Based on a true story? Sometimes films ought to add the word ’loosely’ before that sentence. That’s right. “Loosely Based On A True Story” would be a fairer statement. While it’s not bad for films to alter the truth to provide more depth to stories about influential personalities, some tend to go overboard. You can’t help but feel that the director should have just made a different fictional film if they really wanted to tell their own story.
However, there are biopics that remain loyal to actual events. They do this so well that the people upon which they were based on come out to praise them. Those that are based on dead personalities that aren’t around to give their stamp of approval usually end up being praised by people who were present and film critics. So which are some accurate and inaccurate biopics?
Accurate: Rush (2013)
Rush chronicles the rivalry of the two best Formula One drivers in the 70s. Before Ayrton Senna came along, British driver James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Nikki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) ruled the circuit and their story is told quite brilliantly here. Rush is a fantastic film that made sure to take breaks from cars and focus on character development. It was also very accurate.
The real-life Niki Lauda once praised the film during an interview. While speaking to Carjam TV, he said: “When I saw it the first time, I was impressed. There were no Hollywood changes or things changed a little bit Hollywood-like. It is very accurate. And this really surprised me very positively.”
Inaccurate: The Social Network (2010)
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg came out to state that the film made up a lot of stuff about his life and this really hurt him. In fact, he insisted that the only thing The Social Network got right was his wardrobe. Oops! Apparently, the writers had to make up stuff because outside his intelligence, Zuckerberg’s life wasn’t interesting enough.
The movie implied that Zuckerberg created Facebook to attract women, a fact which the billionaire has denied. He stated that he was already dating his future wife at the time he started the company. Well, at least he’s lucky enough to have a biopic. Lots of famous people are still waiting.
Accurate: Selma (2015)
Data site Information Is Beautiful analyzed this Martin Luther King Jr. biopic scene by scene and concluded that it’s 100% accurate. The director and screenwriters simply didn’t take any liberties with the story. That’s quite impressive.
Selma only covers a specific part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, that being his fight for voting rights for African-Americans. The peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama which ended up being bloody also takes up a huge chunk of the story.
Accurate: The Big Short (2015)
The Big Short explains how the United States housing bubble triggered the financial meltdown of 2008. Renowned infographic researcher David McCandless noted that even though the film had a few creative liberties, it was 91.4% truthful to the real-life events.
Most of the people who were portrayed in the film have also given it a stamp of approval. The only exception was Steve Eisman who said that he was not always as angry as The Big Short made him out to be. Nevertheless, he insisted that everything else was okay.
Inaccurate: Captain Phillips (2013)
The film about American crew members and Somali pirates received a couple of Oscar nominations and was widely praised for its execution. However, the real-life characters behind the film have argued that the film isn’t accurate. Their main issue is with how Captain Phillips was portrayed.
A crew member who spoke to the New York Post anonymously for legal reasons said: “Phillips wasn’t the big leader like he is in the movie. No one wanted to sail with him. He also ignored warnings not to sail to the Somali coast.” The real Phillips has also stated that he should have been more responsible with the information he was given warning him of potential dangers.
Inaccurate: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
The film about rockstar Freddy Mercury got plenty of things wrong. First, Freddy (Rami Malek) spots his long-time lover Mary Austin while performing with his bandmates then decides to woo her. In real life, Mary dated Freddy’s fellow bandmate Brian May first. Apparently, Freddy asked May if he was serious with Mary. When he said no, he pursued her.
The film also implies that the band Queen broke up in 1980 and only reunited in 1985 but that’s not the case. Members of the band only took time off to focus on solo projects during that period. They never parted ways in ugly fashion.
Accurate: Lincoln (2012)
Here, we see both Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis at their best. The film follows Abraham Lincoln’s hectic final months as president. He does his best to end the Civil War and abolish slavery but things don’t come so easy for him. However, he makes critical choices that go on to impact future generations.
It’s hard to find a negative review of this film. Spielberg did his best to stick to what history has always told us about Mr. Lincoln. As a director, he didn’t attempt to tell a different narrative. He simply made sure the acting and the picture was great.
Inaccurate: The Imitation Game (2014)
In The Imitation Game, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) invents and builds the machine that breaks the Germans’ Enigma Code all by himself. This isn’t true. In reality, Polish cryptanalysts invented a similar machine way before Turing even worked as a cryptologist for Britain. Turing only designed a quicker version of the machine.
The Imitation Game also portrays Turing as autistic yet he wasn’t. In the film, Turing doesn’t even understand jokes but in real life, he is said to have had a deep sense of humor and a couple of close friends. That’s according to the widely accurate Andrew Hodges biography Alan Turing: The Enigma.
Accurate: Downfall (2004)
No other film tells the story of Hitler’s final moments better than this one. After causing havoc for years, the German leader finally gets cornered in his bunker with his lover and commits suicide. Downfall shows all the final moments before this happens.
Hitler is also not the only one in anguish. His henchmen are brutally taken out too and his once-beloved country gets torn apart. Even though no one was present in the bunker with Hitler, historians have argued that there is nothing to dispute in this film. It even has a solid 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Inaccurate: The King’s Speech (2010)
In The King’s Speech, the phenomenal Colin Firth portrays British ruler King George VI. Apparently, George doesn’t speak so well so he begins to try to get rid of this impediment so that he can declare war on Germany on the radio.
While it’s true that King George VI hired a speech therapist to help him get rid of his stammering, the film implies that all this happened at the beginning of World War 2. However, George has already overcome his stammering ten years before the war began.
