Movies based on a “true story” that was completely made up?
Wednesday, 12 Mar 2025
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Catch me if you can. Go figure the movie about the con man’s story…was mostly made up
It’s wild how “based on a true story” sometimes just means “we borrowed a name and made up the rest”
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter greatly exaggerated the vampire threat in the country at that time.
Fargo
**Braveheart** – While William Wallace’s story is loosely inspired by history, the film took massive liberties with historical facts.
The Conjuring films, and pretty much all the films in that little universe. I like the first two Conjuring films a lot, but just like any horror film that’s ‘based on true events’, they’re really not
I should mention that I actually really enjoy Hidalgo, so imagine my disappointment when I looked up Frank Hopkins and found out that he was a huckster!
Meanwhile they had to nerf Desmond Doss in Hacksaw Ridge because the stuff he did in real life seemed too unbelievable for the film.
The Blind Side. A heartwarming story about a family who adopts a homeless teen and their support helps him make it all the way to NFL stardom. Turns out the Tuohys didn’t adopt Michael Oher. They put him in some kind of conservatorship and stole all his money and the rights to his life story so he didn’t make a dime off the movie. Oher sued the Tuohys in 2023 and was able to legally end the conservatorship after almost 20 years.
Flamin’ Hot
Marketed as based on the true story about the guy who created the Flamin’ hot Cheeto flavor, but even well before it was released people knew it was bullshit
Return of the living dead says in the beginning it is based on a true story. I have my doubts..
The Greatest Showman
Nice musical but Barnum was actually quite a dick.
Hidalgo may be completely fiction despite its claims, but damn if I don’t love that movie. So good.
Bloodsport. At least most of it.
As much as I love and will continue to love the film, Rudy.
– in real life, his schooling was completely paid for by the GI bill from his time in the Navy
– his brother Frank and Fortune didn’t exist
– his dad was always supportive of his dreams
– The jersey scene never happened
– Coach Devine liked Rudy and was *his* idea to dress him in the first place.
– only a small section of the crowd chanted “Rudy” and only after he made the sack.
– teammate Joe Montana said that Rudy was carried off the field as a joke (that one hurt).
The Blair Witch Project
The social network
The Patriot takes battles, themes and real figures from the Southern campaign of the American Revolution and molds it into a very historically inaccurate movie that is a really fun watch imho.
Enemy at the gates famously terrible in its historical accuracy. It be easier to say what is historically accurate that what isnt which are there were people who had these names and there was a battle of Stalingrad the soviets won. Thats about it. The rest is terrible and insulting to the actual people they “depicted” like turning a soviet spy who died into a fucking traitor.
A beautiful mind. He never had visual hallucinations, his wife didn’t come back until after he won the Nobel, he didn’t give a speech nor was he honored by his peers at Princeton and so much more.
Bloodsport maybe? I think the story was claimed to be true by someone but never confirmed.
The Perfect Storm (2000) – they literally made up at least a third of that movie because there was no way to confirm what happened on the boat.
Hidden Figures. Kevin Costner’s character was created out of thin air to give white audience members a feel-good white knight combating the racism. And, the racism in the movie is embellished because the filmmakers wanted to live up to the expectations of modern audiences. By the 1960s, the campus was no longer segregated, the coffee pot scene never happened, and Katherine Johnson herself said that while she knew it was there, racism never kept her from doing her job.
It irks me because I know so many people who think the movie is accurate. Racism is bad enough without making it up.
Serial Mom (1994)
IIRC, John Waters was trying to snipe at at the true-crime genre by saying this movie is based on a true story. But it’s all made up.
Texas chainsaw massacre
Bohemian Rhapsody
Tusk – the only reason I watched until the end because I couldn’t believe it was a true story. Turns out it was based on a conversation Kevin Smith had.
Weird: The Al Yankovic story turns this trope on its head and it’s perfect
***Confessions of a Dangerous Mind:*** the biopic of *Gong Show* host Chuck Barris, based on his mostly fabricated autobiography and treating the known absurdity as if it were true.
Both Gladiator films use the names of real Roman characters, but the ages, personalities, relationships, locations are mostly ignored as Ridley Scott plays with them like action figures—I love Gladiator and enjoyed II for what it was, so it’s not an enjoyment killer, but reading the historical Wiki will make your eyes cross because it’s so convoluted in the films.
Tropic Thunder. He had hands
I’m thinking of Kelly’s Heroes which is very loosely inspired by a true story and the 317th section which is inspired by the director’s experience and not by a specific story