Jaafar Jackson and KeiLyn Durrell Jones in “Michael.”
Lionsgate/Glen Wilson
Michael Jackson is finally getting the music biopic treatment this week with Michael, starring the late pop icon’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson — Jermaine Jackson’s son — in the title role.
Playing in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday, Michael examines the life and legacy of the King of Pop (Jackson) from his time as a young singer (Juliano Krue Valdi) in The Jackson 5 through adulthood as a solo artist on his way to becoming one of the most influential singers of all time.
The first big test Michael will face will come with reviews of the film on Tuesday, where director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan will find out where the film ranks among other pop music biopics.
The music biopic has been immensely popular with audiences in the past 10 years with big-screen chronicles of Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Elton John in Rocketman (2019), Elvis Presley in Elvis (2022) and Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
The movie and TV review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes has a ranking of the top 50 music biopics of all time. However, for the list below, only music biopics from the pop genre — including country, hip-hop, pop, punk and rock singers — from RT’s rankings are highlighted.
Despite their popularity with audiences, the pop music biopics Bohemian Rhapsody (starring Oscar winner Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury) Elvis (starring Oscar nominee Austin Butler) and A Complete Unknown (starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan) didn’t make the top 10, nor did 2014’s Get On Up (starring Chadwick Boseman as James Brown) and 2004’s Ray (starring Oscar winner Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles).
Note: This list will be updated after reviews of Michael are released on Tuesday, should the film earn a Rotten Tomatoes rating to place it in the pop music biopics top 10.
10. ‘Nowhere Boy’ (2009)
Nowhere Boy stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the teenage John Lennon on his path to stardom as he meets Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and George Harrison (Sam Bell) as they form the pre-Beatles group The Quarrymen.
The biopic also focuses on John’s relationship with his aunt, Mimi (Kristen Scott Thomas) and his estrangement from his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff)
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 81% “fresh” based on 145 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 74% “fresh” based on 25,000-plus verified user ratings
9. ‘La Bamba’ (1987)
La Bamba stars Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens, whose fast rise as a pop star is cut short when he dies in a plane crash while touring with Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw) and J.P. Richardson (Stephen Lee), aka The Big Bopper.
The biopic also chronicles the Latino American pop star’s fraught relationship with his brother, Bob (Esai Morales).
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 83% “fresh” based on 80 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 79% “fresh” based on 50,000-plus verified user ratings.
8. ‘Walk the Line’ (2005)
Walk the Line stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as Johnny Cash and his wife and musical partner, June Carter, and their life and career together as they become country music legends.
The film earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Phoenix and won a Best Actor Oscar for Witherspoon.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 83% “fresh” based on 208 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 90% “fresh” based on 250,000-plus verified user ratings.
7. ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ (1980)
Coal Miner’s Daughter stars Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in a look at the life and career of the country music legend. The film also stars Tommy Lee Jones in a supporting role of Doolittle Lynn, Loretta’s husband, manager and fellow musician.
The film earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Thomas Rickman, and earned a Best Actress Oscar for Spacek.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 84% “fresh” based on 63 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 86% “fresh” based on 55,000-plus verified user ratings.
6. ‘Sid and Nancy’ (1986)
Sid and Nancy stars Gary Oldman as Sex Pistols punk music legend Sid Vicious, as the film examines his tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). The film also stars musician Courtney Love in a supporting role.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 89% “fresh” based on 70 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 76% “fresh” based on 25,000-plus verified user ratings.
5. ‘Rocketman’ (2019)
Part biopic and part musical fantasy, Rocketman stars Taron Edgerton as Elton John in a look at the legendary singer’s life and career from childhood to the early 1980s and his quest to obtain sobriety.
Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as John’s longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin and Bryce Dallas Howard as the singer’s mother, Sheila. The film won a Best Original Song Oscar for John and Taupin for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.”
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 89% “fresh” based on 401 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 88% “fresh” based on 10,000-plus verified user ratings.
4. ‘Straight Outta Compton’ (2015)
Straight Outta Compton is the biopic about the formation and rise of the legendary hip-hop group, NWA, in 1986, and their rise in popularity in the 1990s.
The film stars O’Shea Jackson Jr as his real-life father Ice Cube, as well as Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 89% “fresh” based on 244 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 91% “fresh” based on 10,000-plus verified user ratings.
3. ‘Love & Mercy’ (2014)
Love & Mercy is a biopic about legendary singer-songwriter Brian Wilson’s career as a musician and his struggles with mental illness. Paul Dano plays Wilson in the 1960s during his rise to stardom with The Beach Boys, while John Cusack plays Wilson in the 1980s.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 90% “fresh” based on 214 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 84% “fresh” based on 10,000-plus verified user ratings.
2. ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ (1993)
What’s Love Got to Do With It is a biopic about the career and tumultuous life of musical couple Ike and Tina Turner (Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett), and Tina’s eventual escape from her abusive husband.
Based on Tina Turner’s 1986 autobiography, I, Tina, What’s Love Got to Do With It earned Bassett and Fishburne Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Actor.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 97% “fresh” based on 59 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 88% “fresh” based on 50,000-plus verified user ratings.
1. ‘The Buddy Holly Story’ (1978)
The Buddy Holly Story chronicles the life and career of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly (Gary Busey), whose career was tragically cut short when a plane he chartered from a gig in Clear Lake, Iowa, to Moorhead, Minn., crashed shortly after takeoff. Holly, 22, died in the Feb. 3, 1959, plane crash, along with Ritchie Valens, 17, and J.P. Richardson, aka “The Big Bopper,” 28.
The Buddy Holly Story earned three Oscar nominations, including a nod for Busey for Best Actor.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer Score (Critics): 100% “fresh” based on 31 reviews.
Popcornmeter Score (RT Users): 77% “fresh” based on 5,000-plus verified user ratings.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2026/04/21/rotten-tomatoes-critics-rank-top-10-pop-music-biopics/
