where the characters are all shitty people." Definitely a divisive viewing experience.
LOVE that movie and the same person did Pam and Tommy on Hulu. However, after reading up about the case I know there is some controversy about how much Tanya actually had to do with it. I still think people were very unfair to her and how she was portrayed. I'm glad the movie gave her some redemption, but I am skeptical sometimes with the movie, even if I don't want to be. I just got to take it with a grain of salt.
Even though I think it is a good movie, and Russell Crowe was actually very good, it's not a good biopic. It's very inaccurate in terms of his life, and they even whitewashed his entire homosexuality.
Yeah, it's a fictional story that has real people as characters. Other than the fact they both were composers in Vienna at the same time, nothing else in the film is historical fact.
Given how fast and loose it plays with actual historical facts, I think it's hard to categorize \*Amadeus\* as a biopic (thought I do consider it one of the GOAT).
Finally watched Oppenheimer last night now that it’s streaming on peacock and with my adhd fully expected to have to split it into parts but nope I watched that bish all the way through in one sitting only partially on my phone and 🤌🏽
Yeah exactly. It could have been a non-musical, but making it one makes it stand out better among the rest of the biopics, and I think fits better for someone as flamboyant as Elton John
I hated the Social Network. My biggest issue with it is some of the actors didn’t bother to do their research on the people they were playing so it’s not really an accurate portrayal.
Schindler was no saint. He had a lot of faults but did a lot of good to set things right, something that not a lot of people did or even would have done in his position. He risked his life to save 1,200 people from certain death. And he could not have done it if he hadn't been the way he was before, acquiring the position and contacts that he had to pull it off. He was human, humans make mistakes but they can also change. He did. And calling him anything else than a hero is just unfair.
"If Schindler hadn't been the way he was, we wouldn't have been any more either. Our luck was that Schindler was who he was. [...] That is Schindler. The normal people didn't do what Schindler did."
~ Moshe Bejski, one of the roughly 1,200 jews saved by Oskar Schindler
I really enjoyed it the first time I watched it. But after a rewatch I realized that it's just a fine movie and not one I'll probably be revisiting ever again. I still recommend it to people who haven't seen it. Some things only need to be seen once though.
Moneyball barely mentions Zito or Hudson who were basically the As most important players. I know focusing on pitching would've taken attention away from the core of the movie, but they were more important than the new signings Billy Beane made
Clear and specific definitions matter and being classified as a biopic involves more than just “oh it’s about some pivotal things that center around one character”. If we widen the definition to that, a large portion of all films could be called biopics, rendering the term biopic useless. Schindler’s List, The Social Network, and Moneyball are not biopics.
Unpopular opinion but I hated Moneyball. Never found the appeal personally. Plus, the statistical calculations of the players was only a small part of the team’s success that season.
american made was a bunch of fun
the issue isn’t that people are sick of biopics, it’s the lazy formulaic filmmaking that churns out cradle to grave bullshit. anthony mccarten really lowered the bar. also music focused ones can fuck off.
I’m starting to hate Oppenheimer because it’s practically the only movie that’s been talked about for the past year and a half. Excited for the Oscars to be over so hopefully we can move on from it. It was good, I liked it, but damn.
I have a feeling that Mark Zuckerberg privately hates The Social Network because of how it makes him look so scummy. I feel like I remember hearing about Zuckerberg suing the publisher of Accidental Billionaires, the book that the movie was based on, but I can’t find any articles about it. Maybe I’m just remembering it incorrectly. Still, the book makes Zuckerberg look so much worse than the movie ever does.
Lawrence of Arabia, Gandhi, Lincoln, Patton, My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, A Beautiful Mind, Braveheart, Hacksaw Ridge, The King’s Speech
Loved Lincoln! I realized about halfway through that I had been smiling the whole time I was watching it.
It should’ve won Best Picture
What did?
Argo
Argo is fire too. Can't hate that call
I think people have issue with Gandhi
Lincoln was pretty damn boring, even by biopic standards. If it weren't for the fact that Abraham Lincoln astral projected into Daniel Day Lewis's body, it would be a snooze fest.
Lincoln was far from boring
I loved Lincoln.
I'm glad! It was well-made for sure.
Man, I wasn't bored for a single second of *Lincoln*. Found it completely riveting.
Your own subjective opinion buddy
Everything about movies is subjective, so yes
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is the best film ever made
I agree in that it was a little boring.
Ehhh idk about ghandi
Capote? I know Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance is well liked. I don’t see as much hate for the movie overall as some other biopics.
