This weekend, A Complete Unknown hits theaters and Timotheé Chalamet steps into the shoes of the legendary Bob Dylan. The musical biopic, directed by James Mangold, also stars Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Scoot McNairy, among other talented members of the cast. The story chronicles Bob Dylan’s younger years, as a 19-year-old in 1961, freshly arrived to New York City with little but a guitar and dreams.
The vibrant background of New York City in the turbulent time of the 1960s provides a great backdrop for the early days of Dylan’s career, when he still was, as the title says, a complete unknown. The latest musical biopic is just one in a long line in the genre, which has experienced something of a resurgence in the last decade. Even so, some of the most fascinating musical biopics were released decades ago, as this list shows.
I’m Not There (2007)
Appropriate in a list about a Bob Dylan biopic is…another Bob Dylan Biopic. Todd Haynes’ biopic about Dylan’s life at various stages in his career is a standout, however, thanks to its format. Rather than one actor playing the singer through the whole movie, instead, multiple actors play the legendary songwriter in various eras. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Richard Gere, and Marcus Carl Franklin all play Dylan in the star-studded cast.
8 Mile (2002)
Few things are more powerful than seeing someone playing themselves in a movie about their life, and Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, arguably did it the best. Em made his acting debut in the film, which is a slightly fictionalized story of his life and upbringing in the underground rap battle scene of the famous 8 Mile Road in Detroit. He’s shockingly good, and it’s bittersweet seeing the late Brittany Murphy in one of the best roles of her career cut tragically short.
What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993)
It’s rare that an actor’s fame and respect level matches those of the legendary musicians they portray in a biopic, but What’s Love Got to Do with It is one of the few that can honestly make that claim. Angela Bassett stars in Brian Gibson’s biopic about the late, great Tina Turner, chronicling her rise to stardom and escaping her infamously abusive husband, Ike. Bassett is a queen, her overwheming presence on screen giving Turner the proper respect and depth she deserves – there’s a reason she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar that year.
Amadeus (1984)
One thing you can say about Milos Forman is that he’ll never make a boring movie. Amadeus is no exception, with the fantastical dramedy about the long professional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and fellow composer Antonio Salieri. Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham are revelations in the roles, and their longstanding feud is at times dramatic, at others beautiful, occasionally laugh-aloud funny, and sometimes heartbreaking. For those who love their biopics with a bit of an absurdist twist, Amadeus is worth checking out.
Sid & Nancy (1986)
The Sex Pistols were one of the most compelling, fascinating, self-destructive bands in a genre full of self-destruction: punk. Starring a young Gary Oldman as bassist Sid Vicious, the movie chronicles his tumultous and toxic relationship with his girlfriend, Nancy Spungeon (Chloe Webb), which ended in her mysterious stabbing death in their hotel room after a drug-fueled party. Oldman channels the frenetic, troubled energy of the doomed Sid Vicious and offers a glimpse of the staggering talent Oldman would become later in his career.
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