Chances are that we’ve all seen movies based on a true story. These films lead us to believe that the events happening on screen transpired in real life.
However, that’s not always the case. To be fair, sometimes a movie stretches the truth to make more sense on the big screen. That’s not the case with these films; they stretched the truth a little too far, and we have a bone to pick with them.
The Blind Side
The Sandra Bullock movie led us to believe that Michael Oher was worse off than he actually is.
In the film, Oher was shown to be a dumb kid who couldn’t read or write. In reality, that wasn’t the case, and he has often expressed his displeasure with how the movie portrayed him.
Remember the Titans
Remember the Titans doesn’t stretch the truth out as far as The Blind Side, but it still takes some liberties with actual events.
For example, the real T.C. Williams school was integrated in 1959, over a decade before the film takes place. The whole plot about them having to deal with integrated schools during the football season wasn’t a thing. The football team was also far more dominant than the movie indicated.
Hidden Figures
Another example of a movie taking liberty with the truth about segregation is 2016’s Hidden Figures.
We’re led to believe that the NASA Langley Research Center had segregated facilities in 1961. However, that’s not the case, as any segregated facilities were abolished three years prior.
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Troy
The city of Troy was a real place, even if Homer’s “Iliad” mixed real events with Greek mythology.
One thing that always bugged me about 2004’s Troy is the fact that Achilles is alive during the sacking of Troy. In reality, he died before the Trojan horse ever entered the city.
Catch Me If You Can
I love everything about this movie, even if Spielberg takes some liberties with Frank Abagnale’s life.
For example, after a young Frank ran away from home, he never saw his father again. However, movie Frank Abagnale kept coming back to Christopher Walken, who played Frank Abagnale Sr.
Cool Runnings
The heartwarming story about the Jamaican bobsled team led viewers to believe that the Jamaicans had a chance at medaling.
In reality, they never came close. The bobsled event at the Calgary Winter Olympics had a total of 26 competing teams. They finished in 24th, 25th, and 26th in their events.
Braveheart
As epic as the Mel Gibson film is, the story is littered with inaccuracies.
Where do we begin? First, Isabella of France never had his baby, mostly because she was living in France during the Battle of Falkirk. The movie also suggests that Scotland was under English occupation for quite some time, but in reality, that wasn’t the case either. There are plenty of more inaccuracies, but hey, it makes for a good movie.
Titanic
James Cameron’s 1997 epic combines fictional and historical figures into one story, which makes this example even more confusing.
First Officer William Murdoch was a real person on the Titanic, but his portrayal in the film angered his family, prompting Cameron to apologize to them. One key moment is when Murdoch is portrayed as a selfish and corrupt officer, despite historical accounts stating that he did everything he could to save as many people as possible.
Pocahontas
It shouldn’t come as a shock that the Disney adaptation of Pocahontas is littered with historical inaccuracies.
In reality, John Smith wasn’t as nice as he was portrayed in the animated film, not to mention all the liberties Disney took to tell a love story.
Argo
The story of the CIA making a fake movie to save U.S. diplomats from Iran is very real.
One thing that was notably omitted from the film, though, was the involvement of the Canadian government. President Jimmy Carter addressed this issue specifically, saying that “90% of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian…the movie gives almost full credit to the American CIA.”
Captain Phillips
In 2013, Tom Hanks starred in a movie about Captain Richard Phillips, who Somali pirates took hostage.
Despite being portrayed as a hero, there has been a lot of controversy over the fact that Phillips’ crew has stated he’s nothing like that in real life, while also blaming Phillips for putting the crew in danger.
American Sniper
From one movie hero to another, Chris Kyle was the protagonist of Clint Eastwood’s 2014 film American Sniper.
Despite being portrayed as an American war hero with several accomplishments, there have been several creative liberties taken with the film. For example, “the Butcher” character was created specifically for the movie. Additionally, Kyle is a far more tragic character than the propaganda filled hero worship that’s on display.
The Blair Witch Project
One of the most notorious examples I can think of is the marketing campaign for The Blair Witch Project, which centered on the film being “found footage” of actual events.
Of course, we all know now that the entire movie was fictional, but in 1999, we were none the wiser.
The Pursuit of Happyness
Yes, there is a real Chris Gardner, and 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness is based on his memoir.
As one might expect with Hollywood, however, plenty of liberties were taken to make it more appealing to mainstream audiences. For example, movie Gardner was in a far worse financial situation than the real-life Gardner when it came to the medical scanners. Also, the real Chris Gardner spent a night in jail for domestic abuse, not unpaid parking tickets.
Rudy
As a Notre Dame football fan, this one hurts.
Yes, Rudy Ruettiger is a real person who earned a spot on the school’s prestigious football team. However, the iconic scenes of the football team protesting that Rudy dresses for a game, then chanting for him to enter a game? None of that happened. Head Coach Dan Devine had told Rudy he would dress for the game several days before it took place.
Blonde
The 2022 Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana de Armas was highly anticipated, given Monroe’s status in pop culture.
However, the movie is heavily based on the 2000 Joyce Carol Oates book, which itself is a fictional version of Monroe’s life. Instead of the ditsy Hollywood blonde portrayed on screen, the real Marilyn Monroe was a strong and intelligent woman. If you’re interested in her real life, go read her autobiography.
Fargo
The film opens with the following text:
“This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.”
However, in 2015, Joel Coen confirmed that the story was entirely made up.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Where do we even start with this mess of a film?
The “biopic” surrounding the creation and success of Queen is filled with so many inaccuracies that we could be here all day. Here are some of the highlights:
- Queen had no concerns about performing at Live Aid.
- Freddie Mercury’s solo career did not cause resentment from the rest of the band.
- Queen never disbanded during Mercury’s lifetime.
- John Reid was not fired as the band’s manager; they left on mutual terms in 1978.
The Greatest Showman
Despite the 2017 musical being a fantastic piece of Hollywood showmanship, the real P.T. Barnum isn’t the hero the movie wants you to believe he is.
He exploited women and was notoriously cruel to animals. Additionally, several characters from the movie were fictionalized and never existed.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Should we really be surprised by this one?
Yes, the Weird Al movie is fantastic fun and a great time, but in typical Weird Al fashion, he takes a lot of creative liberties chronicling his life story. Of course, it’s all done for comedic effect, but it’s still a prime example of a movie “based on a true story” that isn’t true!
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