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100 best biopics of all time

The grand sweep of history is perhaps more easily told through a narrower lens, which is one reason why biopics (biographical pictures)—which can tell the story of a movement, era, or idea through one individual's life—have become so popular in recent years. Filmmakers have increasingly preferred to work in the genre over the past several decades, finding that the unique challenges in condensing a life can embolden creativity and experimentation, resulting in extraordinary movies. Take "Persepolis," for example: The 2007 film explores the Iranian revolution through the life of an ordinary teenage girl via cartoons, weaving snapshots of an ordinary lift in the midst of social upheaval to make one of the most impactful and influential films of the decade.

While the genre has turned out some truly excellent films, not all biopics are created equal. The biggest criticism leveled against them is that they often blend fiction with fact in an irresponsible or misleading manner. J.R.R. Tolkien's estate essentially disowned the 2019 film "Tolkien," feeling the author's character and related facts were misrepresented. Another frequent complaint is that the movies trot out only the best-known facts about an individual's life, failing to offer anything new or revelatory, as with the Grace Kelly biopic "Grace of Monaco." So, which movies in this high-risk, high-reward genre are worth a watch?

Stacker compiled data on biopics to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be listed as "biography" on IMDb and have a Metascore. Ties were broken by Metascore, and further ties were broken by IMDb user rating. Every film on the list has been considered within the context of the history and development of the genre.

Whether it's a gangster epic like "Goodfellas," a royal family drama like "The Queen," or one of the many chronicles of the lives of artists and musicians like "Endless Poetry" or "Amadeus," biopics offer something for everyone. Click through to discover the best cinematic portraits of extraordinary lives.

#100. Donnie Brasco (1997)

- Director: Mike Newell - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 127 minutes

Undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco (real name Joseph D. Pistone) infiltrates the legendary Bonanno crime family in 1970s New York City in this true crime drama. Starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, the film was based on Pistone's book , "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia." It's believed that Pistone's long career as an undercover agent generated over 200 indictments and 100 convictions of Mafia members.

#99. The Last Emperor (1987)

- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 163 minutes

Bernardo Bertolucci's " The Last Emperor " follows the life of Pu Yi, who took the throne when he was 3 years old and abdicated when he was 7. The film, shot entirely on location in China and its ancient Forbidden City palace complex, follows a country's move from feudalism through revolution to a peaceful republic, all through the lens of one man's life.

#98. Philomena (2013)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 77 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 98 minutes

Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) spends 50 years searching for her forcibly adopted son with the help of a journalist, Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). The film won four Oscar nominations and took home several trophies at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. While the film is certainly a tearjerker , it is balanced both by comedic moments and the real Ms. Lee's inspirational fortitude in the face of so much loss and grief.

#97. Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

- Director: George Miller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 129 minutes

In the 1980s, Augusto and Michaela Odone experience every parent's worst nightmare when their son Lorenzo is diagnosed with an incurable nerve disease that will eventually paralyze and kill him. Failing to receive the help they needed from doctors, the Odones begin a desperate search for a cure themselves, eventually stumbling upon an oil they believe could reverse the most devastating effects of their son's illness. Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon star in this film about one couple's desperate struggle to save their family.

#96. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 109 minutes

Tom Hanks stars as one of TV's most beloved personalities, Fred Rogers, in this 2019 biopic. Based on a 1998 Esquire article, the film doesn't delve into Roger's life story but rather focuses on the friendship between Rogers and the troubled journalist Tom Junod (renamed Lloyd Vogel in the film). The real-life Mrs. Joanne Rogers makes a brief cameo in the film, and it's a quote from her that reminds viewers that her late husband wasn't a saint, just an ordinary man who tried very, very hard to be better and kind.

#95. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 72 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 135 minutes

John Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize winner, was one of the greatest mathematicians the world has ever seen. He also struggled with schizophrenia. " A Beautiful Mind ," based on an unauthorized biography of the same name written by acclaimed journalist Sylvia Nasar, tells Nash's incredible, inspirational life story. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, the movie won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and grossed over $313 million at the box office.

#94. Into the Wild (2007)

- Director: Sean Penn - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 73 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 148 minutes

Written, directed, and produced by Sean Penn, "Into the Wild" tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a loner who cashed in his law school fund and took off for the Alaskan wilderness in the 1990s. At first charmed by the slower pace of life, McCandless eventually found himself disillusioned with nature and attempted to return to society before making a grave mistake that would cost him everything. The story is based on a nonfiction book written by Jon Krakauer, as well as information from McCandless' surviving sister, Carine McCandless.

#93. The Sea Inside (2004)

- Director: Alejandro Amenábar - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 126 minutes

A Spanish-language drama, " The Sea Inside " tells the story of Ramon Sampedro, a man who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in the 1960s and fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life through euthanasia. Javier Bardem stars as Sampedro in an incredibly moving performance that focuses on one individual's definition of dignity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film in 2004.

#92. American Gangster (2007)

- Director: Ridley Scott - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe co-star in " American Gangster ," a film that chronicles the life of Fred Lucas, a gangster who smuggles heroin into the United States, essentially instigating the drug epidemic that swept Harlem and all of New York City in the 1970s. Although the film brought in $266 million at the box office, those who were connected with the case in real life, including Lucas himself , have argued that it takes too many liberties and strays pretty far from the truth.

#91. The Killing Fields (1984)

- Director: Roland Joffé - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 141 minutes

Nominated for seven Oscars at the 57th Academy Awards, " The Killing Fields " tells the story of two journalists, American Sydney Schanberg and Cambodian Dith Pran, who are covering the country's civil war and find themselves trapped when Pol Pot begins his bloody Year Zero cleansing campaign. Critics loved the film, including Adrian Turner from Radio Times , who wrote, "Few feature films have captured a nation's agony more dramatically."

#90. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

- Directors: John Frankenheimer, Charles Crichton - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 147 minutes

One of the looser retellings on our list, "Birdman of Alcatraz" is about a man (Burt Lancaster) serving a life sentence for murder who becomes an expert on birds while behind bars. The movie was based on Thomas E. Gaddis' book about Robert Stroud, the titular "birdman," and was nominated for four Academy Awards. The real Stroud died a year after the film was released, without ever seeing it .

#89. Endless Poetry (2016)

- Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Surrealist filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky tells his own life story in " Endless Poetry ." The second installment of his cinematic memoir, the film is set in 1940s Chile, when Jodorowsky is a young man just breaking into the country's artistic circles. Very experimental in its form, the film doesn't accommodate casual viewing but offers a fascinating story for those willing to pay close attention.

#88. An Angel at My Table (1990)

- Director: Jane Campion - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 158 minutes

The story of New Zealand author Janet Frame's life, " An Angel at My Table " is based on Frame's three autobiographies and uses three different actresses to portray her at different points in her life, from her impoverished childhood through her time at a mental institution (wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia) to the beginning of her wildly successful writing career. The film swept awards in New Zealand and won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

#87. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

- Director: Phillip Noyce - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 94 minutes

From 1910 to 1970, Australia had an official child-removal policy that took biracial Aboriginal children from their homes and placed them in state-run schools and indentured servitude. " Rabbit-Proof Fence " tells the true story of three children from the Stolen Generation who escape their school and walk some 1,500 miles home, all while being pursued by police officers and trackers. Peter Gabriel provided the soundtrack for the heart-wrenching film.

#86. Love & Mercy (2014)

- Director: Bill Pohlad - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 121 minutes

For years, Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, struggled with mental illness , even spending a length of time in a controversial 24-hour therapy program. "Love & Mercy" chronicles Wilson's struggles in a way that Wilson himself called "very factual." Paul Dano and John Cusack both play the musician at different points in his life, and Elizabeth Banks gives an inspired performance as Wilson's second wife, Melinda.

#85. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

- Director: George Clooney - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 93 minutes

" Good Night, and Good Luck " demonstrates the immense power for change that journalists are capable of wielding in the United States. Directed by and starring George Clooney, the film is set in the 1950s, when a fear of communism led by Senator Joseph McCarthy was sweeping the nation. It tells the story of heroic reporter Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred W. Friendly, who used their news show to stand up to McCarthy and remove his cancerous lies from the public eye. The film and its message remain incredibly relevant to today's political polarization.

#84. Il Divo (2008)

- Director: Paolo Sorrentino - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 110 minutes

"Il Divo" translates to "The Divine Performer," a fitting title for this 2008 film that explores the life of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who had alleged ties to the Mafia. The story begins in 1992 as Andreotti is elected for the seventh time, then covers his failed presidency bid and bribe scandal, ultimately ending with his trial in 1995. The Guardian called the movie " a macabre masterpiece ."

#83. The General (1998)

- Director: John Boorman - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Martin Cahill was an Irish criminal who managed to pull off two incredibly daring robberies (totaling about $60 million), a feat that turned him into a bit of a folk hero. " The General " tells the story of his life, including his murder by a member of the Irish Republican Army after he became involved in politics. While Cahill (played by Brendan Gleeson) was far from a good man, the 1998 movie will make you admire the way he stuck to his morals, even when they were questionable.

#82. Steve Jobs (2015)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Since his death in 2011, there have been several movies and documentaries about Apple co-founder and tech guru Steve Jobs, but this 2015 biopic is among the best . Michael Fassbender brings the turtleneck-loving visionary to life in the film, which covers three different product launches that took place between 1984 and 1998. Unlike many other Jobs films, this movie also focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Lisa, whom he had with ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan and refused to support for many years, despite his massive wealth.

#81. Vincere (2009)

- Director: Marco Bellocchio - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 6.9 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ida Dalser may be, in many ways, one of history's most important women, but her name and memory have largely been forgotten by the general public. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's first wife and the mother of his son Benito Albino, Dasler financed a newspaper in which Mussolini shared and expounded on his political views, garnering support for his fascist platform. Although the film occasionally steps away from the facts of the story, it's still a wonderful primer for those who wish to know more about the rise of the politician and those who shaped him.

#80. Rush (2013)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 123 minutes

The first sports film on our list, " Rush " chronicles the 1970s rivalry between two of Formula One's best-known drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The real Lauda has publicly stated that the film holds true to the reality of their lives, in spite of the fact that it omits the close friendship the men shared later in life. It also received accolades for the accuracy with which it portrays F1 racing and culture.

#79. Control (2007)

- Director: Anton Corbijn - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Joy Division's late singer Ian Curtis is the focus of this 2007 biopic co-produced by his widow, Deborah. The film chronicles the rise of the band as well as Ian and Deborah's relationship, his epilepsy diagnosis, and the fallout from his affair with journalist Annik Honore. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, the movie picked up several awards in the festival circuit and took home a British Academy Film Award.

#78. Missing (1982)

- Director: Costa-Gavras - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In September 1973, American journalist Charles Horman disappeared during the Chilean coup that disposed of then-president Salvador Allende. " Missing " recounts the desperate search Charles' father and wife undertook to learn of his fate and their eventual realization that the United States government had not only aided the coup but had washed their hands of Horman. The Academy Award-winning drama stars Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek.

#77. Selma (2014)

- Director: Ava DuVernay - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ava DuVernay directed this historical film that chronicles the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Hosea Williams. Covering a three-month period leading up to the march, the film largely focuses on King's role in the events without discrediting the role the other leaders had in shaping this important piece of American history. The film features the Oscar-winning song "Glory" by John Legend and Common.

#76. The End of the Tour (2015)

- Director: James Ponsoldt - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 106 minutes

" The End of the Tour " tells the famous story of Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky's five-day interview with novelist David Foster Wallace. Based on Lipsky's 2011 book "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself," the movie is set just after the release of Wallace's epic novel "Infinite Jest," when the duo set off on a road trip. Wallace's estate and many of his living friends objected to the film , saying that it didn't capture the famous writer as he really was.

#75. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)

- Director: Juho Kuosmanen - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 92 minutes

Immensely talented Finnish boxer Olli Maki has a shot at the World Featherweight title in 1962, something he's been training for his entire life. But when the small-town boy falls in love with a local girl named Raija, he begins to question his dedication to the brutal sport. " The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki ," Finland's entry for the 2016 Academy Awards, features a cameo from the retired fighter and won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

#74. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 141 minutes

A runaway commercial success, " Catch Me If You Can " tells the stranger-than-fiction story of con man turned FBI assistant Frank Abagnale. The Steven Spielberg film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is based on the con artist's 1980 book, grossed more than $352 million at the box office. Abagnale himself makes a cameo as the officer who arrests DiCaprio's character on Christmas Eve, 1969.

#73. Inherit the Wind (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kramer - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 128 minutes

While it changes the names of all of the key players, 1960's " Inherit the Wind " is clearly about the Scopes Monkey Trial, which argued the legality of teaching evolution over creationism. Based on the play of the same name, the film starred veteran actors Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, and Fredric March. In spite of the fact that the storyline of the film varies substantially from real-life events, it's had an outsized impact on the general public's opinion and beliefs about the case, inspiring debate over a biopic's obligation to stick to the hard facts of its topic.

#72. Glory (1989)

- Director: Edward Zwick - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 122 minutes

A stalwart of high school history classes, " Glory " tells the story of the first all-Black regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Starring big names like Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, the movie was an instant success with critics despite a middling performance at the box office. Historians agree that the film, which is based on Captain Robert Gould Shaw's personal letters, adheres pretty closely to the historical record.

#71. The Damned United (2009)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 98 minutes

"The Damned United" is another biopic whose adherence to real events is highly questionable . The film is based on a novel loosely inspired by Brian Clough's 44-day tenure as the manager of English football team Leeds United, and the Clough family has alleged that the film bears little resemblance to reality.

