‘Keep Faith Alive’: Why Faith Dominates Music Biopics Like ‘Michael’
(ANALYSIS) The musical biopic is a strange genre: It seems almost equally popular in both Hollywood and the faith-based film industries. Michael Jackson’s new film has earned $97 million domestically and $200 million worldwide in its opening weekend — despite widespread negative reviews — making it the highest-grossing biopic (musical or not) of all time.
But while Hollywood has “Michael,” “Elvis,” and “A Complete Unknown,” faith-based films have “I Can Only Imagine,” “I Still Believe” and “The Jesus Music.”
Hollywood’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” made over $900 million worldwide and won four Oscars. “I Can Only Imagine” was the highest-grossing independent film the year it came out.
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What’s equally interesting is how the musical biopic is one of the genres that seems to deal most consistently with religion. You expect this in faith-based films. But you also see this in the Hollywood Musical biopic genre.
In “Michael,” seemingly out of nowhere, Michael Jackson’s mom tells him, “Jehovah says let your light shine to the world.” At one point, Jackson overtly gives God credit for the good in his life and says the Almighty has given him “a platform” that he should use for good.
Others, like “Respect,” “Elvis” and “Walk the Line,” are even more overt. “Walk the Line” is considered by many to be the definitive musical biopic, and by many Christians to be one of the best faith-based films ever.
So what is it about the genre that makes faith such a major part of it? The two big factors are historical and thematic.
The history is the most straightforward. There’s always been a strong link between the church and the musical concert. They were born from the same place — the communal religious space where people gathered to sing, perform, and celebrate their highest values. As civilization became more vast and complex, different institutions — like church and theater — split, and only then started to come into conflict.
Naturally, the church has played a big role in American music as well — though not always a positive one. Most musical biopics focus on American and British rock and pop stars of the 20th century, and you can’t divorce that from the American church. Much of modern music, such as rock and roll, was based on the American Black gospel tradition. This is something that movies like “Respect” and “Elvis” lay out explicitly.
Another factor is faith and music’s role in wider social change. Many musical biopics are deeply concerned with showing how the artist’s work changed society. “Michael” is explicit in how Jackson intentionally broke down barriers for what a Black artist could do and made himself a mainstream voice rather than a “Black” voice. The church has been both for against social change throughout the 20th century.
“Respect” showcases how the Black church fought for civil rights. “Elvis” showcases how the white church fought against Elvis’s cultural changes—even as his Christian mother affirms him. “Bohemian Rhapsody” shows how musical artists pushed LGBTQ acceptance forward despite religious opposition.
This works on the personal level as well. “Michael” shows Jackson being encouraged by his mother, who, along with his family, was a Jehovah’s Witness. It also shows how surviving a near-death experience causes him to rethink his purpose.
In “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddie Mercury’s traditional Zoroastrian father rejects his music and his unconventional lifestyle. This creates a barrier between them, which is only overcome when Mercury presents his partner to his father and is accepted.
Faith-based films tend to focus more on this personal route and less on the wider cultural context. “I Can Only Imagine” focuses on how Bart Millard ran away from his abusive father through music, only to be destroyed by that escape until his father accepts Christ and Millard learns to forgive him. “I Still Believe” is about Jeremy Camp falling in love, losing his wife, and reconciling with God.
The exception is films like “Jesus Revolution” and the documentary “The Jesus Music.” Both tell how modern evangelicalism and the contemporary Christian music industry emerged from the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. The American church welcomed hippies disillusioned with both traditional culture and the hippie lifestyle. This created modern evangelicalism, which adopted elements of hippie culture, like music and casual dress, while maintaining traditional religious and political beliefs. It remains one of the few forms of American Christianity that isn’t actively declining.
In many ways, both Hollywood and faith-based musical biopics tell the same historical story. Hollywood focuses on how music changed culture. Faith-based films focus on how the church responded to and incorporated that change.
Hollywood tells the story from the perspective of those who caused and embraced change. Faith-based films tell it from those who resisted or redirected it.
This also explains why the genres share thematic overlap. Both feature talented individuals who break away from restrictive families or traditions, achieve success, but ultimately hurt those they love and collapse before seeking reconciliation. The message is often that success and pleasure alone cannot fill the void, but reconciliation, with oneself and others, can.
Where they differ is in how that reconciliation occurs. Films like “Rocketman” and “Deliver Me From Nowhere” show their leads turning to therapy. Films like “Michael” end with liberation through breaking free — “Michael” ends with Jackson escaping his father’s control.
Faith-based films like “I Can Only Imagine” fully commit to a return to faith and family. Millard’s success distances him from his father, but ultimately leads him back to reconciliation through faith. “I Still Believe” shows Camp finding peace through forgiving God. “Unsung Hero” shows Smallbone restoring his family by surrendering ambition. These characters return to God and their core values — even if they retain their dreams.
Here lies the biggest difference: in faith-based films, God is the source of redemption. In Hollywood films, talent often is. Jackson is inspired by faith, but liberated by his talent. He becomes the biggest star in the world to escape his father. Millard’s talent leads him away from his father, but only faith brings them back together.
Some films like “Walk the Line” and “Respect” blur those distinctions. In “Walk the Line,” Johnny Cash returns to faith after nearly destroying his life, though his personal relationships remain complicated. “Respect” shows Aretha Franklin overcoming addiction by returning to God and the church.
But there’s also a reason Hollywood made films about Cash and Franklin while the faith-based industry did not. Cash’s life is complex and not always family-friendly. It doesn’t lend itself easily to simple inspirational storytelling. “Respect,” bluntly, presents a story that could position white evangelicals — the primary faith-based audience — in an uncomfortable light.
Still, it may be too harsh to frame this as a uniquely faith-based issue. “Michael” has been criticized for downplaying abuse allegations toward Jackson – both in the recent movie that was made, and in the original movie that actually portrayed Jackson as innocent. The reality may be that music is deeply tied to worship, and separating the two is difficult.
The popularity of musical biopics across both Hollywood and faith-based industries reflects the deep connection between faith and music in shaping modern culture. It also reveals two different frameworks for interpreting that influence. Ideally, audiences can engage both and think more deeply about what each suggests for their own lives.
Joseph Holmes is an award-nominated filmmaker and culture critic living in New York. He is co-host of the podcast “The Overthinkers” and its companion website theoverthinkersjournal.world, where he discusses art, culture and faith with his fellow overthinkers. His other work and contact info can be found at josephholmesstudios.com.