The Idolator braintrust took in Control this weekend. Afterwards we both agreed that it was, while hypnotizingly pretty, not very good as, you know, a narrative film. Which makes its appearance on the following list of the “best” musical biopics, as voted by the users of Lovefilm*, somewhat telling. Because judging by the Top 10, the whole genre looks pretty stank.
1. Walk The Line
2. 8 Mile
3. Amadeus
4. Ray
5. The Doors
6. What’s Love Got To Do With It
7. Control
8. Sid And Nancy
9. La Bamba
10. Backbeat
What, no Jacksons: An American Dream? Is this just anti-TV movie bias at work?
Walk The Line ‘Best’ Music Biopic [BBC]
*Lovefilm appears to be some kinda Euro-Netflix, just in case you were wondering about its authority as a ranking body.
My opinion of Control was pretty much identical to yours. Mostly it made me want to rent 24 Hour Party People. And to relisten to “She’s Lost Control” to see if I can hear the aerosol can.
Go to bed, Joe!
GO
TO
BED!
I love the part where Michael befriends the rat — way more touching than any of the Johnny and June scenes in Walk the Line.
What a sad list-”Walk the Line” is way overrated. And I’d pick “The Buddy Holly Story” over any of these, even though it’s not very “true”…and the Dick Clark made-for-tv movie “Birth of the Beatles” has it all over the pouting and posing of “Backbeat”.
24 Hour Party People and Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story smoke virtually everything on this list.
Coal Miner’s Daughter, hands down.
Dude… What’s Love Got To Do With It is a classic film. I virtually have all of Laurence Fishburne’s lines memorized… “Now I done gave up that narcotic….” “The name got my daddy’s blood on it!”
One word:
Selena.
Spinal.
Fucking.
Tap.
FTW.
Oh, man. I love The Rose, though it’s only a fake Janis Joplin story. I prefer Bette Midler to Janis every day.