#70. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 180 minutes

It's no secret that Wall Street is full of would-be fraudsters and schemers, but few hold a candle to 1990s trader Jordan Belfort, whose company, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in corruption and fraud at never-before-seen levels. Martin Scorsese's smash hit " The Wolf of Wall Street " tells the true story of the unparalleled misconduct laid bare in Belfort's memoir of the same name. An awards season darling, the movie was nominated for five Oscars and won a Golden Globe for star Leonardo DiCaprio.

#69. Pride (2014)

- Director: Matthew Warchus - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 119 minutes

One of history's more unlikely events, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign is chronicled in the British drama " Pride ." In the 1980s, both the U.K.'s LGBTQ+ community and its coal miners were being threatened by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party, a fact that inspired them to join together and fight for their rights, an unlikely alliance that paid off for both groups. This film would make an excellent watch for those interested in lesser-known corners of history.

#68. The Fighter (2010)

- Director: David O. Russell - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Junior welterweight boxer "Irish" Micky Ward fights his way out from under the shadow of his older, more successful, and troubled brother Dicky Eklund in the sports drama " The Fighter ." The intense flick contains some extraordinary acting, as Mark Wahlberg shines as Micky, while Christian Bale and Amy Adams give Oscar-winning turns as brother Dicky and girlfriend Charlene, respectively.

#67. Frost/Nixon (2008)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In 1977, three years after he left office, former President Richard Nixon agreed to a single, tell-all interview with British television personality David Frost. It is assumed that Nixon thought he'd be able to outfox the Brit, but he eventually found himself backed into a corner by questions about the Watergate scandal. This 2008 film tells the whole story of the legendary Frost-Nixon interviews and was based on a stage play of the same name, which also starred Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost).

#66. 127 Hours (2010)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Academy Award winner Danny Boyle directed "127 Hours," an intense film about a hiker named Aron Ralston who found himself trapped by a boulder in a remote canyon in Utah. Over the course of his ordeal, Ralston examines his life and finds that he is willing to do whatever it takes to escape—even if it means cutting off his own arm. The real-life Ralston (played by James Franco) has said that the movie is incredibly true to his harrowing experience, if a little less gruesome .

#65. First Man (2018)

- Director: Damien Chazelle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 141 minutes

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. This drama chronicles the decade of Armstrong's life leading to that historical moment, including the loss of his daughter and much of his intense training. Ryan Gosling stars in the film, which was nominated for major awards at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

#64. Before Night Falls (2000)

- Director: Julian Schnabel - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 133 minutes

An episodic look at the life of Cuban poet, novelist, and Castro supporter-turned-critic Reinaldo Arenas, " Before Night Falls " was based on the man's own autobiography. An openly gay man, Arenas spent much of his life under careful watch by the government and did several stints in jail before managing to escape to the United States in 1980, where he'd eventually die of AIDS. Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp both have leading roles in this visually arresting picture.

#63. Il Postino (1994)

- Directors: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 108 minutes

A fictional tale peppered with facts, "Il Postino" follows the friendship that develops between a lowly Italian postman and the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who has been exiled from his home country for political reasons. Massimo Troisi, who played the postman, died of a heart attack the day after the film wrapped and was never able to bask in its critical and commercial success. He was, however, awarded a posthumous Oscar for his work.

#62. Hunger (2008)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 96 minutes

A dramatic retelling of the hunger strike that took place in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison in 1981, " Hunger " follows the final days and death of Bobby Sands, an IRA member and the first prisoner to die in the strike. By turns unflinching and abstract, the film won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Steve McQueen directed the intense, harrowing picture, with Michael Fassbender starring as Sands.

#61. Henry V (1989)

- Director: Kenneth Branagh - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 137 minutes

Shakespeare's classic historical play " Henry V '' was brought to the screen in this 1989 film. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the king, the movie chronicles the events of the 15th-century Battle of Agincourt, in which the English continued their Hundred Years' War against the French.

#60. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

- Director: Spike Lee - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 135 minutes

In another stranger-than-fiction tale, African American detective Ron Stallworth infiltrated a Colorado Springs branch of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s. Wowed by Stallworth's story , Spike Lee set out to bring it to life, casting John David Washington as the young detective, Adam Driver as his Jewish colleague assisting in the sting, and Topher Grace as Grand Wizard David Duke. The finished project was widely praised by critics and won several prestigious awards, including Cannes' Grand Prix and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

#59. Seraphine (2008)

- Director: Martin Provost - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 125 minutes

A self-taught French painter who holds down a day job as a housekeeper and walks the line between genius and mentally ill is the subject of this 2008 French film. Today, Seraphine Louis' works hang in museums around the world, but her life was far from a happy one, and she died in the early 20th century in a mental institution, destitute and alone. This simple, subtle biopic, which stars Yolande Moreau, won seven Cesars (the French equivalent of the Academy Award).

#58. 24 Hour Party People (2002)

- Director: Michael Winterbottom - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 117 minutes

In the 1970s, Tony Wilson established Factory Records , which signed bands like Joy Division and the Happy Mondays and sparked a musical revolution, eventually leading to the development of the legendary Hacienda dance club in Manchester, England. A blend of real events, newsreel footage, urban legends, and completely fictional tidbits, this movie expertly tells the raucous story of a man, city, and movement that made up the rules as they went along.

#57. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Melissa McCarthy stepped away from her typical comedic roles in " Can You Ever Forgive Me? " She plays Lee Israel, a failing writer who tries to revitalize her career by selling forged letters from dead celebrities. While the movie certainly has funny moments, it's a true crime tale that features an unlikable heroine, a gamble that paid off when McCarthy and co-star Richard E. Grant were nominated for their performances at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

#56. The Elephant Man (1980)

- Director: David Lynch - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Set in Victorian London, " The Elephant Man " chronicles the relationship that formed between a surgeon named Dr. Frederick Treves and John Merrick, a severely disfigured man who earns his living as a freak-show performer called the Elephant Man. Adapted from two different books, one written by Treves himself, the story garnered praise for the way it handled disability and difference. It also inspired the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling after industry insiders complained that the film's incredible work wasn't given enough recognition.

#55. Gandhi (1982)

- Director: Richard Attenborough - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 191 minutes

The life of civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi has been portrayed in numerous ways via several media since his death in 1948, but perhaps never as movingly as in this 1982 biopic. The story begins with Gandhi being thrown off a South African train in 1893 and concludes with his assassination some 55 years later. Ben Kingsley played Gandhi and won an Academy Award (one of eight the film took home) for his efforts.

#54. Milk (2008)

- Director: Gus Van Sant - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

The life of an openly gay activist who becomes the first LGBTQ+ person elected to public office in California is the subject of " Milk ." Using archival footage of Harvey Milk's life, the movie covers the time period from Milk's 40th birthday until his shocking assassination in 1978. Sean Penn's performance as the title character was awe-inspiring and earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

#53. The Long Day Closes (1992)

- Director: Terence Davies - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 85 minutes

Terence Davies' autobiographical film follows a boy named Bud as he comes of age in 1950s Liverpool, fearing the ever-present eye of the Catholic Church and realizing both his love for cinema and his homosexuality. The film doesn't follow a straightforward narrative but rather jumps back-and-forth through time, infusing each moment with precisely chosen pieces of popular music and cinema.

#52. Lincoln (2012)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The final four months of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's life are explored in detail in Steven Spielberg's 2012 historical smash "Lincoln." Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the gentle, gangly leader, it primarily focuses on Lincoln's determination to abolish slavery and pass the 13th Amendment. Sally Field co-stars as Mary Todd Lincoln, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the 16th president's son, Robert. The movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning two, including Best Actor for Day-Lewis.

#51. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

- Director: Terry George - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 121 minutes

Tackling tough topics like genocide, violence, and political corruption, " Hotel Rwanda " is set during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when members of the Tutsi ethnic group were hunted down and murdered by armed militias. The movie brings to life the true story of a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu who offers shelter to over 1,000 Tutsis in the Hotel des Mille Collines. While the Academy Award-winning film finishes on a relatively happy note, real life wasn't so kind: In late 2020, the real Rusesabagina was charged with "terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group" by a Rwandan court.

#50. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

- Director: Jean-Marc Vallée - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 117 minutes

Ronald Woodroof was a womanizing, drug-using, homophobic electrician from Texas living a carefree life when his doctor announced that he had HIV/AIDS and would likely die in 30 days. After researching his illness, Woodroof uncovered an experimental drug that would potentially prolong his life and established the Dallas Buyers Club, whose mission was to import the drug from Mexico so that it could be easily accessible to everyone who needed it. Along the way, Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey in an Oscar-winning performance) became a compassionate friend and advocate for the legal rights of those with the disease.

#49. Captain Phillips (2013)

- Director: Paul Greengrass - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 134 minutes

In 2009, for the first time in 200 years, a U.S. container ship was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates some 145 miles off the Somali coast. This thriller, inspired by those events , stars Tom Hanks as the American captain of the ship and chronicles the tense relationship that develops between him and the pirate captain who holds him hostage, played by newcomer Barkhad Abdi. While Hanks' character is hailed as a hero in the film, the real-life crew of the ship argues that this wasn't the case in reality.

#48. Fruitvale Station (2013)

- Director: Ryan Coogler - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 85 minutes

" Fruitvale Station " tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a Bay Area resident and young Black man who was killed by Oakland Police officers on New Year's Eve 2008. His murder would inspire protests and unrest in the California town, events that fall outside the scope of this film but testify to the heated controversy of the incident. Michael B. Jordan stars in the movie, which made its debut at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and collected a number of prizes there and elsewhere.

#47. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

- Director: Paul Schrader - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Inspired by the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima , this biopic freely weaves fact, fiction, and portions of Mishima's own writing to create a stunning picture of the artist's life and death. Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas worked as executive producers on the film, which earned director Paul Schrader a special prize at Cannes.

#46. The Wind Rises (2013)

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 126 minutes

The first animated movie on this list, " The Wind Rises " follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of several of Japan's fighter planes during World War II. The anime film by Studio Ghibli became Japan's highest-grossing film in 2013, bringing in $116.1 million at the domestic box office. It was widely appreciated outside of Japan as well, winning Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and other animation prizes.

#45. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

- Director: Kimberly Peirce - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 118 minutes

Brandon Teena was a trans man from rural Nebraska who was passionately in pursuit of his true self and true love before becoming the victim of a vicious hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. " Boys Don't Cry " is a harrowing depiction of Teena's fate starring Hillary Swank and featuring Chloe Sevigny as Teena's girlfriend, Lana. While the movie was critically acclaimed, several people with links to the case, including the real Lana (who has been alleged to have been a part of the hate crime) have spoken out against it, saying that the on-screen story doesn't match the facts.

#44. Capote (2005)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Philip Seymour Hoffman won multiple awards, including an Oscar, for his portrayal of author Truman Capote in this 2005 biopic . The events of the film center around the time period in which Capote was writing "In Cold Blood" and include the friendship he developed with Perry Smith, one of the killers who is on death row. The movie marked Bennet Miller's directorial debut.

#43. The Madness of King George (1994)

- Director: Nicholas Hytner - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 110 minutes

It is believed that King George III suffered from mental illness, a malady highly misunderstood in 1788 but that drove him to act erratically and rendered him unfit to rule a country. " The Madness of King George " focuses on the monarch's decline as well as the troubled relationship he shared with his son, the Prince of Wales. Rupert Graves and Helen Mirren both lent their talents to the acclaimed British production.

#42. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

- Director: James Mangold - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 152 minutes

In "Ford v Ferrari," American car designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British driver Ken Miles come together under the Ford Motor Company banner with hopes of defeating the dominant Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. The movie, which tells the twisty story of the most bitter rivalry in auto racing history, stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as Shelby and Miles, respectively.

#41. The Insider (1999)

- Director: Michael Mann - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

An industry insider appears on a "60-Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco, risking his own safety as well as the safety of his CBS producer in " The Insider ". Accurate in its broad strokes, the film demonstrates the influence of journalism as well as the power of those who choose to stand up for what's right. Director Michael Mann martialed an abundance of star power for this intense drama, casting Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer in leading roles.

#40. Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

- Director: Michael Apted - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Based on country music star Loretta Lynn's biography, " Coal Miner's Daughter " spans from Lynn's birth into poverty and marriage at 13 to her emergence as one of the genre's leading voices. Sissy Spacek, who plays Lynn, accompanied the singer on tour in order to better embody the country queen's mannerisms and demeanor—a move that paid off when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

#39. Richard III (1955)

- Director: Laurence Olivier - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 161 minutes

Another adaptation of a Shakespeare play, " Richard III " famously relates how and why Richard, Duke of Gloucester, stole the crown from his brother, King Edward IV. One of three films directed by Laurence Olivier to bring Shakespeare's work to the screen, the Criterion Collection deems it "ravishing" and "visually inspired."

#38. Mr. Turner (2014)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 6.8 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The story of the last 25 years in the life of the talented, eccentric Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner (played by Timothy Spall) is explored in this drama. The New York Times described Mike Leigh's portrait as "loving" and "unsentimental," one that "patiently and thoroughly demolishes more than a century's worth of mythology about what art is and how artists work."

#37. Argo (2012)

- Director: Ben Affleck - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

No movie emphasizes the power of Hollywood quite like "Argo," which tells the story of a harebrained CIA scheme that sought to rescue six American diplomats from Iran (during the Iran hostage crisis) under the guise of shooting a science fiction movie. Based on the real-life accounts of the CIA operative Tony Mendez in his book "The Master of Disguise," the movie stars Ben Affleck, who also directs. 

#36. Moneyball (2011)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Professional sports are as much games of money as they are of talent, which means that the poorest teams are often the least competitive. One exception is the 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team. " Moneyball " tells the truly impressive story of A's general manager Billy Beane, who uses statistical data to scout and pick players, creating an aggressively competitive team despite having the lowest salary constraints in Major League Baseball.

