Movies About Real Celebrities

 Mackenzie Green’s post about Judy Garland got me wondering about movies that tell the story of actual stars. Some of Hollywood’s best movies are about celebrity: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, and of course the many versions of A Star is Born. But where are the films that feature the amazing lives of real celebrities? Well, here are some suggestions to get you started!

 

Judy (2019) Dir. Rupert Goold

If you have not yet seen this film, look no further for a good movie about a celebrity. Whether you know Judy Garland’s tragic story or not, you will be moved. While focused mainly on the last years of Garland’s life, the film uses flashbacks of the filming of The Wizard of Oz to provide context. Renée Zellweger is amazing as Garland. She portrays her as a survivor who cannot seem to move past her desperate need to be loved. The film takes liberties with history, but manages to demonstrate how much fame can both screw you up and become something you cannot live without. It also includes a bit of the fan perspective, which is surprisingly left out of most movies about celebrity. Who could be famous without fans?

 

Ma Rainey, 1917. Public Domain.

 Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) Dir. George C. Wolfe

This excellent movie also focuses on a small slice of celebrity life instead of being a full biography. Viola Davis portrays blues legend Ma Rainey as a force to be reckoned with during a recording session in Chicago in 1927. We see her fighting with a young musician (played by Chadwick Boseman in his final role) for creative control. We feel her constant struggle for respect as she wrangles with white men clearly accustomed to having their own way. The movie, based on the play by August Wilson, will have you clenching your jaw and your fist in support of a woman who was determined to be recognized for her talent.

 

Julie & Julia (2009) Dir. Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron’s final film nicely weaves together the story of Julia Child creating French recipes in the 1950s and the tale of a young blogger cooking those dishes in 2002. Meryl Streep plays pre-celebrity Child as already a personality as she pursues an understanding of cuisine and the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Amy Adams gives Julie Powell both vulnerability and perseverance as she endeavors to create all 524 dishes in the cookbook in a single year. We get to witness the beginning of celebrity for both women. Child of course became an icon and Powell had at least her “fifteen minutes of fame” when the New York Times publicized her cooking blog.

 

Annie Oakley, 1899. Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-24362.

Annie Oakley (2006) Dir. Riva Freifeld

Barbara Stanwyck is captivating in the 1935 Hollywood movie about Oakley. But, if you want to actually learn about Little Sure Shot, watch this fascinating documentary. Laura Linney narrates the film, which is an episode of the excellent American Experience series by PBS. Director Freifeld ably tells the story of Oakley’s whole life, but is particularly effective in showing how she made herself a celebrity and would stop at nothing to maintain her fame and to protect her unsullied name. I am in the minority here, but I suggest staying far away from the 1950 musical Annie Get Your Gun.

 

Selena (1997) Dir. Gregory Nava

Jennifer Lopez began her bid for international stardom by dazzling as the Queen of Tejano music. Selena Quintanilla-Perez challenged the male dominated music scene in Texas. She became one of the most successful Latin music stars ever before dying just before she turned twenty-four years old. This beautiful but heartbreaking film shows Selena developing as a celebrity who always thought about her fans.

 

Marian Davies and Claude Rains in Hearts Divided

Glorious Betsey (1928) Dir. Alan Crosland and Hearts Divided (1936) Dir. Frank Borzage

Variety reports that a new movie about Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte titled Liz is in the works. Until that is released, you can enjoy these movies about one of the earliest American celebrities. They do not provide much true information about this amazing woman who snatched fame by marrying Napoleon’s brother. For that you can turn to a number of recent biographies. They do, however, entice you to imagine what Bonaparte’s life was like and what she would have said to Napoleon if she had been able to meet him face to face as depicted. I feel she would have gotten the better of him!

 

Thanks for reading! What celebrity movies do you recommend? Comment below. Find links to previous posts above to the right. To subscribe, email angela.firkus@gmail.com