Top 10 Movies Based on a True Story That Got It Wrong
#10: “Gangs of New York” (2002)
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This Martin Scorsese epic was based on Herbert Asbury’s “The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld,” which was published in 1927. One of the major departures from reality is the depiction of Bill the Butcher. Bill is based on the historic William Poole, but Poole was murdered a decade before the Draft Riots began and reportedly never killed anyone. In fact, the level of violence in general was often criticized as being a pure Hollywood fabrication. The massive gang fight depicted at the beginning of the film is also entirely fictional, but gang battles did occur on occasion. There were also no Navy ships to quell the riots, and the amount of Chinese Americans in New York was greatly exaggerated.
#9: “Cool Runnings” (1993)
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This feel-good comedy concerns the debut of the Jamaican bobsledding team at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Suffice to say, it has been very Disney-fied. The biggest fabrication is the bobsled competition itself. For one thing, the Jamaican athletes were not treated as outsiders, and the American team even helped them out by lending them a sled. Secondly, the team had absolutely no shot at winning a medal, despite what the movie would have you believe. The crash was also not the result of a mechanical failure, but shoddy and inexperienced driving. And that feel-good crossing of the finish line to raucous applause? Yeah, it was more of a defeated limp with sporadic and tepid encouragement.
#8: “The Imitation Game” (2014)
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In this film, Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Alan Turing, a genius who revolutionized the concept of theoretical computer science and helped decrypt German messages during World War II. Even before the movie was released, it received controversy for downplaying Turing’s homosexuality and casting bombshell Keira Knightley as the so-called “plain” Joan Clarke. And while Turing did have eccentricities, he wasn’t nearly as socially awkward as portrayed in the film. Turing’s supposed suicide is also extensively debated to this day, with some experts even claiming that his death was purely accidental. And that’s not even touching on all the Enigma inaccuracies - like portraying Turing as a one-man force when he was actually part of a massive collaboration.
#7: “Rudy” (1993)
Despite being an exceptional and inspiring sports movie, “Rudy” is greatly exaggerated. The story concerns Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, a man who desperately wanted to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish despite being just 5’6’’ and 165 pounds. A massive deviation concerns Coach Dan Devine and the famous jersey protest scene. Devine was greatly vilified for the movie; by all accounts, he was actually very encouraging. That whole “laying down the jerseys” thing also never happened, and Devine told The Houston Chronicle that it, and his role in it, were “unforgivable.” The crowd also never chanted Rudy’s name before he was placed in the game. That said, he did actually record a sack and was carried off the field, so that’s pretty cool...
#6: “A Beautiful Mind” (2001)
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This Russell Crowe-led film was adapted from a Pulitzer-nominated biography of famed mathematician John Nash Jr. Nash suffered greatly from mental illness and was eventually treated for paranoid schizophrenia. And while the movie stayed true to the spirit of Nash’s story, it ignored a few key details. In 1953, Nash fathered an illegitimate child with Eleanor Stier and went on to ignore both Eleanor and their son. When they finally met in person, an ill Nash thought his son would play “an essential and significant role in [his] personal long-awaited ‘gay liberation.’” He also didn’t have a good relationship with Alicia Larde, and he was not asked to give a Nobel Prize acceptance speech owing to his mental instability.
#5: “Argo” (2012)
There’s no denying that “Argo” is an exceptionally made movie - its seven Oscar nominations can attest to that. But it’s nowhere near historically accurate. The film was accused of whitewashing in the casting of Tony Mendez and Cora Lijek. It was also fiercely criticized for exaggerating the CIA’s role in the caper, with ex-president Jimmy Carter even admitting that “90% of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian.” Britain and New Zealand were also cheesed with their depictions, as they never turned away the American refugees. In fact, they helped them. And finally, the tense, climactic moment where it seems like the group will be caught? Yeah, none of that happened, either. They got away without any problems.
#4: “Pearl Harbor” (2001)
Where to even start with “Pearl Harbor?” This is a Michael Bay film through and through, relying on action and bombast and throwing all semblance of historical accuracy out the window. But let’s get specific. The Japanese never intentionally targeted the hospital. The depiction of the Doolittle Raid is a near-total fabrication. President Roosevelt wasn’t notified of the attack by a man dramatically running into the room. Chester Nimitz and George Marshall actually advocated a retaliatory strike on Japan. And then we veer into the absolute ridiculous: Roosevelt obviously never stood from his wheelchair in a dramatic show of will, and the movie stole Admiral Yamamoto’s iconic “sleeping giant” line from “Tora! Tora! Tora!” By all accounts, he never actually said that.
#3: “300” (2006)
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The Battle of Thermopylae makes for a great story, but “300” is pure comic book. Which makes sense, considering it was adapted from a comic book. Spartans weren’t walking around shirtless and showing off their impeccable washboard abs; they were most certainly armored. There also weren’t 300 Spartan men at the Battle - it was more like 6,000 Greek soldiers comprising numerous city states. The movie was also criticized for its idealized depiction of Sparta and for whittling down a complex situation into a good guys vs. bad guys morality tale. Ephialtes was also a normal Malian, not a grotesque Spartan outcast. That said, the movie clearly isn’t taking itself very seriously, so we suppose we can forgive it...
#2: “The Greatest Showman” (2017)
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It may’ve been made before the acquisition, but this Fox film already felt Disney-fied. “The Greatest Showman” concerns legendary huckster P. T. Barnum and his infamous American Museum. This is definitely a feel-good story in which Barnum is portrayed as a flawed but well-meaning businessman and his attractions sing empowering songs about nobility in being different. In reality, Barnum was more exploitative than tolerant, using the so-called “freaks” as pure showbiz for his own fame and profit. He also exploited egregious racial stereotypes, like promoting the frail Joice Heth as George Washington’s 161-year-old “mammy.” When she passed away, Barnum charged 1,500 New Yorkers fifty cents each to watch her public autopsy. Barnum certainly deserves a movie, but “The Greatest Showman” ain’t it. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Catch Me If You Can” (2002) Frank Conned People Because He Wanted to, Not to Save His Family “Remember the Titans” (2000) The Titans Absolutely Dominated, & None of the Schools They Faced Were “All White” “U-571” (2000) The Story Received Heaps of Criticism for Being a Load of Fictional Baloney “The Sound of Music” (1965) That Iconic Trek Through the Swiss Alps Never Happened - They Got a Train “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) Very Little of the Film Is Based In Reality, & Cronauer Was Never Kicked Out of Vietnam
#1: “Braveheart” (1995)
Mel Gibson’s classic war film is certainly epic, but it has very little basis in historic reality. The portrayals of numerous characters, including Wallace, Isabella, Robert the Bruce, and Prince Edward are all fabricated for story purposes - for example, Isabella was just three years old during the Battle of Falkirk. The numerous battles and military campaigns are portrayed inaccurately. The occupation of Scotland wasn’t occurring throughout William’s life - it only happened one year before his rebellion. The movie is filled with anachronisms, like the use of belted plaids. Longshanks never invoked Jus primae noctis, as that didn’t actually exist. All told, “Braveheart” is far more Hollywood fiction than history. At least Mel Gibson admits as much in the DVD commentary...
