Sidney J. Furie directs this 1972 film that tells the story of the life of Billie Holliday, portrayed by Diana Ross. It centers around her struggles and heavy drug use, throughout the majority of her young life. Nicknamed Lady D, Holiday had a major influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly by jazz instrumentalists.
The film was produced by Motown Productions, and was based on her 1956 autobiography of the same name. It earned over $9 million and received mostly positive reviews, with Roger Ebert giving it three out of four stars and saying that Ross gave one of the best performances of the year.
Soul Surfer (2011)
AnnaSophia Robb stars in this 2011 biographical drama based on the life of Bethany Hamilton. Hamilton was a surfer who, in 2003 at the age of 13, was horrifically attacked by a shark, which caused her to lose her left arm and more than 60% of her blood. She survived to tell the tale. Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid share the screen with Rob for the production which grossed nearly $48 million on an $18 million budget.
Although the film did well at the box office, the receipt mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike. As of now, it sits at just a 46% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was most popular with young audiences, which resulted in two nominations at the Teen Choice Awards.
Chaplin (1992)
Charlie Chaplin was a legend in the film industry. Most famous for his work on silent film, Chaplin tells the story of the British entertainer’s life, told in the form of flashbacks from the words of his own mouth as he talks to the editor of his autobiography. The actor and filmmaker created the iconic "tramp" character of the silent era. He then went onto create more hugely famous films like "The Great Dictator" and "Limelight."
Robert Downey Jr. plays the grownup version of the comedian in the motion picture, which in ’72 at the end of the movie, we see receive a Lifetime Achievement award. The film was nominated for several awards, including three Academy Awards, Best Actor, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Score.
First Man (2018)
Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong in this 2008 biographical drama that tells the story of the astronaut’s years leading up to his 1969 mission to the moon. Initially, Clint Eastwood was scheduled to direct the film back in 2003, though after that fell through, Damien Chazelle picked it up, with Steven Spielberg acting as executive producer. The real man was Neil Armstong who landed on the moon. He spent years training before he landed together with his fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
Although it had many positive reviews, it flopped at the box office, grossing just $105 million against a $60 million budget. It was nominated for several awards, including two Golden Globes, and winning for Best Original Score.
The Glorias (2020)
This new film, which was just released earlier this year, tells the tale of feminist and political activist Gloria Steinem’s life over a two-decades-long period of time. Steinem is played by both Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander, as well as two more actresses to portray her childhood and her teenage years. Today at 80 years of Steinhem is one of the most prominent feminists in the western world. She rose to prominence after her major expose on Hugh Hefner.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, after beginning production just a year before. There are not a ton of reviews for the film yet, though it does hold a 73% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, based on just 15 critic’s reviews.