The 8 Best Biopics of the 2010s

All eight score 9.1 or higher on movie.guru, so this isn't about good versus bad. It's about which true story actually earned the top spot.

Number one has no chases, no fights, and the highest score here.

1. 8
   Dallas Buyers Club (2013)9.1

   McConaughey's best work, and it cost almost nothing.

   Reported $5M budget, $55.2M worldwide, and audiences rank it above 95% of movies. Ranked last only because the script leans on McConaughey to carry everything.
2. 7
   Dangal (2016)9.2

   The best sports movie on this list, and it isn't close.

   $303.7M worldwide off just $12.4M domestic, and audiences beat 98% of movies. Aamir Khan plays a dad so intense the wrestling mat looks relaxing. The sports beats are by the book.
3. 6
   The Irishman (2019)9.3

   Scorsese made a mob epic about regret, not glory.

   Metacritic 94, critics beat 97% of movies. Listed worldwide gross: $968,853 on a reported $159M to $250M budget. Ranked sixth because the pacing dares you to check your phone.
4. 5
   Ford v Ferrari (2019)9.3

   Christian Bale steals a movie with Matt Damon's name first.

   Audiences beat 99% of movies, the highest here. $226.3M worldwide on a reported $97.6M budget. Ranked fifth because the corporate suits are pure cardboard.
5. 4
   Argo (2012)9.4

   Affleck made a history lesson play like a heist.

   A+ CinemaScore and $232.3M worldwide on a reported $44.5M budget. It milks every suspense trick in the book, and the finale still gets your knee bouncing.
6. 3
   12 Years a Slave (2013)9.4

   The most important film here, and the hardest to rewatch.

   Metacritic 96, the highest on this list. Chiwetel Ejiofor is devastating. 796,731 IMDb votes, the most here, for a film that refuses to look away.
7. 2
   The King's Speech (2010)9.5

   A movie about a speech therapist outgrossed Ford v Ferrari.

   $414.2M worldwide on a reported $15M budget, plus an A+ CinemaScore. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are great. It's also the safest prestige drama of the decade.
8. 1
   Spotlight (2015)9.6

   No car chases, no makeovers, just reporters. Still the best.

   Critics and audiences both beat 98% of movies. Metacritic 93. The look is beige newsroom carpet, but Keaton and Ruffalo make phone calls play like a thriller.

$346.71 says somebody in the comments demands Ford v Ferrari at #1 and cites the 99% audience number like it's a court ruling.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it