#35. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

- Director: Steven Zaillian - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 109 minutes

" Searching for Bobby Fischer " focuses on Josh Waitzkin, a 7-year-old chess prodigy who loses his love for the game under a ruthless and strict coach, then finds it again with a much more relaxed tutor. Based on a book written by Waitzkin's father, the movie struck Roger Ebert as "a film of remarkable sensitivity and insight" and was nominated for an Academy Award for its Best Cinematography.

#34. Funny Girl (1968)

- Director: William Wyler - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 151 minutes

Loosely based on the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice and her relationship with Nicky Arnstein, "Funny Girl" was the highest-grossing film of 1968 . Barbra Streisand, in her feature film debut, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brice.  

#33. The Tale (2018)

- Director: Jennifer Fox - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Jennifer Fox's semiautobiographical " The Tale " explores long-buried, darker aspects of her relationships with two of her childhood coaches, which came to light as she worked on a documentary about child rape victims. Laura Dern stars as Fox in the movie, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wider release on HBO.

#32. Topsy-Turvy (1999)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The musical " Topsy-Turvy " depicts the relationship between Victorian-era theatrical partners Sir Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert. After their show "Princess Ida" flops, the duo consider going their separate ways but agree to complete at least one more production, "The Mikado," which ends up becoming one of their greatest successes. An unexpectedly delightful period piece, the movie explores the difficult reality of the creative professions.

#31. Downfall (2004)

- Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 156 minutes

Set during WWII's Battle of Berlin, " Downfall " recounts Adolf Hitler's final days, spent in a bunker miles below the city. Based on a memoir by Traudl Junge, a secretary for Hitler, the movie brings Hitler's mental decline, which Junge observed firsthand, to life in a way few others have ever been able to. The movie sparked a serious conversation about the moral and ethical questions involved in portraying Hitler, one of the most monstrous villains in world history, with even a hint of humanity.

#30. The Miracle Worker (1962)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Annie Sullivan, a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl," manages to teach the deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller how to communicate in " The Miracle Worker ." An instant critical success in 1962, both Anne Bancroft, who played Annie Sullivan, and Patty Duke, who played Helen Keller, took home Academy Awards for their performances. The movie was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name, which also starred the same actresses.

#29. All the President's Men (1976)

- Director: Alan J. Pakula - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 138 minutes

The dramatic events surrounding Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's unveiling of the Watergate scandal lie at the center of " All the President's Men ." The award-winning political thriller was based on the 1974 book of the same name written by the two journalists, portrayed by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, respectively.

#28. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 111 minutes

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway bring America's most notorious crime couple to life in this 1967 telling of the Bonnie and Clyde story. A landmark film and one of the first of the New Hollywood era, the movie became famous for the groundbreakingly realistic way it depicted violence and sex, something that wasn't done in cinema at the time. Upon its release, Roger Ebert even predicted that it will come to be seen as the "definitive film of the 1960s."

#27. Shine (1996)

- Director: Scott Hicks - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 105 minutes

Geoffrey Rush's breakout role was as pianist David Helfgott in the Australian drama "Shine." Rush's depiction of the musician, who was afflicted by schizophrenic disorder and spent years living in institutions, won him an Oscar and launched a successful, decades-long career. While the film was a critical success, Helfgott's real-life siblings were more divided in their reception of it, with one actively campaigning against it and the other two happy with its portrayal of their sibling and his tumultuous family life.

#26. Serpico (1973)

- Director: Sidney Lumet - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 130 minutes

In " Serpico ," a New York City cop blows the whistle on the corruption that runs rampant within the NYPD, which prompts an investigation by the Knapp Commission. Al Pacino plays Frank Serpico , who in real life experienced ostracization and hate from those both inside and outside the force, and saw his act as shameful rather than heroic.

#25. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

- Director: Frank Lloyd - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 132 minutes

One of the biggest hits of the 1930s, " Mutiny on the Bounty " may not be historically accurate, but it sure is fun to watch. The movie retraces the classic tale of the HMS Bounty, whose first mate (played by Clark Gable) launches a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) on an 18th-century voyage from Tahiti. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1935.

#24. American Splendor (2003)

- Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 101 minutes

A blend of documentary, animation, and live action, as well as fact and fiction, " American Splendor " relays the complicated story of Harvey Pekar, the creator of the titular comic book series. In spite of its complicated-sounding setup, the film is a mesmerizing, absorbing watch full of delightful details. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar and Hope Davis his wife, Joyce—except when the real-life couple steps in for various scenes.

#23. The Queen (2006)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Beginning with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, " The Queen " depicts Elizabeth II's struggle to publicly react to the news appropriately, as she realizes just how drastically the culture of her country has shifted, leaving her without a clear role. Helen Mirren won an Oscar and received exorbitant praise for her performance in the leading role, with the Queen herself praising her work and inviting her to dinner .

#22. In the Name of the Father (1993)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 133 minutes

The Guildford Four were a group of men who were wrongly convicted of the politically motivated 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed several people. " In the Name of the Father " explores this complicated story and the way it impacted the lives of the four men, as well as those of others connected to them. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an impressive early performance as one of the accused, Gerry Conlon, whose autobiography " Proved Innocent " provides the basis for the film.

#21. Reversal of Fortune (1990)

- Director: Barbet Schroeder - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 93 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 111 minutes

A courtroom drama, " Reversal of Fortune " follows the real-life case of Claus von Bulow, a wealthy husband accused of trying to murder his socialite wife by giving her an overdose of insulin. Told from the perspective of the husband's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who struggles with his own questions of the husband's innocence, the film's smart script was derived primarily from Dershowitz's memoir. The film stars Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, and Ron Silver.

#20. Spartacus (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 197 minutes

Hailed as an intellectual epic, " Spartacus " features a hero who is denied a typical victory and is instead consoled with the promise that his ideas will survive in his stead. The down-ending movie is about a Thracian slave who leads a violent revolt against the Roman Empire but ends up paying dearly for his actions. Although a huge moneymaker for Universal Studios and a critical success, director Stanley Kubrick hated the film and never included it in his canon.

#19. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

- Director: Michael Curtiz - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 126 minutes

George M. Cohan was one of Broadway's biggest stars, a playwright, composer, actor, dancer, and singer who wrote his own shows in the earliest years of the 20th century. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a musical that honors the performer's life, though it strays pretty far from the truth despite Cohan himself briefly serving as a consultant.

#18. The Favourite (2018)

- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 119 minutes

A multiple award-winner and a box-office smash, "The Favorite" follows the rivalry between two cousins, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Masham, a lady's maid, who are vying for the position of Queen Anne's court favorite. While some of the film's historical accuracy has been questioned, including the sexual and romantic relationships that exist between the women, the broad strokes of the film are certainly true to life. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone star in the period black comedy.

#17. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

- Director: John Ford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 100 minutes

The second film on the list about Abraham Lincoln, "Young Mr. Lincoln" focuses on the early years of the 16th president's life, rather than his final months. The first collaboration between John Ford and lead Henry Fonda, the movie focuses on a definitive court case (the "Almanac Trial") in which the novice lawyer finds himself wrapped up, laying the groundwork for the philosophy and morality which would guide him as one of American history's most important figures.

#16. Quiz Show (1994)

- Director: Robert Redford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Robert Redford directed the docudrama set in the 1950s about a young lawyer who discovers that quiz shows like "Twenty-One" are being fixed and begins to investigate, focusing on two former contestants, a working-class Jewish man from Queens and a member of one of America's leading literary families. A critical success, the movie was a commercial failure when it was released in 1994.

#15. The King's Speech (2010)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 118 minutes

"The King's Speech" tells the story of the friendship that existed between King George VI and his speech therapist, who helped the king overcome his stutter so that he could face his subjects with confidence. Earning nominations for almost every existing award, the star-studded film was far and away one of the biggest hits of 2010.

#14. In Cold Blood (1967)

- Director: Richard Brooks - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Based on Truman Capote's novel of the same name, "In Cold Blood" follows two drifters who murder an entire family in a robbery gone wrong. Described as a filmmaking masterclass, the movie boasts "clinically precise editing," according to the Criterion Collection, as well as evocative black-and-white cinematography and authentic, unshowy performances.

#13. The Pianist (2002)

- Director: Roman Polanski - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Runtime: 150 minutes

Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer, wrote his life story in "The Pianist," which became the basis for this Roman Polanski film. As the lead in this incredibly intense story, lead actor Adrien Brody said in 2017 that he was still recovering from the emotional toll of the story, 15 years after its release. Still, the award-winning movie is an important watch for those who seek to understand just how much the Holocaust and its aftermath shaped the world.

#12. Persepolis (2007)

- Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 96 minutes

"Persepolis" is the story of an outspoken teenage girl named Marji who comes of age during the Iranian Revolution. Simple in an elegant way, the film was based on a series of graphic novels Marjane Satrapi wrote about her life. Making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, "Persepolis" was a co-winner of the Jury Prize.

#11. Patton (1970)

- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 172 minutes

Famous and controversial WWII tank commander Gen. George S. Patton is the subject of this 1970s biopic, which remains among the most iconic movies ever made. George C. Scott took on the role of Patton and won an Academy Award for it (one of seven the picture took home). The film was in the works for several years before production went underway, as the United States Department of Defense was not keen on signing off on the project.

#10. Amadeus (1984)

- Director: Milos Forman - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The premise of "Amadeus" hinges on a fictional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Though the beef between the two is contrived, the details of Mozart's life that are woven into the film are, by and large, true. Accuracy aside, the film was quickly regarded as a classic and ended up winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

#9. Raging Bull (1980)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 129 minutes

Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" tells the story of prizefighter Jake LaMotta's rise and fall. The athlete's obsessive rage and animalistic appetite led him to incredible victories within the ring but destroyed almost every aspect of his life outside it. While initially a bit of a critical and commercial flop, the movie has come to be considered Scorsese's magnum opus.

#8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

- Directors: Julian Schnabel, Laura Obiols - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 112 minutes

In "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers a massive stroke that leaves him with locked-in syndrome, a condition where almost all the muscles in his body are paralyzed except for his left eye. The French film, based on Bauby's memoir, was called "a poignant reflection on what it means to be alive" by Empire's Alan Morrison .

#7. The Social Network (2010)

- Director: David Fincher - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 95 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Before Facebook became a dominant force in our lives and culture, monitoring our every move, it was a way for college students to connect and make new friends. "The Social Network" tells the story of the platform's early years, including the not-so-honorable moves of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). A critical and commercial success, the film was named one of the best films of 2010.

#6. The Irishman (2019)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 94.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 209 minutes

Scorsese strikes again with "The Irishman," a gangster movie based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" about former mafia hitman Frank Sheeran. The film brings together some of the gangster genre's biggest heavyweights—Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel—who earned a host of accolades for their collective work. The film was released on Netflix in late 2019.

#5. My Left Foot (1989)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 96.2 - Metascore: 97 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Christy Brown was an Irishman born with cerebral palsy and was only able to control a single limb, his left foot. Despite his substantial physical disabilities, Brown learned how to paint and write with his foot, providing an unlikely outlet for his creativity. Daniel Day-Lewis brings the cantankerous artist to life in this Oscar-nominated film based on Brown's memoir.

#4. Goodfellas (1990)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.7 - Runtime: 146 minutes

The final Martin Scorsese picture on our list and one of the best-loved gangster films of all time, "Goodfellas" chronicles the true-life story of Henry Hill, a small-time mobster turned informant. Starring frequent Scorsese collaborator Rober De Niro as well as Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, the movie is based on crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguy" and is widely considered one of the highest artistic peaks of Scorsese's career.

#3. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 96 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Solomon Northup was a New York-born free Black man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841 and spent 12 years enslaved on plantations in Louisiana before being released. "12 Years a Slave," a realistic and violent depiction of Northup's experience, was based on his memoirs. The award-winning movie did what many before it failed to do: it demolished, once and for all, the idea that slavery was anything but a horrific, unjust, and unfair practice whose sins remain in America to this day.

#2. Schindler's List (1993)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 8.9 - Runtime: 195 minutes

A success on every level, Steven Spielberg's Holocaust masterpiece "Schindler's List" is, at its heart, two parallel character studies. On the one hand, there's Amon Goeth (played by Ralph Fiennes), a purely evil psychopath, and on the other Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a greedy businessman turned unlikely humanitarian. Haunting and powerful, the film insists that goodness and truth can prevail, even in some of humanity's darkest moments.

#1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

- Director: David Lean - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 100 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 228 minutes

The best biopic of all time? This 1962 epic chronicling the life of British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, who's tasked with serving as a liaison between Prince Faisal and the British government during their fight against the Turks. Earning 10 Oscar nominations, the movie is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential films in cinematic history . Still, there are always haters: Lawrence's brother A.W. reportedly hated the film so much that he refused to let David Lean use the title of T.E.'s memoir, " Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "

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20 Biopics That Are Actually Worth Watching

Most true-story films are functional to a fault. These ones break the mold.

Every Oscars season brings new surprises: first-time nominees, snubbed Hollywood veterans, a list of honorees spanning blockbusters to indies. But one kind of movie is always a contender: the biopic. A true-story film is one of the most reliable forms of awards catnip; seven of the past 10 winners for Best Actor in a Leading Role were nominated for their portrayal of a real figure, sometimes a well-known celebrity, such as Freddie Mercury or Winston Churchill. The movies housing those performances tend to be functional to a fault. But some biographical films break the form and attempt something artistically challenging while also telling their protagonist’s story. Here are 20 of my favorites.

