By Bryce Lawson
The formula is simple.
Make a movie about a celebrity’s life or a famous group, also known as a biopic, and have a lead actor disappear into their role, almost becoming the person they are playing. You’re almost guaranteed an Oscar. Many examples of this have been shown in recent decades.
During the 2000s, the trend started to take an upswing with Jamie Foxx’s iconic performance as Ray Charles in 2004’s “Ray.” The next year, Joaquin Phoenix received an Oscar for Best Actor for playing Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.”
Many could call these performances “Oscar bait,” but for me, I would lean more toward the performances by Eddie Redmayne in 2014’s “The Theory of Everything,” and Colin Firth as King George VI from 2010’s “The King’s Speech,” a film that not only won Firth a Best Actor award, but also the coveted Best Picture. The latter films focus on a main character who has a problem they need to overcome, giving the audience a sappy, feel-good moment.
I prefer the approach of the new Netflix rock biopic “The Dirt,” focusing on the formation, rise and fall of Motley Crue. It shows the band overcoming hardships without coming off as corny or pulling at the heartstrings. Even when the film deals with lead singer Vince Neal’s personal hardships, it never comes off as forced.
This year, Elton John will have his story told in “Rocketman,” which releases May 31. The lead actor, Taron Egerton of “Kingsman,” will perform the film’s songs himself, unlike Rami Malek, who caused some controversy in his award-winning Freddie Mercury performance in last year’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
It has been said that “Rocketman” will delve into John’s personal life and struggles. It received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America.
I feel that it’s good to go for the R rating and not to hold back on explicit material from John’s life. After all, how rock ‘n’ roll would that be? I think the producers looked at the harsh criticism “Bohemian Rhapsody” received for holding back on Mercury’s personal life, but to be fair, Mercury is not alive to give input on the film, unlike Elton John, who is.
I hope the R-rated “Rocketman” does well and has a similar approach to the genre that Deadpool had on the superhero genre, proving to the studios that R-rated movies can make a profit.
When you hold a film back from its R rating, you are compromising it and its full vision. If the film is successful, history might even repeat itself, and we could have back-to-back Best Actor winners for rock biopics, hopefully opening up the floodgates for future musicians’ stories to be told on the big screen.