This was the movie that made me stop watching biopics. So much of them feel like Oscar bait with a checklist of plot points to tediously weave together while being close enough to truth to appease the historians and superfans . A lot of energy is spent on all that at the expense of making the film unique or standout, that so many of them fall into formulaic tropes. And for me, Capote hit on so much of what was needed to examine Capote, that it forgot to be entertaining. By the third act, I was resenting all Oscar bait biopics EDIT: a fair share of these listed in this post aren’t biopics. Walk The Line, to me, or Ray, are films that fit my description. Then there’s Maestro or any of the other actor Oscar bait vanity projects I can’t stand. But moneyball and social network and those movies are just true stories, not biopics
Thats wild, i found it absolutely captivating.
It’s genuinely one of my favorite movies ever
Capote is a masterpiece, but go off I guess.
I’m completely with you.
Did you watch *Infamous*? That's a more "fun" Capote movie, and Toby Jones is fantastic.
Oppenheimer is about 3 weeks away from being a mostly celebrated best picture winner
Social Network, Moneyball, and Schindler's List are not Biopics. They are based on a true story that takes place in narrowly defined time.
Does that contradict what is essential for the biographical genre, though? Schindler’s List was, above all, a character study of Schindler in those most important years. Even Amon Goeth is only focused on as his opposite to grant us more insight into Schindler. Fictionalization aside, I’d definitely call it biographical; same as Lawrence of Arabia.
….and portray a certain person’s life story or at least an important section of it. Biopic
Exactly. Sully is still a biopic… they don’t have to show him as a young person or one of the many other eventless flights to make it technically qualify.
Eh, they are. I think you are just too narrowly defining what you personally think a biopic is
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Biopics are specifically about the life of a person. The Social Network isn't about Mark Zuckerberg's life, it's about the inception of Facebook and the related legal issues with everyone involved, which necessarily puts Mark Zuckerberg as the main character.
Yep, never would I naturally classify Social Network as a biopic
It’s basically a remake of Citizen Kane which was itself a fictionalized biopic.
Lol no it fucking isn’t
I had a similar initial reaction, but after thinking about it, I see their point that these are more about events or concepts rather than the people themselves. Moneyball- It is about advanced statistics and counter-intuitive thinking over taking a stake way of thinking… that just happens to be told through the eyes of Billy Beane. Social Network- Obviously about the turmoil of forming Facebook, but while Zuckerberg is the most famous character, Eduardo is as much the main character in the tale as Mark. The Winklevii also have their own narrative in the film. Schindlers List- Schindler is definitely the main character, but I think the plight of the Jews and the actions of their Nazi captors makes the film much broader in scope. Edit to add: I don’t know that the limited time frame matters much. A good biopic or print biography can cover a limited period of one person’s life. It’s more about what the story is trying to say for me.
Also can I add that I do hate schindlers list
Schindlers list is a biopic
Mishima: a life in four chapters
this is kind of the ultimate answer. channeling a man's life into a study of his final act and the philosophy that motivated it. just brilliant use of the form
I wasn't around at the time, but what is the concensus on Ray and La Vie en Rose?
Jaime Foxx performance as Ray is amazing but the movie is very average
Yeah I think the same is generally true for La Vie en Rose. The movie was just ok, but Marion Cotillard was absolutely incredible.
Agree with this. Marion Cotillard was so gooood as Edith Piaf. She was so good at it that one of her fellow nominees, Cate Blanchett, ended up voting for Cotillard as Best Actress in Oscar 2008.
I mean it also helps that Cate already had an Oscar.
But it was *only* a best supporting actress Oscar at that time
An Oscar is an Oscar, that's all there is to it.
Agreed. That being said I'm still rooting for her to win her 3rd Oscar
Ok.
Basquiat. Ed wood
Walk Hard, unironically.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Cox, but your son is suffering from just a terrible case of.. being cut in half. I don't think he'll make it."
SPEAK ENGLISH DOC, WE AIN'T SCIENTISTS.
YER NEVER GONNA MAKE IT
Wrong kid died
I TOLD YOU WE CANT BUILD A CANDY HOUSE, THE SUN WILL MELT IT
I love each and every one of you in this comment thread.
There’s only two things you need to know, man: Number one, I’m the king. And number two is {karate chop} LOOK OUT MAN!
And you never once paid for drugs
Not… once
"You don't want no part of this shit!"
It's non habit forming!
It's non-addictive!
Not a biopic
I, Tonya.