Tick, Tick … Boom! (2021, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Jonathan Larson’s musical Tick, Tick … Boom! was autobiographical when he first performed it in 1990. But the version that Miranda brought to screens more than 30 years later is even less coy about the fact that the central Jon character is Larson, while conceding that the story depicted is true “except for the parts Jonathan made up.” Tick, Tick … Boom! is about Larson (played by Andrew Garfield) striving to break out in New York’s theater scene, but it’s more broadly a work about the tricky act of balancing ambition and sanity in the arts world. The film acknowledges that Larson tragically died before receiving wide recognition for his musical Rent , but that’s part of what makes Tick, Tick … Boom! such a compelling watch: Miranda pairs that sad awareness with the vibrant, yearning energy of Larson’s original text.

Shirley (2020, directed by Josephine Decker)

Another biopic that mixes fiction with fact, Shirley is a portrait of the author Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss), set around the time she was writing her second novel, Hangsaman , published in 1951. Decker’s dreamy film sees a married couple arrive at Bennington College and get sucked into Jackson’s tempestuous relationship with her preening husband, Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg); together, the two writers are an entrancing nightmare—Shirley’s alcoholism and agoraphobia clash with Stanley’s philandering and social pomposity. Moss’s performance is particularly energetic and raw, representing both the haunted nature of Jackson’s storytelling and the author’s own troubled life.

A Hidden Life (2019, directed by Terrence Malick)

After several years spent working on abstract projects such as Knight of Cups and Song to Song , the philosophical maestro Malick turned his attention to a real-life subject for his next film: Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian conscientious objector who was executed by the Nazis for refusing to swear an oath to Hitler after being conscripted. It’s a Malick movie, so A Hidden Life is filled with striking scenery and a voice-over narration questioning the relationship between God and man, between free will and fate. Malick’s ongoing fascination with the natural world, which he can represent better than practically anyone, is paired with stunning imagery of storm clouds gathering and the industry of war corrupting the peaceful Austrian mountains. Still, the personal fortitude of Jägerstätter (August Diehl) is the film’s strongest element.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019, directed by Marielle Heller)

Adapted from an article written by the Esquire journalist Tom Junod, Heller’s film takes a clever approach to depicting the children’s-TV host Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks), whose life and perspective on entertainment has already been well covered in documentaries. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood instead stars Matthew Rhys as Lloyd Vogel, a journalist assigned to profile Rogers who’s initially unconvinced of his subject’s genuine goodness. Heller understands that many viewers might be similarly skeptical that Rogers was as saintly as he appeared, so Vogel plays the role of the cynic, an embittered reporter trying to uncover Rogers’s dark side while also coming to terms with his own personal struggles. Hanks’s performance is beatific, but also a little weird. Though Heller is firm in portraying Rogers’s powerful and therapeutic aura, she also grasps how unnerving it might have felt to be in his presence.

From the December 2019 issue: My friend Mister Rogers

First Man (2018, directed by Damien Chazelle)

It’s obvious why it took so long to make a definitive film about Neil Armstrong, whom Ryan Gosling portrays in First Man . The astronaut was taciturn, nervy, and intensely private, and the stakes of the Apollo 11 mission, which every viewer knows will be a success, aren’t especially dramatic. But Chazelle’s brilliance comes from digging into how unknowable Armstrong was, even to his close friends and family, and how desperately tense so much of the Apollo program was despite its eventual triumph. First Man is stressful, often frustrating, and then deeply moving in its final act on the moon, which was particularly incredible to view on an IMAX screen.

A Quiet Passion (2016, directed by Terence Davies)

Terence Davies is kind of a specialist in biographical films about poets, which is to say he’s made two of them (the other, the Siegfried Sassoon–focused Benediction , is also worth a watch). His methodical storytelling approach is a perfect match for Emily Dickinson, whom Cynthia Nixon plays as much more complicated than her reputation as an inscrutable recluse. Davies portrays Dickinson’s slow withdrawal from public life over the years, starting with her time as a whip-smart teenager at a Christian boarding school, and moving on to her navigation of family drama and her challenges to the religious hegemony of the day. A Quiet Passion conveys the fractured, piercing nature of Dickinson’s poems, illustrating her creativity while avoiding clichéd scenes of her sitting at a desk pondering what line to write next.

Jackie (2016, directed by Pablo Larraín)

The Chilean filmmaker Larraín’s recent output has mostly concentrated on true stories; one of his best films, the Oscar-nominated No , dramatizes Chile’s national 1988 referendum on whether the Pinochet regime should stay in power. Of late, he’s moved on to portraits of powerful women that mix fact with imagination, including 2021’s divisive Spencer and an upcoming Maria Callas film starring Angelina Jolie. Jackie is the best example of his style: Natalie Portman portrays Jackie Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination in a film that explores the narrative she created about her family and the darker truths nested within it. Larraín’s mournful vision is meditative and at times nightmarish, but even the most abstract material is anchored by Portman’s self-aware, imposing performance.

Steve Jobs (2015, directed by Danny Boyle)

Many biopics cleverly zero in on a specific moment in a subject’s life, picking a story that represents their wider impact on history. Steve Jobs , written by Aaron Sorkin and based on Walter Isaacson’s biography, adjusts that tendency by focusing on three major launches during the Apple founder’s life: the first Macintosh computer, his Apple rival NeXT, and the famed iMac. This brilliant meta-structure captures the boom-bust-rebound cycle so familiar to the tech world, and Sorkin’s gift for blending exposition with witty banter brings those action-packed segments to life. It’s an astounding portrayal of a figure whose charisma and prickliness existed side by side, with Michael Fassbender doing bravura work in the lead role.

Mr. Turner (2014, directed by Mike Leigh)

Mike Leigh has a particular creative process for his films, in which he improvises scenarios with his cast and builds out the story with them instead of writing a traditional screenplay. Many of his movies are more mundane slice-of-life dramas, but this approach works surprisingly well for biographical stories, lending a sense of authenticity to films such as Topsy-Turvy (about the musical-theater duo W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan) and Peterloo (about a notorious massacre of protesters in 1819 England). Mr. Turner might be my favorite of Leigh’s period biopics: It delves into the life and works of the brilliant but cantankerous artist J. M. W. Turner, whose impressionistic landscapes were decades ahead of their time and thus both celebrated and decried. Timothy Spall is wonderful and belligerent in the leading role, but the film is an unflinching look at life with an artist whose genius is inseparable from his personality flaws.

Selma (2014, directed by Ava DuVernay)

Selma , a thunderous historical drama that made DuVernay one of the most discussed directors of the decade, tackles a monumental subject with grace. The film depicts Martin Luther King Jr.’s role in organizing the Selma-to-Montgomery voting-rights marches of 1965. David Oyelowo is perfectly pitched in the lead role, capturing all of King’s charisma without overwhelming the ensemble. But Selma is also a story of community-based political progress, rendering the backroom meetings and widespread activism that laid the groundwork for the landmark protests. DuVernay’s camera remains intimate throughout, relying on close-ups to keep the real-life figures feeling, well, real, instead of like the formal portraits that viewers might know from their history books.

Read: From Selma to Black Power

The Wind Rises (2013, directed by Hayao Miyazaki)

As a historical narrative, The Wind Rises is only vaguely rooted in truth. Its protagonist, Jiro Horikoshi, was a real person, the designer of Japan’s Zero fighter planes and other aircraft used during World War II. But the story is partially fictionalized, blended with details from The Wind Has Risen , a novel about a man contending with his fiancée’s tuberculosis diagnosis. The great Japanese animator Miyazaki seems to insert this personal plotline as a way of imagining the kind of work-life conflict Jiro likely faced, torn between his calling and his home, a challenge Miyazaki himself has said he wrestled with. But the film is driven by an even knottier moral dilemma: the idea that one’s creations are being used for evil. Jiro’s passion for creating beautiful aircraft is equal only to his horror at the fact that his designs support machines of death and warfare. The Wind Rises is a knotty, spiritually conflicted work, and maybe the most complicated effort of Miyazaki’s storied career.

The Grandmaster (2013, directed by Wong Kar-wai)

The Grandmaster dramatizes the life of Ip Man, a revered martial artist who trained many future stars, most famously Bruce Lee. Directed by the leading Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, the film features the frequent Wong collaborator Tony Leung in the lead role and is steeped in both history and philosophy. The Grandmaster moves through Ip Man’s adolescence, early training years, marriage, and navigation of major events such as the Second Sino-Japanese War and the 1951 closing of the border between Hong Kong and mainland China. The film is a lavish production, and multiple versions have been released—including a very streamlined American cut that tries, clumsily, to provide further context for international viewers—but the 130-minute “Chinese Cut” is the one worth seeking out.

Bernie (2011, directed by Richard Linklater)

True crime is a subgenre that can be given to lurid controversy. But Linklater’s retelling of the 1996 murder of the Texas multimillionaire Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) by her far younger companion, Bernie Tiede (Jack Black), is downright whimsical. There’s no mystery to the murder itself, which Tiede commits after his relationship with the unpleasant and demanding Nugent breaks down; Linklater is far more interested in the aftermath, when local townspeople start rallying to Tiede’s defense because of their hatred of his victim. Linklater places some of the real-life residents alongside professional actors, lending verisimilitude to the proceedings. Black gives one of the best performances of his career, bouncing off Matthew McConaughey, who plays a frustrated district attorney.

Moneyball (2011, directed by Bennett Miller)

Maybe the best sports movie of the 21st century is about an executive: Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who used advanced statistics to spin gold from one of the smallest budgets in Major League Baseball and stay ahead of his richer competitors. Adapted from Michael Lewis’s book about the team’s 2002 season, the film turns a data-driven quest into a war with the hard-bitten classicists of America’s pastime. It’s a compelling portrait of a divorced, aloof, intensely stubborn person who sometimes feels at odds with the sport he loves. Miller understands that the tension between change and tradition is what makes baseball such a uniquely American topic.

Bright Star (2009, directed by Jane Campion)

Like Terence Davies, Campion has directed multiple excellent biopics of poets and writers, and her 1990 film about Janet Frame, An Angel at My Table , warrants a look. But Bright Star might be her most singular work in a career filled with idiosyncratic triumphs. It tracks the last three years of the brief life of John Keats (Ben Whishaw), focusing on his romance with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), a woman who inspired some of his verse but whom he could not marry because of his lack of income. Bright Star is swooningly romantic and deeply tragic, steeped in Whishaw and Cornish’s natural chemistry and Keats’s connection to the natural world; it’s a heartbreaker of a film, but a worthy one.

I’m Not There (2007, directed by Todd Haynes)

While making a biographical movie about Bob Dylan, Todd Haynes seemed completely aware that the task before him—or at least any conventional approach—would be impossible. So he instead presents six short story lines that take on specific aspects of Dylan’s life or personality. Different actors (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw) portray the singer in some form or another. Blanchett’s performance as Dylan the mid-’60s folk rebel, spikily razzing the press about his switch to the electric guitar, is probably the best-remembered section. But Ledger’s work as Dylan around the time of his famed breakup album, Blood on the Tracks , is among the best of his sadly short career.

Read: The rock band that redefined counterculture

Marie Antoinette (2006, directed by Sofia Coppola)

For her follow-up to the Oscar winner Lost in Translation , Coppola tackled a difficult subject: the French queen Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst), whose reign before the French Revolution was famed for its debauchery. Coppola’s take has a modern sheen, featuring a pop soundtrack and a cast of actors who mostly use their natural American accents. It’s also tinged with sympathy, noting the Austrian Marie’s alienation from her husband, Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), and from the strange French court she was shipped to at the age of 14. The film is so light and fizzy that it seems to almost forget how badly things will soon start to curdle—but the lack of self-awareness is, of course, part of the point.

The Insider (1999, directed by Michael Mann)

Mann’s other biographical films are the fascinating yet challenging Ali (2001) and Public Enemies (2009), and he has another one, about the carmaker Enzo Ferrari, due out this year. But The Insider is probably the best biopic he’ll ever make. It fictionalizes the story of the whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), who exposed a company’s secret efforts to make cigarettes more addictive. Al Pacino plays Lowell Bergman, the 60 Minutes producer trying to coax Wigand to make his claims public, and Mann gives their relationship operatic force, turning a story about good, hard journalism in drab offices into an entrancing visual marvel.

Nixon (1995, directed by Oliver Stone)

Stone has made many films about real-life figures, and his relationship to the truth has long been blurry at best. Alexander , his epic about the Macedonian conqueror, is his most formally daring work, but Nixon might be my personal favorite. Anthony Hopkins plays Richard Nixon in a film that takes a sweeping look at the disgraced president’s life and career. Though Stone is obviously politically opposed to Nixon, he seems to still feel deep sympathy for the complex, aggrieved outsider who struggled with personal demons and the grim circumstances of his impoverished youth. Nixon is also crammed with the kind of conspiratorial thinking about the U.S. government that suffuses many a Stone film, but that tone suits its protagonist, as he descends into paranoiac anger and the Watergate scandal erupts around him.

Bird (1988, directed by Clint Eastwood)

Eastwood has made several movies about real, ordinary folk who emerge as heroes, such as Sully and Richard Jewell . But his masterpiece of the biopic genre is Bird , an offbeat account of the life of the jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker (Forest Whitaker). Mimicking the improvisational structure of jazz, Bird is a montage that jumps forwards and backwards in Parker’s life. Across timelines, it’s most interested in his relationship with his wife, Chan (Diane Venora), and fellow musicians Dizzy Gillespie and Red Rodney. Whitaker’s performance is extraordinary, and Eastwood’s experimental approach is too.

The 50 Greatest Movies of All-Time, According to IMDb

By ellen gutoskey | jul 21, 2020.

With just about every film available to stream on one platform or another, there’s no better time to make your way through some of the classics  you’ve been meaning to watch for years—and according to IMDb, you should probably start with The Shawshank Redemption . The 1994 prison drama, based on Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption , ranks highest on IMDb’s list of top-rated movies of all time with a score of 9.2 out of 10.

