The Movie Genre That’s Only Good For Parody
The music biopic is a genre that seems highly respected, often doing well at the Oscars and among critics, but it’s also one of the most frequently mocked. To me, this mockery in the form of parody movies is the most interesting thing the genre has to offer. The overly simplified, formulaic, self-serious genre is the perfect framework for comedy and has created a dedicated parody sub-genre that I have always loved.
Music Biopics Are Pretentious
When I think of the music biopic I immediately think of the Johnny Cash movie Walk the Line. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. It was a huge hit when it came out in 2005, earning numerous accolades and making a ton of money at the box office. It’s also indicative of my problems with the genre, simplifying Cash’s life into a few key moments that tell a straight-forward anti-drug morality tale.
The Parody So Brutal It Almost Killed The Genre
Despite the success of Walk the Line, it was also an immediate target of mockery, most notably by the 2007 parody Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which I consider one of the greatest movies ever made. While Walk Hard is a parody of music biopics in general, it most directly pokes fun at Walk the Line and Ray, the 2004 Ray Charles movie. It was a direct response to the genre’s rise, mocking the fact they’d fallen into a predictable structure with each film following the same predictable story beats about infidelity, addiction, and tumultuous relationships with fathers.
Parodies Aren’t New
Years before Dewey Cox took the stage, This Is Spinal Tap began the trend, mocking the popular format of rock documentaries, which, like the later musical biopic, tended to flatten rock stars into over-the-top iconic figures rather than real people. It leaned into the pretentious subjects and the sycophantic nature of the rock doc. It had a modest box office return but jokes like “these go to 11” and the band itself have endured in pop culture.
Every Generation Has Artists Worth Mocking
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is similarly a parody of musical documentaries, particularly in the VH1 style that dominated the 2010s. Made by the parody music group The Lonely Island, Popstar ramps up the excentric musician archetype for a musical biopic mockumentary. Popstar was a major flop at the box office, but it quickly became a cult classic with a dedicated fan base.
The Weirdest Biopic
The most recent great parody of the genre is Weird: The Al Yankovich Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe, which emerged with the return of serious musical biopics. It follows the standard structure of a biopic but with Weird Al as its subject, playing with real music history in fun ways. Despite receiving no theatrical release and appearing on The Roku Channel, I frequently see people discussing it online, and I think it will continue to become another beloved cult classic.
Music Biopics Are Quickly Forgotten
Every era of music biopic spawns an incredible parody, almost all of which are initially written off by audiences but go on to have large cultural footprints. Meanwhile, movies like Bohemian Rhapsody and Bob Marley: One Love are huge hits but seem to disappear from the culture almost instantly after release. Despite hating the actual genre, I hope we continue to get waves of music biopics so that I can continue to enjoy the inevitable parodies they create.
