10 Blandest Biopics, Ranked (original) (raw)
Characters from Judy, Bohemian Rhapsody, and The Theory of Everything
Image by Federico Napoli
Published May 11, 2024, 3:00 PM EDT
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Biopics get a bit of a bad rap, but the genre sort of brings such accusations upon itself. Biographical movies often (though not always) seem more keen to show viewers something they’re expecting, rather than something subversive or surprising. There’s an inherent formula found throughout straightforward biopics that can be tiring from a narrative perspective, and then, if viewers already know the life story of the figure at a biopic’s center… it’s just a match made in hell, for those wanting something adventurous or unique.
The following biographical movies aren’t automatically among the worst of all time – though some may qualify – instead being featured here because they’re more bland, rather than anything else. They hit the beats you’d expect, are generally about well-known figures, and seldom take many risks. Some have good performances and aren’t necessarily deficient from a technical perspective, but none below are exciting, and all are at least a little bit boring.
10 'Darkest Hour' (2017)
Director: Joe Wright
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Gary Oldman as Winston Churchchill speaking to a mic in an underground bunker in Darkest Hour.
Image via Focus Features
Darkest Hour may revolve around the Second World War, but in no way can it be considered a genuinely great war movie. It feels like it exists to get Gary Oldman an Oscar, and in that sense, it was mission accomplished. He certainly deserved one in general, for being a generally strong and committed actor over decades, but finally earning it for playing Winston Churchill in a dry biopic… that stung a little.
Churchill himself had an obviously dramatic time as Prime Minister of Great Britain, serving while the nation was wrapped up in war and being a notably forceful leader during that time. He was a charismatic historical figure, the make-up used to transform Oldman is impressive, and Oldman himself is doing a good impersonation, though unfortunately, nothing about the storytelling or filmmaking on offer in Darkest Hour manages to be very interesting at all.
Release Date
November 22, 2017
Runtime
125minutes
Director
Joe Wright
9 'Trumbo' (2015)
Director: Jay Roach
Image via ShivHans Pictures Everyman Pictures
Bryan Cranston fits well into the role of Dalton Trumbo, a noteworthy screenwriter who penned some iconic movies while also having his career stalled by anti-communist sentiments and hearings. He was well-known for not cooperating with such a process, and it led to a considerable period of being blacklisted, which Trumbo aims to depict across the course of just over two hours.
It might fare a little better than the aforementioned Darkest Hour, but loses points on account of the fact that it had real potential to be fascinating while shedding light on a dark and dramatic period of Hollywood history. Cranston is good in the lead role, and he’s backed up by a solid supporting cast, but unfortunately, Trumbo never really soars like it could, or perhaps even should.
Release Date
November 6, 2015
Director
8 'Back to Black' (2024)
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black
Image via Focus Features
There’s a fantastic documentary movie about Amy Winehouse from 2015 simply called Amy. It looks at the troubled singer’s life with empathy and purpose. Regarding the former, it shows the layers to Winehouse, as a person, that were often ignored by members of the media, and regarding the latter, it condemns the media – and the public at large – for the role they played in mocking Winehouse, and failing to treat her struggles with addiction and mental illness with the care they should’ve.
Then, nearly a decade later, Back to Black came out, and provided a more sanitized take on Amy Winehouse’s tragically short life. There’s nothing here narratively that wasn’t done better, more emotionally, and with more insight in the aforementioned 2015 documentary, and as a biopic, Back to Black ultimately leaves something of a bad taste in one’s mouth once it’s all over.
7 'Cinderella Man' (2005)
Director: Ron Howard
Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti as Jim Braddock and Joe Gould in Cinderella Man
Image via Universal Pictures
As a filmmaker, Ron Howard’s sensibilities tend to be a little workmanlike, but his straightforward approach to directing does get the job done surprisingly well sometimes. A Beautiful Mind and Rush are quite good as biopics, for example, but others he’s made have felt a little more middle-of-the-road, and haven’t proven as well-remembered. Case in point: 2005’s Cinderella Man.
On top of being a biopic that very few people have thought about since say 2006, Cinderella Man is also a sports movie, retelling events from the life and career of boxer Jim Braddock. Russell Crowe plays Braddock, and the film takes on a familiar underdog story sort of slant, following the boxer as he comes out of retirement to help provide for his struggling family. It’s fine. It’s okay. It’s just the sort of movie that starts, then ends, and at a point, you can be sure you'll forget all about it.
6 'Hitchcock' (2012)
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures
The best thing about Hitchcock is that it gives Anthony Hopkins the chance to play Alfred Hitchcock, taking the Darkest Hour strategy of using heavy make-up to ensure the transformation works. And Hopkins is good enough of an actor to make it work, and there’s some fun to be had seeing him dig into this role, with the film also benefitting from the fact that much of it revolves around the production of one of Hitchcock’s best/most notorious movies: Psycho (1960).
Then you’ve also got the fact that the supporting roles are well-cast, with Helen Mirren playing Hitchcock’s wife, Alma Reville, and Scarlett Johansson playing actress Janet Leigh. Everyone’s doing well for what they’re given, but they’re not given much as far as Hitchcock’s screenplay is concerned. It’s all very ordinary and, at its worst, feels a bit like a Wikipedia page brought to life (barely) on screen.