IMDb’s ranking system isn’t as simple as listing all films in descending order by rating. A film needs to have a minimum of 25,000 user ratings to even qualify for the list, and those ratings must come from “regular IMDb voters,” though the site doesn’t specify how that group is chosen. Then, IMDb determines the film’s position using a weighted formula that accounts for the total number of ratings and rating average. In other words, just because 1998’s Saving Private Ryan (in the 27th spot) and 1968’s Once Upon a Time in the West (number 49) both have an 8.5 rating doesn’t mean they’re tied.

There are two truths that seem to be universally acknowledged among regular IMDb voters. One: Audiences love a good mob movie. The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II  (1974) sit in the second and third spots, respectively, and 1990’s GoodFellas and 2006’s The Departed are both in the top 50. And two: Christopher Nolan can direct the heck out of anything. He has four films on the list, including The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), and The Prestige (2006).

Considering the 25,000-rating minimum, it’s pretty impressive that certain recent films have already made the cut. This year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite , for example, ranks 29th with an average rating of 8.5, and 2020’s Hamilton —which debuted on Disney+ mere weeks ago—is number 19, with an 8.6.

Scroll through the top 50 films below, and see IMDb’s full list of 250 here .

• The Shawshank Redemption (1994) // 9.2
• The Godfather (1972) // 9.1
• The Godfather: Part II (1974) // 9.0
• The Dark Knight (2008) // 9.0
• 12 Angry Men (1957) // 8.9
• Schindler’s List (1993) // 8.9
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) // 8.9
• Pulp Fiction (1994) // 8.8
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) // 8.8
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) // 8.8
• Fight Club (1999) // 8.8
• Forrest Gump (1994) // 8.8
• Inception (2010) // 8.7
• Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) // 8.7
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) // 8.7
• The Matrix (1999) // 8.6
• GoodFellas (1990) // 8.6
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) // 8.6
• Hamilton (2020) // 8.6
• Seven Samurai (1954) // 8.6
• Se7en (1995) // 8.6
• Life Is Beautiful (1997) // 8.6
• City of God (2002) // 8.6
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991) // 8.6
• It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) // 8.6
• Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) // 8.6
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) // 8.5
• Spirited Away (2001) // 8.5
• Parasite (2019) // 8.5
• The Green Mile (1999) // 8.5
• Interstellar (2014) // 8.5
• Léon: The Professional (1994) // 8.5
• The Usual Suspects (1995) // 8.5
• Harakiri (1962) // 8.5
• The Lion King (1994) // 8.5
• Back to the Future (1985) // 8.5
• The Pianist (2002) // 8.5
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) // 8.5
• American History X (1998) // 8.5
• Modern Times (1936) // 8.5
• Psycho (1960) // 8.5
• Gladiator (2000) // 8.5
• City Lights (1931) // 8.5
• The Departed (2006) // 8.5
• The Intouchables (2011) // 8.5
• Whiplash (2014) // 8.5
• The Prestige (2006) // 8.5
• Grave of the Fireflies (1988) // 8.5
• Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) // 8.5
• Casablanca (1942) // 8.4

20 Best Biopic Movies of All Time

Hollywood and other film industries have always been fascinated with the lives of famous people. That’s why we have so many biopics made right since the beginning of cinema. Not all of them are great, but we certainly have seen a fair share of really good biopic movies. From Gandhi to Zuckerberg, Hollywood has tried its hand on making biopics on people from all strata of life. Now, let’s look at the list of top biopic movies of all time. You can watch several of these best biopic movies on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

20. Nixon (1995)

Hopkins had quite a run after he won the Academy Awards for ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991), but the boldest work of his career was as President Richard Nixon in this outstanding bio from Oliver Stone . As one of the most polarizing figures of the seventies, Nixon was a true statesman, but a flawed and paranoid man, doomed as a world leader. He captures the wounded soul of the disgraced President in every way. Looking nothing like him, he instead captures his essence and speech pattern and becomes Nixon before our very eyes.

Read More: Best Movie Couples of All Time

19. Bugsy (1991)

Warren Beatty was always an interesting actor, but with his work here as murderous gangster Benjamin Siegel, he proved he was a great one. With movie star good looks, Siegel landed in Hollywood and quickly took over all gangland related activities and when visiting the desert, he had a vision of what became Las Vegas. Obsessed with his Flamingo Hotel in the desert, he failed to see his girlfriend was stealing from the mob, which brought Siegel down. Beatty is terrifying in his rages, deluded in his belief he can kill Mussolini, yet gentle and kind with his family and friend Meyer Lansky.

Read More: Best Animated Movies of All Time

18. Chaplin (1992)

A brilliant actor ready for the performance of his lifetime, stuck with a weak script, a cowardly director not willing to show his subject warts and all, Robert Downey Jr. still gave one of the great performances of all time, beautifully capturing Chaplin and his artistry. Sadly neither the director nor script took advantage of Downey being so far into character; the actor was gone, Chaplin remained. With an edgy actor such as Downey, why explore the more controversial aspects of his life? They had an actor ready to cut loose and they failed him.

Read More: Most Difficult Movies to Watch

17. Downfall (2005)

Is it possible to humanize Hitler, possibly the most hated and evil man to ever exist? Bruno Ganz did that very thing in the superb German film ‘Downfall’, which explores the last days Hitler was alive in his bunker, the Soviets not far from the heart of the city. Hands shaking, frail, obviously drugged heavily, he knows the end is near and what is coming; he knows what the reaction will be to his Death Camps. Often gentle and kind with those around him, other time he flies into a rage when his orders are not followed. In the end, the monster was all too human, just a man. An astounding, brave performance.

Read More: Best Twist Ending Movies of All Time

16. Lincoln (2012)

The moment we laid eyes on him in the opening moments of the film, and he spoke in that surprising high reedy voice, audiences felt they were encountering Abraham Lincoln, possibly the greatest American who ever lived. Daniel Day-Lewis poured over books, found descriptions of his voice, his gait, the manner in which he spoke and the deep melancholy he carried with him and brought it with him to his performance. His co-stars claimed they never met Day-Lewis until the film’s premiere; they knew only President Lincoln. This profoundly fine performance won the actor his third Academy Awards for Best Actor.

Read More: Best Women Centric Movies of All Time

15. The Aviator (2004)

As the young Howard Hughes during his Hollywood years, before the madness set in, Leonardo DiCaprio is truly outstanding. Blessed with a brilliant, inquisitive mind, he is always looking to the skies, even in his first film, ‘Hells Angels’ (1930), which he re-shot after the advent of sound. Fascinated with aviation, he built planes, making them bigger and faster, crashing one of them in downtown LA, forever damaging himself. It is a bold, outstanding performance that beautifully explores a troubled mind. The genuine fear in his eyes when he has one of his spells is truly frightening because he is never really sure if he can snap out of it.

Read More: Best Bond Movies of All Time

14. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

In portraying the purely evil yet charismatic Idi Amin Dada, actor Forest Whitaker gave a performance for the ages, winning every single award available to him that year. As self appointed President, actually dictator of Uganda, he takes a young Scottish doctor under his wing and it is through that man’s eyes we see the monster appear. Whitaker is brilliant, seething with anger and contempt for those who defy him, believing himself to be a God. Terrifying.

Read More: Best Sequels of All Time

13. Patton (1970)

As one of the greatest warriors in the history of the United States military, General George S. Patton did as he pleased often defying his superiors’ orders. George C. Scott is magnificent as Patton, one of the screen’s greatest performances and refused the Oscar he won for Best Actor. That iconic image that opens the film — Scott dwarfed by a massive flag — once seen can never be forgotten.

Read More: Best Horror Movies of All Time

12. My Left Foot (1989)

On the rise as an actor when he made this lovely, gritty film about Irish artist/writer Cristy Brown, afflicted with cerebral palsy since birth, Day-Lewis won the Academy Award and several other awards in announcing himself as a major new acting force. His eyes ablaze with intellect and purpose; his body betraying him with constant shaking, twitching, everything out of control except his left foot. The actor brings us the fierce mind that was trapped in that wretched body. Despite his affliction, he was gifted, horny and a heavy drinker. Day-Lewis is a miracle in the film.

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11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

As stock swindler Jordan Belfort, who became obscenely wealthy before the FBI brought him down, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a brilliant performance – the best of his career. The young actor brings a furious energy to the performance and brash confidence, moving through the film like a young rock star. Whether stoned on drugs , smashed out of his mind, or arguing with his gorgeous wife, the actor is a revelation and force of nature. He is electrifying from beginning to end, always in motion, scheming, descending slowly into his own hell.

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10. The Social Network

Made at a time when Facebook had reached meteoric height’s, ‘The Social Network’ works as a powerful commentary on modern times and feels utterly fresh, even after six years. It deserves a place on every such list because of the treatment by David Fincher . Led by powerful performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield , it is a deeply personal tale which works on so many levels, and is a study on the nature of friendship , ambition and power.

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Helmed by Bennett Miller (who also directed ‘Foxcatcher’), ‘Capote’ chronicles the life of Truman Capote during the period when he was writing his non-fiction novel, ‘In Cold Blood’. Superbly constructed, the film feels bleak and sublime at the same time, as it tries to convey the horrors of the killings. But the movie stands out chiefly because of the honest and riveting performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman , which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. It is sad that we’ve lost a truly great artist.

Read More: Biggest Hollywood Hits Movies of All Time

8. Malcolm X

At a run time of 200 minutes, ‘Malcolm X’ is a long movie. But it never seems long, thanks to a phenomenal performance by Denzel Washington , and nuanced direction by Spike Lee . The film dramatizes chief events of the life of African American activist Malcolm X. The film received much skepticism and criticism even before it actually hit the screen, mainly because of the sensitive nature of the subject. But it received overwhelming critical acclaim upon release. Denzel Washington was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his standout performance, but lost out to Al Pacino , which many think was unfair on the Academy’s part.

Read More: Best Movie Villains of All Time

7. The Pianist

Roman Polanski is a director known for his technical prowess, edgy direction and excellence in handling the noir genre of cinema. But in ‘The Pianist’ , the visionary director takes his skills and gives us a devastating biographical drama. ‘The Pianist’ is the moving life-story of Władysław Szpilman, a Polish pianist and composer, portrayed by Adrien Brody , who loses his family during the Holocaust. Polanski paints a bleak, harrowing landscape – drawing from his own experiences of the war – and gives us a terrifying, yet human tale of hope and survival .

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Richard Attenborough’s enduring masterpiece ‘Gandhi’ is still fresh in the hearts of the millions of Indians who watched it at the time when it was released. Made on a very large-scale and featuring actors from both Hollywood and Bollywood, this biographical drama feels fiercely authentic. The direction is quite traditional, and is exactly what a biopic of this scale needed; after all, it was about an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. Sir Ben Kingsley’s commanding presence as Mahatma Gandhi is one of the pioneering examples of biopic performances.

5. The Elephant Man

David Lynch is a master of his craft, and is a tough director to watch. His body of work – original and largely cerebral – proves that beyond a shadow of doubt. But in ‘The Elephant Man’, the visionary director outdoes himself and shows us an intensely moving tale about a disfigured man trying to find his place in society. It is based on the life of Joseph Marrick, a man suffering from severe deformity. The film depicts his life in a Victorian freak show and his relation with Dr. Frederick Treves, who tends to him later, and provides him shelter. Technically brilliant, and at times quite bleak – considering the nature of the subject – the film is especially noted for the make-up done on John Hurt for him to look the part. It is historically quite significant because the Academy was criticized for failing to recognize the efforts gone in the make-up process, and only after this film was the category for Best Make-up introduced.

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4. Raging Bull

There are boxing movies and then there is ‘Raging Bull’ . This Martin Scorsese gem is the biographical account of the boxer Jake LaMotta, his rise to fame and his personal struggles. Scorcese pours his heart out in this picture, which is so perfectly crafted that it works both as a sports movie , and as a tragic drama. Robert De Niro gave an explosive and riveting performance as Jake LaMotta, rightfully taking home the Best Actor Oscar for this role. Shot entirely in Black and White , the movie came out in the same year as ‘The Elephant Man’, competing for the Best Picture award. Unfortunately, neither of the two won the award, which went to ‘Ordinary People’.

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3. Goodfellas

Hailed by many as the second best gangster movie ever, (first being ‘The Godfather’ ) ‘Goodfellas’ is a riveting crime drama based on a non fictional book Wiseguy, chronicling the rise and fall Henry Hill, a crime family associate. Plumbing the obscene depths of crime, ‘Goodfellas’ is an enduring tale about loyalty, betrayal and the corrupting nature of power. Martin Scorsese delivers perfection in this ageless film, which boasts of marvelous performances by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and the swashbuckling Joe Pesci (who took home the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his performance.)

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2. Schindler’s List

I won’t say much about ‘Schindler’s List’ here. Widely regarded as one of the best pictures in the history of cinema, ‘Schindler’s List’ is Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, and is truly a work of art. With the Second World war as the backdrop, with the Nazi terror achieving terrible heights, ‘Schindler’s List’ is a moving tale about one man’s change of heart, and how he becomes a messiah. But, oh, it still doesn’t occupy the top spot on this list. Wonder why? Well, scroll down to find out which film holds that honor.

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1. Lawrence of Arabia

A film so grand and epic in scope that it commands multiple viewings. Really, get a Blu-ray and watch it on a big screen TV. Made in 1962, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ is David Lean’s magnum opus. It is a riveting saga about the life of British archaeologist T.E Lawrence and the role he played during the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Everything about this movie is beautiful in a terrific, haunting way, crafted by a film-maker at the peak of his powers. The melodious score by Maurice Jarre, the authentic, breathtaking cinematography by F.A Young (the desert never looked so mesmerizing ), and a powerful performance by the-then newcomer Peter O’ Toole , make this movie one of the greatest films of all time . Its influence can still be felt in modern biopics.