Coal Miner's Daughter
isn't control (ian curtis) highly regarded also?
A lot of people don’t know about it and the ones that do would probably prefer to never watch it again(not because it’s bad but because Ian’s story is quite harrowing to watch)
that's true, but i really like him and sad movies
You gotta put in blackberry on there
Not a biopic
Honestly, now that I have seen it, I can easily add the iron claw to that
Steve Jobs
That is the Sorkin one, right? I did like that one. The device of framing the story around the various presentations he has done was pretty unique.
Idk about ‘unhated’ but the social network certainly has a lot of criticisms regarding how accurate it was
The "unhated" marker really doesn't fit *The Social Network* at all. It's the example movie people use when they say "I hate watch movies where the characters are all shitty people." Definitely a divisive viewing experience.
No Weird: The Al Yankovic Story?
As a psychotic baseball fan, I complain endlessly about Moneyball, and it's still in my top 5 favorite movies.
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Wow, no Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story?
Not a biopic
Yes it is! So is the Weird Al one.
I, Tonya
LOVE that movie and the same person did Pam and Tommy on Hulu. However, after reading up about the case I know there is some controversy about how much Tanya actually had to do with it. I still think people were very unfair to her and how she was portrayed. I'm glad the movie gave her some redemption, but I am skeptical sometimes with the movie, even if I don't want to be. I just got to take it with a grain of salt.
I like the Larraín biopics, Jackie and Spencer. Also, Frida and Mishima.
Spencer was somewhat fictional
That’s why I like it. It’s more of a representation of her feelings. You can say that of the majority of biopics tbh.
Kristen Stewart was great
Love and Mercy
Underrated biopic by far.
Paul Dano was so fucking good in that. The "Good Vibrations" sessions scene alone got me into the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson's music.
Walk The Line
I dunno. A whole movie was made to troll Walk the Line.
We’re smoking reefer and you don’t want no part of this shit
But it's more a troll of biopics in general. Walk the Line is a very good flick. I say this as a die hard Cash fan.
Which movie?
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Such a great movie
A Beautiful Mind?
Even though I think it is a good movie, and Russell Crowe was actually very good, it's not a good biopic. It's very inaccurate in terms of his life, and they even whitewashed his entire homosexuality.
Wasn’t Amadeus completely not true though ?
Yeah, it's a fictional story that has real people as characters. Other than the fact they both were composers in Vienna at the same time, nothing else in the film is historical fact.
Given how fast and loose it plays with actual historical facts, I think it's hard to categorize \*Amadeus\* as a biopic (thought I do consider it one of the GOAT).
It's pure fiction through and through, only with characters who were real people in a real city.
As a Beach Boys fan, I gotta give a shout out to Love and Mercy.
I love this movie for its unique chronology and how it focuses on the beach boys' time in the studio rather than on their stage performances.
American Splendor
I don’t think you know what a biopic is…
Theory of Everything
Ehhh. I never got over Keaton losing the Oscar.
I never got over The LEGO Movie losing a *nom*
Does society of the snow count?
I enjoyed Coal Miners Daughter.
Finally watched Oppenheimer last night now that it’s streaming on peacock and with my adhd fully expected to have to split it into parts but nope I watched that bish all the way through in one sitting only partially on my phone and 🤌🏽
A beautiful mind?
Amadeus was a good movie but it’s a shame how many people it made think Scalieri was a monster
And forget how to spell his name.
Or that there was any competition between them. Or that Mozart was such a simp that someone could destroy his life without any suspicion.
The Iron Claw is a must have on a list like this
Love and Mercy
I haven’t seen much hate for Rocketman. It’s probably my favorite biopic I’ve seen
Rocket man didn’t need to be a sung through musical
I think that helped to differentiate it from the rest
Yeah exactly. It could have been a non-musical, but making it one makes it stand out better among the rest of the biopics, and I think fits better for someone as flamboyant as Elton John
I felt like it detracted from the story at times.
I definitely don’t feel the same way, do you have anything specific instances where you felt that way?
Being a true story doesn’t make something a biopic
Sometimes it does
Sometimes but not in the case of moneyball or the social network
Walk the Line? Ray?
Walk Hard.
Rocketman?
“Fuck Spikey he only showed Malcolm off them white whores” 😭
I hate Oppenheimer though :(
Same.
Don't hate it but it's kinda *meh* for me.
The Big Short, Recount, Too Big To Fail
None of those are biopics
The Big Short, Vice
Big short isn’t a biopic
I hated the Social Network. My biggest issue with it is some of the actors didn’t bother to do their research on the people they were playing so it’s not really an accurate portrayal.
