Why the Biopic Movie Genre Continues to Grow in Popularity
The movie poster for “Weird: the Al Yankovic Story” features Daniel Radcliffe who plays Weird Al Yankovic. BY JUDY SCOTT In 1979, Al Yankovic, a nerdy Cal Poly architecture student, stepped across the hall from the radio studio where he worked as a DJ, entered the men’s restroom and strapped on his accordion. His recording of “My Bologna” – a parody of the Knack’s smash hit “My Sharona,” recorded next to urinals and porcelain sinks – would set him on a course to becoming an 80s cultural icon. His story is just one of many to recently be turned into a Hollywood biopic. Biopics – short for biographical motion picture – are movies that dramatize the life of a public or historical figure. The genre has been around since the days of silent film, yet there has been a notable resurgence of biopic movies since the early 2000s but especially in the last six years. “Oppenheimer,” “Rocketman,” “Elvis,” “Napoleon,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Ferrari” are just a few of the many biopic film...