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The Best Biographical Movies Of 2021

The best 2021 biopics entertain you while also giving you a better sense of who a celebrity or historical person was in real life.  Judas and the Black Messiah  gives insight into the chairman of the Black Panther Party in the the late '60s as well as the FBI's plan to take him down.  United States vs. Billie Holiday  is another 2021 biographical film that shows a historical figure going toe to toe with an entity of the federal government. These are just a few of the great biographical films that are coming out in 2021 and there are bound to be a few Oscar contenders on the list below.

But which one deserves to be at the top of the list? You get to help decide by voting up your favorite 2021 biopics and voting down the ones that you think fellow cinephiles should skip this year. Be sure to check back for new and upcoming biopics as they are added to the list once they are released.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

• # 30 of 343 on 340+ Movies And Shows With Eye In The Title
• # 3 of 130 on The 100+ Best New & Recent Drama Films, Ranked
• # 68 of 100 on The Best Biopics To Watch About Real People

American Underdog

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Atlas Review: Jennifer Lopez’s New Netflix Movie Gets Science Fiction Totally Wrong

10 incredible sci-fi movies that are more science than fiction, this 2024 horror movie is a very good sign for reboot of $403m franchise coming next year.

The biopic genre has been a constant for the film industry , growing more and more diverse with every passing year. 2020 was no exception. Despite delayed release dates with the pandemic, this year saw some pretty unconventional biopics. While films like Ammonite or Stardust attempted to understand a particular phase in a renowned personality's life, Mank and The Glorias shifted between timelines, to sum up almost all of their subject's adulthood.

RELATED: 10 Unconventional Biopics To Watch If You Liked Mank

Biopics aside, 2020 also saw fictional or dramatized narratives inspired by real-life figures. For instance, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was based on August Wilson's play of the same name but featured the real-life blues legend Ma Rainey.

Stardust - 3.7

There were many hopes riding with the David Bowie biopic Stardust but the end-product turned out to be a tad bit disappointing as per audience and critics reviews. Singer-songwriter Johnny Flynn plays a young David Bowie as the film chronicles his first American tour in 1971 following which he created his famed alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

RELATED: The 10 Best Acting Performances By Musicians In Movies, According To IMDb

Rather than just celebrating Bowie's music, the film offers a more grounded approach mostly featuring the music of the time that influenced him. As he travels with his American publicist, Stardust also bears slight undertones of a road movie.

Capone - 4.7

Rather than covering Al Capone's larger-than-life mobster rule (the influence of which can be seen in many a gangster flick), Josh Trank's Capone is an attempt to humanize the notorious criminal. Under heavy layers of makeup, Tom Hardy plays the eponymous gangster as he spends his final days in prison, suffering from dementia.

Even though the narrative and the writing didn't fare well, viewers were still in awe of Hardy's highly demanding lead performance. The film also adds a few bold, experimental dream sequences and self-loathing experiences, in showing the destructive state of Capone's fading legacy.

Tesla - 5.0

Tesla is quite an experiment in the biopic genre. On the surface, it might seem like a biopic but it ends up being a quasi-biopic with several unconventional elements like breaking the fourth wall, intentional historic exaggerations, as well as conspiracy theories (like the fact that Nikola Tesla might have communicated with aliens). If all of this wasn't bizarre enough, Ethan Hawke's Tesla also performs a rendition of Everybody Wants To Rule The World !

RELATED: Top 10 Ethan Hawke Roles, Ranked According To IMDb

It is still a modest attempt at attributing the Serbian-American inventor to his visionary inventions like the design of the modern Alternating Current electric supply system. His bitter friendship with his far more famous contemporary Thomas Edison is also explored.

The Glorias - 5.2

Based on the memoir My Life On The Road by noted feminist journalist and activist Gloria Steinem, The Glorias is a look at Steinem's life from different perspectives. The film itself starts with a Greyhound bus filled with several Glorias, each belonging to a different age group.

The majority of the film explores her work and fight against sexism from her middle-aged and current phase in life. Oscar-winners Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore play Steinem in these phases respectively. Even though the film got flak for its runtime, the film still serves as an empathetic tribute to its inspiration.

Sergio - 6.1

Sergio is a film based on Brazilian United Nations diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello's life, more specifically his final mission which found him trapped in a Baghdad hotel as tensions arise after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Leda actor Wagner Moura has already had experience with historical figures, gaining fame as Pablo Escobar in Narcos .

Joined by Ana De Armas playing an economic consultant, the film is bolstered by its performances even though it might not bear strong political commentary despite the contemporary history it present. At the same time, Sergio offers considerable backstory on diplomatic negotiations with East Timor and Iraq and how de Mello had a hand in it.

Shirley - 6.2

The Shirley in this film's title refers to horror and mystery author Shirley Jackson, who might be known by many modern-day audiences as the writer behind The Haunting of Hill House (that later inspired the Netflix series). Shirley is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Susan Merrell, that fictionalizes some parts of Jackson's life.

Shirley Jackson and her husband's everyday routine is broken down with the arrival of a newlywed couple. As the film progresses, the relationships between these couples grow intense and Jackson's only intention is to find literary inspiration out of this turmoil. Shirley makes for a good 'semi-biopic' thanks to its chilling atmosphere and Elisabeth Moss in the lead role.

Ammonite - 6.4

A loose adaptation of paleontologist Mary Anning's (Kate Winslet) romantic relationship with geologist Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), Ammonite benefits greatly from its talented cast. As Anning sells fossils to help her ailing mother, a rich tourist offers her an opportunity to look after his young wife Charlotte. This results in a friendship-turned-love affair between the two women as this slow-burning period romance picks up.

There's no real-life evidence to suggest that these two women were actually engaged in romantic affair but the film definitely speculates a 'what if' situation as several women played a vital role indeed in Anning's life.

Hillbilly Elegy - 6.7

Ron Howard is no stranger to biopics. Hillbilly Elegy finds him exploring three different generations of a family in Middletown, Ohio, with different timelines to understand the collective sadness the family goes through. Based on JD Vance's memoir on his upbringing, the film delves into substance abuse and mental health issues that both his grandmother and mother faced. Criticism on the 'hillbilly' culture in the region also finds its way to explain the social rot that Vance sees around him.

The family drama surprisingly didn't get much critical acclaim despite pre-release hype but the audiences were lass harsher. Some consensus was also achieved with regards to Glen Close and Amy Adams' acting.

Mank is David Fincher's latest film based on a screenplay written by his late father Jack Fincher. The stylish black-and-white period piece centers around screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz's rise to fame, and the way he wrote the cult classic Citizen Kane . However, that is not all, as Fincher's enthralling epic dramedy offers a satirical picture of Hollywood's studio system in its 'Golden Age' while also covering the socio-political turbulences of Mank 's time period.

RELATED: 10 Best Black & White Films Of The Past Decade

Along with masterful direction, the selling point of Mank is of course the tour de force performance by Gary Oldman, who has conveniently changed his colors in past biopics like Darkest Hour and Sid & Nancy .

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 - 7.8

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 is more of a 'based on real-life' legal-drama than a biopic. And yet, it offers a moving portrayal of several defiant flagbearers of the truth in an ever-changing America of the 1960s. It is directly based on the arrests of several members behind an anti-Vietnam War convention in Chicago and the politically-motivated trial that followed. Aaron Sorkin's fiery writing injects the film with adrenaline while its impeccable cast adds the emotional value.

Be it Sacha Baron Cohen's Abbie Hoffman or Eddie Redmayne's Tom Hayden, all of these protestors seem to have a common enemy but they also carry differing views on democracy, electoral politics, and the freedom of a country's citizens. Hence, rather than actively pursuing one ideology, the film offers enough space for debate and discussion.

NEXT: 10 Movies To Watch If You Liked The Trial Of The Chicago 7

• Mank (2020)

The 15 Highest-Rated Movies Since 2020 (So Far), Ranked According to IMDb

Expect to see these films on decade-end lists.

2020 marked the rise of a worldwide pandemic, which continued through 2021 and 2022. The pandemic hit the filmmaking business hard, delaying many high-profile projects and releasing others to a much smaller audience, severely affecting their chance at the box office. Despite the dire situation, the film industry showed remarkable resistance and endurance. Fewer movies came out, but some were among the most acclaimed in recent memory.

Fans on IMDb have rated the decade's releases, voting for what they believe are the best movies from the 2020s so far. From animated gems like Soul to blockbuster sci-fi adventures like Dune , these movies defied the odds, providing audiences with entertainment and inspiration through this remarkable time. Film lovers on IMDb have given these releases their seal of approval, granting them high rankings and cementing their place as the best films from the 2020s so far.

15 'Soul' (2020)

Imdb score: 8.0/10.

A computer-animated fantasy comedy-drama movie, Soul centers on a middle school teacher and jazz pianist named Joe Gardner ( Jamie Foxx ). After accidentally entering a coma just before getting his big break as a musician, Joe sets out to bring his split spirit and body back together.

Soul is a serious and existential animated family movie that goes beyond the usual theological, psychological, and emotional territory covered in Pixar movies. It also has a tender disposition, some nice laughter, and an even kinder heart. Soul is powered by Jamie Foxx's astounding performance , proving that Pixar is still a business that operates in its own unique way, and that can only be a good thing.

Watch on Disney+

14 'The Holdovers' (2023)

The Holdovers follows the story of Paul Hunham ( Paul Giamatti ), a strict and lonely instructor at a New England prep school in the '70s who is tasked with overlooking the students who are stuck on campus for the holidays. While initially annoyed with these duties, he quickly forms a bond with Angus ( Dominic Sessa ), one of the students who vehemently hates the idea of being stuck on campus during the holidays. The two somehow find some level of comfort over the holidays thanks to their unexpected friendship, further amplified by the company of the school's head chef, Mary Lamb ( Da'Vine Joy Randolph ).

The Holdovers has all of the tone and charm of a classic '70s coming-of-age film, complete with modern hindsight and perspective that transforms the film into one that's in a league of its own. The film is oozing with a feel-good and heartfelt energy from beginning to end, even during its more emotional moments, thanks to the outstanding performances from everyone in the cast. It's easily one of the best holiday movies in recent memory , and is sure to become a yearly tradition for a multitude of audiences.

The Holdovers

Watch on Peacock

13 'CODA' (2021)

Remade from the 2014 French-Belgian film La Famille Bélier , CODA follows Ruby Rossi ( Emilia Jones ), the titular CODA, or "child of deaf adults." The sole hearing person in her family, Ruby works to support her family's failing fishing operation while following her dream to be a singer.

CODA seeks to close the gap between the parallels and differences it finds while telling a tale of struggle, development, and exploration. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture , with Troy Kotsur earning the statuette for Best Supporting Actor. CODA is an emotional coming-of-age tale that may cause spectators to cry ; however, it additionally inspires viewers and makes them feel wonderful since there is so much more goodness in the world.

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As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

12 'Dune' (2021)

Based on the first half of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert , Dune follows the story of a gifted young man, Paul Atreides ( Timothée Chalamet ). Along with his family, Paul must travel to the barren planet of Arrakis, where the only supply of the universe's most precious psychotropic drug, spice, and the people who take them, Fremen, can be found. To keep his family, the House Atreides, and the people safe, Paul must face the deadly planet to fulfill the destiny he was born to do.

Denis Villeneuve's Dune is a cerebral sci-fi film with an epic scope, mind-blowing action scenes, and breathtaking cinematography . The film was a box-office hit, grossing $434 million worldwide despite a day-and-date release on Max. Moreover, Villeneuve used the screenplay's slow, deliberative pace to highlight the novel's key scenes and plot points, along with brilliant world-building that fans of the book cannot help but gasp.

11 'Past Lives' (2023)

Imdb score: 8.1/10.

Celine Song's feature directorial debut, Past Lives , is a riveting and emotionally charged romantic drama. It traces the journey of two childhood friends, Na Young ( Greta Lee ) and Hae Sung ( Teo Yoo ), and their evolving relationship spanning 24 years as they grapple with the changes in their lives and slowly grow apart. The plot draws inspiration from real events in Song's life and is semi-autobiographical in nature.

Past Lives is realistically subtle and understated , occasionally veering into the ordinary but ultimately reflecting the complexities of lives through a universal tale of life choices. It captivates viewers, particularly in its climactic, emotionally draining moments. A further aspect of the movie's charm is the way the camera seems to caress the landscape of the desolate cities while it catches their beauty.

Watch on Hoopla

10 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' (2020)

Imdb score: 8.2/10.

The first cinematic feature film of the massively popular Demon Slayer anime, Mugen Train takes place directly after the events of Season 1, and sees Tanjirō and his friends boarding the Infinity Train. While on the train, they meet up with fellow hunter Rengoku to take down the mysterious and dangerous demon who has been killing people aboard the train. The demon proves to be more powerful than anything Tanjirō has faced before, as he will have to look deep within himself to find the courage and strength to defeat the demon.

While many anime films reserve themselves to only being especially entertaining to fans of the original series, Mugen Train is the rare example that stands high and mighty as its own experience. This also coincides with the film's importance as a pivotal chapter of the Demon Slayer series, as opposed to many other anime movies being a non-canon venture with no real narrative weight. Combined with being able to amplify and provide the already stellar animation of Demon Slayer with a theatrical budget, the final product is a beautiful action-packed sight to behold.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train

Watch on Funimation

9 'The Father' (2020)

The Father follows Anthony ( Anthony Hopkins ), a Londoner, who is reluctant to tell his daughter Anne ( Olivia Colman ) that he can no longer take care of himself. He changes from being endearing to disrespectful when Anne brings in a nurse. One day, Anthony awakens confused in a house he is unfamiliar with, and it is then that he realizes how reality is slipping from his grasp.

