The biopic is one of the most popular genres of film, as audiences love learning about the lives of extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. However, there is a sub-genre of the biopic called the "auto-biopic," where the subject of the story actually plays themselves.
These films are less common because they're risky in that, most likely, the subject of the film is not an actor and, even though they're playing themselves, acting out situations they've actually lived does require skills. There have been several that found acclaim and several where they probably should have just gotten a real actor for the role.
The 15:17 To Paris - 5.3
Directed by The 15:17 To Paris follows the events leading up to the 2015 Thalys Train Attack and the event itself, where three soldiers heroically stopped a terrorist attack. While professional actors were considered, Eastwood chose the real heroes after spending time with them going over the accuracy, ultimately feeling there would be less shorthand if he had to cast actors to play them.
Critics and audiences weren't too impressed with the non-actors performances, and the film itself, as it spotlights their lives up until the famous attack without much of a narrative thread. The attack doesn't occur until the very end, so the rest of the film feels padded with unrelated scenes featuring the soldiers visiting Rome and going for ice cream.
Get Rich Or Die Tryin' - 5.4
Directed by My Left Foot's Jim Sheridan and written by Boardwalk Empire creator, Terence Winter, Get Rich Or Die Tryin' is loosely based on the life of rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Jackson plays Marcus Greer, a gangster who uses his rap music to escape the criminal life. He also gets shot nine times, just like Jackson infamously did once. Jackson has gone on to say the film is 75 percent accurate.
However, reviews were not kind to the film, criticizing neophyte actor Curtis Jackson's performance, as well as the story, for treading familiar ground, even if it was based on a true one. They also criticized acclaimed director Jim Sheridan for directing the film, considering it a low point in his career. However, since then, Jackson has enjoyed a successful acting career.
Life Is Not A Fairytale - 5.5
American Idol season three winner, Fantasia Barrino, got her life story told in Life Is Not A Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story. Based on her autobiography and starring Barrino as herself, the movie tracks the singer's traumatic experiences that include sexual abuse, pregnancy, and poverty.
Dancer Debbie Allen directed Life Is Not A Fairytale and it premiered to great ratings in 2006 on the Lifetime network.
The Greatest - 6.0
Following the release of mega-hit Rocky, there was a wave of James Earl Jones, and Robert Duvall.
Critics felt the movie was an entertaining look at his life, but they criticized not only Ali's performance but also his age, as he was too old to play himself during the scenes that took place when he was a lot younger. Many years later, Will Smith would portray the boxer for Michael Mann's Ali, where he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.
Alice's Restaurant - 6.3
Alice's Restaurant is actually based on singer Arlo Guthrie's song, "Alice's Restaurant Massacre," which is loosely based on an incident from his life. Arlo plays himself in a comically exaggerated true story in which a littering incident made him ineligible for the Vietnam War draft. While the core story was true, many of the events in the film were fictionalized.
Critics praised the film for its depiction of the death of the counter-culture and Paul Zimmerman in his article, "Alice's Restaurant's Children," published in the September 29, 1969 issue of Newsweek called it "the best of a number of remarkable films which seem to question many of the traditional assumptions of establishment America."
The Jackie Robinson Story - 6.4
Baseball legend Jackie Robinson played himself in The Jackie Robinson Story, as he defies the odds to become the first Black Major League Baseball player, initially with the Montreal Royals and then with the Brooklyn Dodgers, all while facing discrimination along the way.
The movie received positive reviews and even good reviews for Robinson's performance. While the movie glosses over heavier subject matter that occurred in his life, it is one of the first instances of a Black person being depicted as an American hero in a movie. Jackie Robinson would receive the biopic treatment again many years later with the late Chadwick Boseman playing him in 42.
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling - 6.4
JoJo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is a semi-autobiographical film based on the life of comedian Richard Pryor. Pryor writes, directs, and acts as JoJo Dancer, in a role that is, essentially, a fictionalized version of himself. While many incidents and characters are fictionalized in the movie, JoJo tracks Pryor's real life, from growing up in a brothel to breaking out as a stand-up comedian, as well as his drug addiction, which led to him infamously getting severely burned after freebasing cocaine.
The movie received mixed reviews, but praised Pryor's performance, as unlike others on this list, Richard Pryor was already an accomplished actor.
Private Parts - 6.9
Private Parts tells the story of shock jock radio host, Howard Stern. At the time, Stern was wildly popular and Hollywood snatched up the rights to his autobiography. While Howard Stern eventually played himself, Jeff Goldblum was initially considered for the role. The film makes a joke out of the fact that Stern is playing himself in his own biopic and, because of that, the film works, despite him not being an actor.
Stern's charisma and charm are able to create a believable performance. However, in some of the dramatic scenes, it can be noted that the other actors are doing the heavy lifting, and the editing cuts around the weaker moments in Sterns' novice performance. Private Parts also boasts a great cast, including an excellent performance by Paul Giamatti. What some might call an extension of Stern's raunchy persona is actually a great story about freedom of speech. The movie received mostly positive reviews, though Stern has yet to act again.
8 Mile - 7.1
Rapper Eminem dominated the charts back in the early 2000s, and his rags-to-riches story was perfect for a movie adaptation. L. A Confidential director, Curtis Hanson, watched Eminem's music videos and felt he had a great presence, so he cast him as himself.
"Lose Yourself," performed by Eminem, won the Best Song Oscar that year. Despite receiving praise for his performance, outside of cameos as himself in Funny People, Entourage, and The Interview, Eminem hasn't acted since.
To Hell And Back - 7.2
Perhaps the most famous auto-biopic of them all is To Hell And Back, the story of soldier Audie Murphy's heroic exploits during World War II. Following his time in World War II, Murphy became an actor, starring in many Westerns, but after his autobiography was published, he was tasked with playing himself in the film version.
The film's most famous scene, and the event that made Murphy a legend, was when he singled-handily turned back a German attack by manning the machine gun of a burning tank that could have exploded at any moment. In doing so, he saved his company and, for his actions, received the Medal Of Honor. The movie was a huge critical and commercial success and audiences praised Murphy's performance. Murphy would go on to act in many more films before his death in 1971.