Release Date
November 23, 2012
Runtime
98 minutes
Director
Sacha Gervasi
Main Genre
5 'The Theory of Everything' (2014)
Director: James Marsh
Image via Working Title Films
A movie so middle of the road it’s kind of unnerving, The Theory of Everything is exactly what you’d expect a romance/biographical movie about Stephen Hawking to be, you could say for better or worse… but it would be preferable for this to be either better or worse. Obviously, if it was better, then it would probably be good in the traditional sense, and if it was worse, then at least it would be a bit of fun to talk about.
As it stands, The Theory of Everything is just generic. It feels like it was manufactured in a laboratory for the sole purpose of winning an Oscar or three. Like some of the aforementioned movies, in this sense, The Theory of Everything was a success, gaining a disappointingly high number of Oscar nominations: five, including Best Picture. Eddie Redmayne also won the film’s sole Oscar, for Best Actor, quite hilariously right around the same time he gave one of the most ridiculous performances of the decade in Jupiter Ascending.
Release Date
November 26, 2014
Runtime
123 minutes
Director
James Marsh
Main Genre
4 'W.' (2008)
Director: Oliver Stone
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Image via Lionsgate
Oliver Stone knows his way around a biographical film, or at least he used to back in the 1990s, given that JFK (with its focus on district attorney Jim Garrison) and Nixon (about the titular President) are both compelling. That makes it surprising that he was also the director behind 2008’s W., which was released during the final year of George W. Bush’s presidency, recounting the lead-up to getting elected and the ups and downs of his two terms in office.
One would expect Stone to bring a little more edge to a movie about Bush, either being a little more critical, humorous, or at least stylish. There were exceedingly eventful things that happened to – and because of – George W. Bush, but W. isn’t too interested in digging deep, instead feeling astoundingly surface level while wasting a great cast that includes the likes of Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, James Cromwell, and Thandiwe Newton.
Release Date
October 17, 2008
Runtime
129 minutes
Director
Oliver Stone
Main Genre
3 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (2018)
Director: Bryan Singer
Rami Malek as Freddy Mercury singing live in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Image via 20th Century Studios
People were blinded a little by the spectacle and music on offer in Bohemian Rhapsody upon its release, and to some extent, that was understandable. It is a movie, after all, that features plenty of fantastic music by Queen, and the idea of watching something about the life of Freddie Mercury is undoubtedly fascinating. To his credit, Rami Malek’s performance as Mercury – while perhaps not genuinely Oscar-worthy – was still solid.
But Bohemian Rhapsody should be so much more than what it inevitably was, and even though 2018 wasn’t too long ago, time already hasn’t been super kind to this film. One indication of its truly flawed nature was made apparent when 2019’s Rocketman came out, which looked at Elton John, a rock star who had a similarly turbulent and extravagant life to Mercury’s, with Rocketman feeling a little more realistic and honest… not to mention a bit more adventurous with its style and content.
Release Date
November 2, 2018
Runtime
135 minutes
Director
Bryan Singer
2 'Judy' (2019)
Director: Rupert Goold
Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland in 'Judy'
Image via 20th Century Fox
Judy Garland is one of the most famous singers/movie stars of her time, perhaps just for The Wizard of Oz alone, which is one of the most frequently referenced and parodied movies ever made. As such, a movie would have to be pretty great to live up to her legacy, especially considering her life was a difficult one, in many ways, and that much of it was defined by tragedy and exploitation.
A powerful film could be made about what Garland went through, but Judy (2019) takes a very safe and strangely static look at Judy Garland, particularly looking at the difficult final stages of her career in showbiz. Renée Zellweger was praised for her performance/imitation of Garland, but beyond being a showcase for her, Judy is so tedious and just a waste of time. It can be contrasted with Blonde (2022), a movie about Marilyn Monroe that divided audiences, but at least took creative risks and didn’t shy away from genuinely depicting the horrors of being a woman chewed up and spat out by a horrible and callous entertainment industry.
Release Date
September 27, 2019
Runtime
118 minutes
Director
Rupert Goold
1 'The Iron Lady' (2011)
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, standing in a crowd of people holding signs in The Iron Lady
Image via 20th Century Studios
Oh boy. Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Meryl Streep is a great actress, and can (generally) do wrong. The word “generally” has to be used as a caveat because she was in The Iron Lady, though, which is a misguided and messy movie about controversial UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Somehow, Streep won one of her three Oscars for portraying Thatcher here.
It has a very simplified approach to telling the story of Margaret Thatcher and what she did in office, acknowledging that she got on some peoples’ bad sides but doing so in a way that never feels critical. When taking into account the damage her government did, framing The Iron Lady as being even just a little bit about empowerment feels tacky at best, and genuinely offensive at worst. Admittedly, the aforementioned movies were mostly just bland, but The Iron Lady is… also bland, but take away the “l” and the “n” from that word and The Iron Lady’s also that, too.
Release Date
January 6, 2012
Runtime
105minutes
Director
Phyllida Lloyd