Harrowing and thought-provoking, The Father is a challenging movie to watch . However, the daring decisions, the emotional transparency, the sharp, precise storytelling, and Hopkins's outstanding performance make every second worthwhile. Moreover, it has a superb script, not just because of the excellent dialogue but because it plays with the viewer's perceptions and understanding.

A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

Rent on Amazon

8 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)

Serving as the third installment in the same-name franchise in the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to follow the titular character ( Tom Holland ) as he asks Dr. Strange ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) to employ magic to keep his identity as Spider-Man a secret once more following his public disclosure at the conclusion of Far From Home . Parker's constant interruption causes the magic to fail, which opens up the multiverse and lets people from other realities invade Parker's world.

True to form, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a heartfelt, open love letter to the Spider-Man franchise . The movie is emotionally charged, hits hard, and is darker than the previous installments for a good cause. Fans cannot help but reflect deeply on Spider-Man's significance. MCU once again proves that their movies don't need to be lighthearted and fun.

Spider-Man 3 / Spider-Man: No Way Home

7 'the rescue' (2021), imdb score: 8.3/10.

One of the most critically acclaimed and beloved documentary films in recent memory, The Rescue tells the amazing real-life story of the rescue of a Thai soccer team that was trapped in a cave fo 16 days. It serves to chronicle the ever-present tension, chaos, and capabilities surrounding the multitude of rescue attempts in one of the most legendary and miraculous rescue operations in recent memory.

From the same directors and team behind National Geographic's previous smash hit documentary, Free Solo , The Rescue perfectly blends breathtaking ecological visuals with its undeniably compelling narrative . Especially compared to how so many modern streaming service documentaries tell their story, The Rescue 's simple yet brilliant chronological display of the events further amplifies the emotional aspects of its story.

6 'Hamilton' (2020)

Based on the 2004 book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow , Hamilton recounts the actual life of Alexander Hamilton ( Lin-Manuel Miranda ), the first Secretary of the Treasury and one of America's most important founding fathers. With the original Broadway cast, the movie was filmed live on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

The idea is anything but a gimmick; Hamilton is a dynamic, heart-stopping masterwork that harnesses contemporary culture to portray historical facts . The film does a lot for fans who cannot access the original live show but still be able to experience one of the best plays of the 21st century with a varied ensemble portraying America today and amazing visuals.

5 'Godzilla Minus One' (2023)

The latest powerful and jaw-dropping film in the Godzilla franchise, Godzilla Minus One reimagines the kaiju's origins, taking place just after Japan's defeat in World War II, focusing on the country's post-war struggles. The film specifically follows the perspective of Koichi Shikishima, a failed kamikaze pilot who is attempting to do what he can to build his life back up from the destruction left behind by both the war-torn economy and Godzilla himself.

While there have been many giant monster movies that have certainly had high levels of spectacle and destruction on display, what made Godzilla Minus One connect with so many audiences is its human characters . The film is one of the few examples of a monster movie with a human storyline that actually adds and further amplifies the themes and messaging of the film, creating a beautiful blend that makes the actual Godzilla sequences that much more impactful. The film proved that there were still a multitude of beautiful and resonating stories to be told in the monster movie genre that go beyond action simply for the sake of action.

Godzilla Minus One

Watch in Cinemas

4 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)

Serving as a sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun , Top Gun: Maverick continues to follow Pete "Maverick" Mitchell ( Tom Cruise ), who is forced to face his innermost fears and the ghosts from the past. Now a reluctant teacher for a new generation of pilots, Maverick must deal with a dangerous missing while facing Rooster, the son of his late best friend, Goose.

Top Gun: Maverick is visually and emotionally rewarding in ways uncommon for modern blockbusters. Elevated by Tom Cruise's now-legendary commitment to envelope-pushing action, the film excels as breathtaking and emotionally gripping entertainment. Top Gun: Maverick quickly became a cultural phenomenon and was the second-highest-grossing film of 2022 , behind only Avatar: The Way of Water . Moreover, even while it follows the same conventional narrative beats and expected character arcs as the original, the simplified plot has been given a carefree air that complements and enhances the visual show.

Top Gun: Maverick

3 'poor things' (2023), imdb score: 8.4/10.

One of many masterful and abstract masterpieces from director Yorgos Lanthimos , Poor Things follows the story of Bella Baxter ( Emma Stone ), a young woman who was brought back to life thanks to a wild unorthodox scientist. As she relearns and reexperiences the beauties and difficulties of life once again, Bella soon comes to a greater understanding not only of her role in the world, but how the world as a whole operates around her.

Poor Things is a film that simply doesn't hold back when it comes to the vibrant and absurdity of its world and characters , allowing its strange and mind-melting execution to take a commanding hold of the audience's attention. It can just as easily delve into deep and philosophical topics such as life and the balance of society as it can go full absurdist and raunchy comedy with the scenes that take place. It makes for a difficult yet powerful balancing act that the film does just right, easily making it one of the most standout viewing experiences of the decade so far.

Poor Things

2 'oppenheimer' (2023).

Adapted from the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin , Oppenheimer explores the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer ( Cillian Murphy ). The plot emphasizes his academic pursuits, his leadership of the Manhattan Project during World War II, and his subsequent downfall during the 1954 security hearing.

Oppenheimer is a mythic, monumental achievement by Christopher Nolan , with Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. delivering career-best performances in what stands as the most significant movie of the decade. The movie is unquestionably a cinematic masterpiece of the highest caliber, earning high marks from critics - currently standing at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes - and audiences - grossing over $900 million worldwide . The film meticulously crafts a sensory journey that reimagines a historically significant event, making it not only relevant but transcendent.

Oppenheimer

1 'spider-man: across the spider-verse' (2023), imdb score: 8.6/10.

Continuing the story in the first installment released in 2018, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse takes place in a shared multiverse of parallel universes known as the Spider-Verse. To battle a new force of evil that is more potent than anything they have ever faced, Miles Morales ( Shameik Moore ) must join forces with Gwen Stacy ( Hailee Steinfeld ) and a new band of Spider-People across the Multiverse while dealing with his own demons.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is an incredible and groundbreaking accomplishment in animation. It takes audiences on an exhilarating and more intense adventure filled with astonishing revelations that make it a sequel that's just as good as its predecessor, or even better. In addition to its impressive visual effects, the second installment maintains its exceptional character development, showcasing well-crafted and heartfelt tributes to the titular character. Furthermore, the film outperforms No Way Home in its approach to introducing and exploring the multiverse, providing the audience with a deeper comprehension of this intricate concept.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Watch on Netflix

NEXT: The Best Films of 2022

• Biography Movies
• Drama Movies
• Music Movies

The 21 Best Movies About Musicians, Bands, and Singers

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Hollywood films love to inspire awe and encourage viewers to pursue their dreams—because, after all, anything is possible! Who knows which viewer might become the next Elvis or Madonna?

And Hollywood loves to do that by featuring successful musicians, bands, and singers as the protagonists of their movies. Sometimes they're based on real people. Sometimes they're made up.

From obsessed artists to inspirational biopics, here are our picks for the best movies about musicians, bands, and famous singers. (That doesn't mean these are all musicals, by the way!)

21. Rocketman (2019)

Directed by Dexter Fletcher

Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 1m)

7.3 on IMDb — 89% on RT

We saw a flurry of musical film releases in 2018 and 2019, with a big trend in biopics. After the success of Bohemian Rhapsody , Hollywood took to telling another whimsical celebrity's story: Elton John.

Dexter Fetcher directs this glitzy, sequin-studded drama that stars Taron Egerton as the androgynous British pop star.

Rocketman opens with Elton's childhood and very quickly breaks out into flashy musical numbers. It follows Elton's rise into the glamorous world of fame, where the singer-songwriter's homosexuality is thrown into the limelight... all the while he battles alcoholism.

20. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Directed by Bryan Singer

Starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 14m)

7.9 on IMDb — 60% on RT

Bryan Singer's Bohemian Rhapsody isn't without its flaws. That said, the huge box office hit is sure to get viewers nostalgically singing along—and what else could you ask for from a musical movie?

Rami Malek gives a sparkling performance as the late Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the iconic rock band Queen. Bohemian Rhapsody is an explosive celebration of Mercury's talent, who tragically died due to AIDS complications at just 45.

Malek's incredible performance is at the heart of this movie, taking us through Mercury's journey from a baggage handler still living with his parents to egotistical pop sensation.

Coming to terms with his sexuality and fatal illness, Mercury's experience of fame isn't always a positive one.

19. Get On Up (2014)

Directed by Tate Taylor

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 19m)

6.9 on IMDb — 80% on RT

The "Godfather of Soul" James Brown was originally a gospel singer in Georgia, who grew up in poverty with an abusive father. Fascinated by shout music and jazz, he joined Bobby Byrd's gospel group and slowly climbed the ranks.

He was known as the "hardest working man in show business"—despite his abuse of drugs and his brushes with the law—and worked towards Africanizing rhythm and blues.

Tate Taylor uses a nonlinear structure to tell Brown's life story, balancing funky numbers with tense drama. Chadwick Boseman stars as the "Soul Brother No. 1" alongside Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, and Viola Davis.

18. Respect (2021)

Directed by Liesl Tommy

Starring Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 25m)

6.6 on IMDb — 68% on RT

In Respect , Jennifer Hudson is the powerful soul singer Aretha Franklin, known for her incredible vocals. Liesl Tommy's feature directorial debut touches base on all the major moments of this icons life—from the death of her mother to her first #1 single "Respect."

Hudson's on-screen presence and the souring musical score make Respect a classy and polished powerhouse movie.

Like many stars on this list, Aretha Franklin grappled with the pressures of her career by turning to drugs and alcohol, giving us a peek into the reality of being famous.

17. The Runaways (2010)

Directed by Floria Sigismondi

Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon

Biography, Drama, Music (1h 46m)

6.5 on IMDb — 69% on RT

Who doesn't love a good all-girl rock band? The hardcore, leather-wearing 70s band The Runaways made a whole bunch of hits, with the lead singer Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) having been inspired by David Bowie as a teenager.

Floria Sigismondi's punky drama mainly focuses on the formation of the band with an emphasis on Cherie, who suffered with addiction and mental health issues.

The girls originally met at a club in California, all dreaming of life as a rock star. Then: the dream came true.

The Runaways is based on Cherie's own accounts in Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway , balancing out its electric energy with that of desperation. Kristen Stewart and Michael Shannon also star.

16. Straight Outta Compton (2015)

Directed by F. Gary Gray

Starring O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell

Biography, Drama, History (2h 27m)

7.8 on IMDb — 88% on RT

Straight Outta Compton may not look like your usual Oscar-nominated movie by its poster, but it was one of the top movies of 2015.

A musical crime drama directed by F. Gary Gray, the film shows your typical rise-and-fall journey with a unique and memorable zeal.

O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr. and Aldis Hodge star as the members of gangsta rap band N.W.A, alongside Paul Giamatti as their controversial manager.

The Californian hip-hop group practically triggered a culture war, which Gray hones in on as an allegory for police brutality and gang violence.

15. The Doors (1991)

Directed by Oliver Stone

Starring Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 20m)

7.2 on IMDb — 56% on RT

We're not sure what planet Jim Morrison was on, but it wasn't Earth. The lead singer of The Doors was always elusive, spending most of his time on acid, flirting with death, and improvising nonsensical poetry.

It's a surprise he ever managed to produce six world-famous albums while hallucinating all day! In The Doors , Val Kilmer perfectly encapsulates Jim Morrison's edgy, rebellious, and unpredictable reputation as the ultimate bad boy.

Oliver Stone directs us through the formation of The Doors and the impact of Jim Morrison's hectic lifestyle with psychedelic flair—one that perfectly manages Morrison's personality.

14. Crazy Heart (2009)

Directed by Scott Cooper

Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell

Drama, Music, Romance (1h 52m)

7.2 on IMDb — 90% on RT

A faded country star who boozes in country pubs while singing sad country songs. It's a familiar character archetype that never fails to tug at our heartstrings and put us in a meditative state about our own lives, past, habits, and heartbreaks.

In Crazy Heart , Scott Cooper directs Jeff Bridges as the gruff-talking, beer-drinking cowboy singer Bad Blake who makes his living in dive bars across the American Southwest.

Bad Blake doesn't see the point in getting his life back together—until he meets the young, divorced journalist Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

Crazy Heart is an intimate and earnest portrait of a man who's lost in the desert but brought back by love. Bridges's performance is so good, you'll forget you've heard this story many times before!

13. Yesterday (2019)

Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring Himesh Patel, Lily James, Sophia Di Martino

Comedy, Fantasy, Music (1h 56m)

6.8 on IMDb — 63% on RT

There are few movies with a plot as bold and original as Yesterday . Auteur director Danny Boyle poses the question: What if there was no such thing as The Beatles?

The British rock band had one of the biggest impacts on the music industry, with Beatlemania sending shock waves throughout the UK and US during the 1960s. But what would happen if one day you woke up and, suddenly, they never existed?

Well, that's exactly what happens to wannabe musician Jack Malik, played by Himesh Patel. As the only person who remembers the legendary band, Jack decides to use their songs as a way of claiming their forgotten fame for himself.

Yesterday is a funny, heart-warming tale that showcases the spirit and influence of The Beatles on the world.

12. Wild Rose (2018)

Directed by Tom Harper

Starring Jessie Buckley, Matt Costello, Jane Patterson

Drama, Music (1h 41m)

7.1 on IMDb — 92% on RT

Wild Rose follows Rose-Lynn Harlan, a Scottish single mum who's fresh out of prison. Fed up with her demoralizing cleaning job, she decides to pursue her dream of becoming a country singer.