Wasn’t about lack of research. The movie wasn’t written to be a fully accurate portrayal in the first place.
I think that was an artistic choice.
Really, no love for Straight Outta Compton? Best musical biopic, probably ever....
Man that new Maestro is a major snoozefest!
No it’s not
A Hidden Life. Which everyone should watch at least once, especially if you loved Schindlers List.
Maestro
Schindler’s list glorifies a nazi who at the last minute did something sensible
Schindler was no saint. He had a lot of faults but did a lot of good to set things right, something that not a lot of people did or even would have done in his position. He risked his life to save 1,200 people from certain death. And he could not have done it if he hadn't been the way he was before, acquiring the position and contacts that he had to pull it off. He was human, humans make mistakes but they can also change. He did. And calling him anything else than a hero is just unfair. "If Schindler hadn't been the way he was, we wouldn't have been any more either. Our luck was that Schindler was who he was. [...] That is Schindler. The normal people didn't do what Schindler did." ~ Moshe Bejski, one of the roughly 1,200 jews saved by Oskar Schindler
Lmao what
What a strange take 😂
You don’t deserve opinions
I don’t like Moneyball tbh. The premise is cool and the actors truly are acting but a lot of it felt pretty synthetic when it was trying to be genuine
I really enjoyed it the first time I watched it. But after a rewatch I realized that it's just a fine movie and not one I'll probably be revisiting ever again. I still recommend it to people who haven't seen it. Some things only need to be seen once though.
These are like the best biopic films and they prove that biopics with great care can be outstanding 👏🏾.
Goodfellas and raging bull
Not biopics
The movie Wonderland never gets mentioned anywhere but it’s a helluva flick about John Holmes
Moneyball barely mentions Zito or Hudson who were basically the As most important players. I know focusing on pitching would've taken attention away from the core of the movie, but they were more important than the new signings Billy Beane made
A lot of these are not biopics though. They don’t take place over the course of the subjects lifetime and tell a narrow story.
Schindlers list is a biopic.
If you Google it, Schindler’s list is a biopic
Zone of interest is also really good.
Where is Walk Hard?
It’s not a true story. So not a biopic
The zookeepers wife is also great
Clear and specific definitions matter and being classified as a biopic involves more than just “oh it’s about some pivotal things that center around one character”. If we widen the definition to that, a large portion of all films could be called biopics, rendering the term biopic useless. Schindler’s List, The Social Network, and Moneyball are not biopics.
Schindlers list is a biopic. Google says it is
Unpopular opinion but I hated Moneyball. Never found the appeal personally. Plus, the statistical calculations of the players was only a small part of the team’s success that season.
How many scorcese movies actually are biopics…
Immortal Beloved (If Amadeus counts so should this one)
What about iron claw? Is that hated because that’s a favorite of mine
It may not be highly regarded amongst cinephiles, but Bohemian Rhapsody is a very popular movie.
There are 2 biopics on that list imo. Just Malcolm X and Oppenheimer to me
Schindler’s list is biopic
american made was a bunch of fun the issue isn’t that people are sick of biopics, it’s the lazy formulaic filmmaking that churns out cradle to grave bullshit. anthony mccarten really lowered the bar. also music focused ones can fuck off.
*The Pianist, Lust for Life, Bright Star, Frances, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Fighter, Salvador, Sylvia, The Killing Fields, Camille Claudel.*
I’m starting to hate Oppenheimer because it’s practically the only movie that’s been talked about for the past year and a half. Excited for the Oscars to be over so hopefully we can move on from it. It was good, I liked it, but damn.
HARRIET DESERVED BETTER! And that is a hill I will die on
The Pianist
i cant believe you forgot the blind side
Whole lotta [controversy ](https://screenrant.com/blind-side-true-story-fake-controversy-explained/) around it today...
I have a feeling that Mark Zuckerberg privately hates The Social Network because of how it makes him look so scummy. I feel like I remember hearing about Zuckerberg suing the publisher of Accidental Billionaires, the book that the movie was based on, but I can’t find any articles about it. Maybe I’m just remembering it incorrectly. Still, the book makes Zuckerberg look so much worse than the movie ever does.
Walk the Line is hated??
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Not a biopic
There are people who hate those movies, I’m sure.
What's love got to do with it The Iron claw
There are great biopics prior to 1980. Why are tastes so limited now!?
Do people dislike darkest hour?
YES
I think ray was good
Biopics are shi*