Jessie Buckley shines and inspires as the lead of Tom Harper's musical drama. Wild Rose is more grounded than some of our other showy Hollywood picks on this list, adopting a (much needed) female focus in a male-dominated industry.

11. Judy (2019)

Directed by Rupert Goold

Starring Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock

Biography, Drama, Music (1h 58m)

6.8 on IMDb — 82% on RT

It's public knowledge that Judy Garland—Hollywood's number one starlet of the Golden Age—had a less-than-easy life. A myriad conspiracy theories and YouTube documentaries have explored the dark underside to the production of The Wizard of Oz .

However, the extent of Judy Garland's trauma comes as a tragic surprise in Rupert Goold's biopic Judy . Renée Zellweger gives an unrecognizably stellar performance as the troubled singer, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Taking place near the end of her life at the young age of 47, Garland reminisces on her career through a series of heart-breaking flashbacks. Despite her immense talent, Garland struggles to keep performances going due to sheer exhaustion and alcoholism.

10. Love & Mercy (2014)

Directed by Bill Pohlad

Starring John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks

7.4 on IMDb — 90% on RT

John Cusack and Paul Dano both star as Brian Wilson, lead singer of the surfer-pop band The Beach Boys.

When young Wilson (Dano) begins to suffer early stages of schizophrenia, he's forced to put his passion project "Smile" on hold. Director Bill Pohlad jumps between timelines, where 20 years later Wilson (Cusack) is controlled by his therapist and legal guardian.

The main plot of Love & Mercy is centered around Wilson's battle with mental illness—worsened by his repeated use of LSD during the 1960s—and the manipulation he suffered as a result.

That said, Pohlad doesn't forget to pay tribute to the visionary artist who paved the way for new experimental sounds.

9. 8 Mile (2002)

Directed by Curtis Hanson

Starring Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger

Drama, Music (1h 50m)

7.2 on IMDb — 75% on RT

The best movies about musicians and bands often center on genres like rock, country, jazz, and blues. But how about some rap?

8 Mile is a semi-autobiographical exploration of world-famous rapper Eminem, who plays a fictionalized version of himself called B-Rabbit.

Although 8 Mile was controversial for its insinuation of reverse racism, it's still a hailed indie drama with a big cult following. It's a film that's grimy, violent, and covered in sweat, just like B-Rabbit himself as he belts out his lines to the now-famous "Lose Yourself" track.

Director Curtis Hanson shows us the two sides of 8 Mile Road, which is predominantly segregated by race—and is a road that B-Rabbit must dare to cross if he's to pursue his rapping career.

8. Walk the Line (2005)

Directed by James Mangold

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 16m)

7.8 on IMDb — 82% on RT

Another in a long list of music-related biopics (because who doesn't love a true story?), Walk the Line tells the surprisingly sad story of American country singer Johnny Cash.

The movie begins with the devastating death of Cash's brother during their childhood on a cotton farm, and his father furious that Satan "took the wrong son." From there, Cash enlists in the US Air Force, writing acoustic blues songs and eventually making a name for himself.

Joaquin Phoenix delivers a beautiful performance as the damaged and erratic singer, who became hooked on amphetamines and alcohol. Reese Witherspoon is equally wonderful as the bubbly June Carter, Cash's second wife.

James Mangold's drama is a searing portrait of the legendary 20th century musician, grappling with themes of faith and self-destruction.

7. Elvis (2022)

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Starring Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 39m)

7.3 on IMDb — 77% on RT

Austin Butler might not have nabbed the Oscar for Best Actor when Elvis dropped in 2022, but he did take home a BAFTA for his stunning portrayal of the King of Rock, Elvis Presley.

A figure as glamorous as Elvis needs a movie that's equally glamorous to match, so director Baz Luhrmann was the perfect choice to lead this project. It's a fast-paced, in-your-face melodrama that's swamped in diamonds but one that never loses its Memphis roots.

Tom Hanks stars alongside Austin Butler as the rock legend's manipulative manager. Baz Luhrmann takes us on a whirlwind ride from Presley's poor childhood to his glittering, amphetamine-fueled career.

6. Control (2007)

Directed by Anton Corbijn

Starring Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Craig Parkinson

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 2m)

7.6 on IMDb — 88% on RT

Black-and-white indie flick Control follows the rise and fall of Ian Curtis—singer of New Wave band Joy Division—who tragically committed suicide at just 23. A pioneering icon of post-punk rock, Joy Division remains one of the most influential English rock bands to date.

Sam Riley gives a brooding performance as the enigmatic singer suffering with both depression and epilepsy.

Control doesn't harbor the sort of flamboyant screen spectacle that Hollywood biopics use. Instead, it offers a quietly desperate glimpse into the troubled mind of a musical legend.

5. A Star Is Born (2018)

Directed by Bradley Cooper

Starring Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott

Drama, Music, Romance (2h 16m)

7.6 on IMDb — 90% on RT

It's important to understand the context of A Star Is Born , which is the third edition in a cycle of remakes.

The original A Star Is Born from 1937 features Judy Garland. Then, Barbra Streisand stepped in for the 1976 version. This time around, it's Lady Gaga who comes in with incredible chemistry with co-star Bradley Cooper, who also directs the film.

Each installment reflects not only the music industry at the time, but greater society as a whole. It's become a sort of endearing Hollywood tradition to tell this story every 40 years or so.

The story follows wannabe artist Ally, who falls for alt-country star Jackson Maine and subsequently rockets to fame. However, Jackson's inner demons puts a strain on their relationship and her career.

4. Amadeus (1984)

Directed by Miloš Forman

Starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 40m)

8.4 on IMDb — 89% on RT

Miloš Forman is the director behind this beautiful period biopic, where grand costumes sweep through the opera house to hear Mozart play. Amadeus begins in the winter of 1823, when Italian composer Antonio Salieri is committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Envious of the great Mozart—who he considers an immature buffoon—Salieri renounces God and vows to destroy his competition.

Okay... this story might not be completely true, but it does have its roots in history. Nominated for 50 awards (of which it won 40, including 8 Oscars), we simply had to include it!

3. School of Rock (2003)

Directed by Richard Linklater

Starring Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack

Comedy, Music (1h 49m)

7.2 on IMDb — 92% on RT

A family film that's just as much for adults as it is kids, School of Rock is now a cultural icon.

Jack Black gives an unforgettable performance as Dewey Finn, a failing rock artist who steals his best friend's identity. Kicked out of his band and unable to make rent, Dewey pretends to be a substitute teacher.

However, his plans to sit back and skive off soon turns into a unique opportunity to cash in: Dewey decides to secretly turn the class into one big rock band and enter them into Battle of the Bands. Of course, this is easier said than done.

School of Rock is a hilariously entertaining classic with a rocking soundtrack. You can tell how much fun the cast had making this movie!

2. Frank (2014)

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson

Starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Comedy, Drama, Music (1h 35m)

6.9 on IMDb — 92% on RT

Frank ranks so highly on our list because, well, there's really no other film like it. Lenny Abrahamson's indie musical tells the bizarre tale of an obscure pop group, whose lead singer wears a papier-mâché head.

Aspiring songwriter Jon joins the group and spends a month in an isolated cabin in Ireland, preparing an album. Though things start off well, tensions soon begin to buckle.

Frank is a black-comedy like no other. It's eccentric, it's fun, and it's surprisingly heartfelt—prepare to shed some tears. Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal star, alongside (a mostly hidden yet still electrifying) Michael Fassbender.

1. Whiplash (2014)

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Starring Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist

Drama, Music, Thriller (1h 46m)

8.5 on IMDb — 94% on RT

Academy Award-winning psychological drama Whiplash started life as a short film in 2013 that examined the dark side of musical obsession. Damien Chazelle then turned it into a full-length movie featuring knockout performances from Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons.

Young drummer Andrew enrolls in a New York music school, where he's tutored (or should we say, abused) into greatness by ruthless jazz conductor Terence Fletcher.

In Whiplash , the stage isn't a means of artistic self-expression—it's a battlefield for perfection, where student and teacher lock horns in a spectacular head-to-head finale.

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Fred roos, casting director turned oscar-winning producer on ‘the godfather part ii,’ dies at 89.

He partnered often with Francis Ford Coppola and Sofia Coppola and, as a casting director, influenced the careers of Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford, James Caan and Kris Kristofferson.

By Chris Koseluk

Chris Koseluk

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Fred Roos, the casting director turned producer who jump-started the career of Jack Nicholson and collaborated often with Francis Ford Coppola , sharing a best picture Oscar with the filmmaker for  The Godfather Part II , has died. He was 89.

Roos died Saturday at his home in Beverly Hills, a publicist announced.

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And it was Roos who convinced Lucas — who had been leaning toward Amy Irving — that Carrie Fisher should portray Princess Leia in  Star Wars . (Roos did not have an official role on that film.)

Roos, however, was the casting director on  The Godfather   (1972), and he helped Coppola decide on Al Pacino and James Caan to play Michael and Sonny Corleone, respectively, after Paramount execs had wanted other actors. (He said he and Coppola “saw every Italian-American actor in Hollywood and New York” as they cast their movie.)

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Fred is one of the great casting talents in the last 40 years of American movies,” Coppola said in a 2004 interview with the  Chicago Tribune . “He suggested and brought me people I would never have met, such as the great John Cazale.”

He also was instrumental in shaping the fledgling careers of Tom Cruise, Richard Dreyfuss, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio and Suzanne Somers. 

Roos was an active executive producer of Coppola’s Megalopolis , which premiered in competition at Cannes on Thursday.

A friend of Nicholson’s since the early 1960s, Roos hired the actor to appear in  Flight to Fury  and  Back Door to Hell , a pair of low-budget 1964 action films directed by Monte Hellman that Roos was producing back-to-back in the Philippines. He also hired Nicholson to co-write the screenplay for the former.

As the casting director on Bob Rafelso n’s  Five Easy Pieces  (1970), Roos got Nicholson on the way to his first Oscar nomination in the best actor category. He put musicians James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson in leading roles in Hellman’s  Two-Lane Blacktop  (1971) and  Cisco Pike (1972), respectively, and cast Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges in the John Huston boxing drama  Fat City  (1972).

Coppola valued Roos so much, he made him a partner, listing him as co-producer on  The Conversation . The following year, Roos shared the best picture Oscar with Coppola and Gray Frederickson for  The Godfather Part II  (1974), the first sequel to be named best picture. Roos received another Academy Award nom as a producer on Coppola’s  Apocalypse Now  (1979).

When Sofia Coppola launched her filmmaking career, it was only natural that Roos lend his expertise — during the making of  The Godfather , he baby-sat her to give her parents, Francis and Eleanor Coppola , a night out. Roos was a producer on all the films she directed.

As the filmmaker told   The Hollywood Reporter ‘s Rebecca Ford in 2017: “The soldier had to be really masculine and a contrast to these delicate Southern ladies. And I just met different actors, and Fred Roos, my great consultant, suggested Colin. I had met him before but hadn’t thought of him for this.”

Frederick Ried Roos was born in Santa Monica on May 22, 1934, and raised in Riverside. He graduated from Hollywood High in 1952, then joined the U.S. Army and served two tours during the Korean War.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from UCLA, Roos landed a job in the mailroom at the talent agency MCA and drove Marilyn Monroe around town. It wasn’t long before he was promoted to a junior agent. One of his clients was actress Pilar Seurat, who was married to Nicholson’s writing partner, Don Devlin.

Seeking to get more into production, Roos exited MCA and signed with Hollywood veteran Robert L. Lippert as a story editor and casting director. Lippert ran one of the last studio “B” units, overseeing such low-budget fare as  The Fly  (1958),  Desire in the Dust  (1960) and  The Last Man on Earth  (1964). 

Roos got Nicholson a small part in Lippert’s Western  The Broken Land  (1962), then had Nicholson and Devlin pitch Lippert on an idea for a low-budget actioner set in Central America. That became Thunder Island (1963), with the pair receiving $1,250 for their screenplay.

Roos had seen Nicholson in  The Terror  (1963) and admired the moody, atmospheric way in which it was shot; he thought maybe one of its directors, Coppola or Hellman, would be interested in doing his two films. At the time, Nicholson and Hellman were a writing team, so they were the ones who came on board.

Roos segued to television, serving as casting director on  Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ;  I Spy ;  The Andy Griffith Show ;  That Girl ; and  My World and Welcome to It . He began dabbling in big-screen casting with the 1968 releases  Maryjane , starring Fabian and Diane McBain, and  Petulia , with Julie Christie and George C. Scott.

Roos went on to produce Coppola’s  One From the Heart  (1982),  Rumble Fish  (1983),  The Outsiders (1983), The Cotton Club (1984),  Gardens of Stone  (1987),  Tucker: The Man and His Dream  (1988),  The Godfather Part III   (1990),  Youth Without Youth  (2007),  Tetro  (2009), Twixt (2011) and Distant Vision (2018) and was listed as a casting executive on Jack (1996) and The Rainmaker  (1997).

Through Francis’ Zoetrope Studios and its later incarnation, American Zoetrope, Roos also produced features directed by Carroll Ballard (1979’s  The Black Stallion ), Wim Wenders (1982’s  Hammett ), Barbet Schroeder (1987’s  Barfly ) and Agnieszka Holland (1993’s  The Secret Garden ).

Roos kept busy into his 80s, producing such films as  St. Vincent (2014), The Congressman (2016), Girl Who Fell From the Sky (2018) and Wonderwell (2023).

Survivors include his wife and longtime partner, Nancy Drew, and his son and producing partner at FR Productions, Alexander “Sandy” Roos.

Roos “was determined to never retire from the film business and to go with his boots on,” his family said. “He got his wish.”

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