20 biopics that got details horribly wrong

By and large, the biggest inaccuracies between The Social Network and the actual story of the start of Facebook were the motivations behind Mark Zuckerberg’s actions and Eduardo Saverin’s portrayal. Zuckerberg maintains that he did not start the website to impress women, and Saverin deserved some of what happened to him. 

Some of the most dramatic parts of Bohemian Rhapsody never happened. For instance, Freddie Mercury never fired the band’s manager, John Reid, and Queen didn’t break up because Mercury went solo. In fact, two other members of Queen recorded solo albums before Mercury ever did.

Action enthusiasts loved 300, but history enthusiasts had more than a few bones to pick with the filmmakers. Complaints piled on from more glaring issues like inaccurate costumes to subtler details like the misrepresentation of Persians in the film. There were also more than 300 soldiers who stayed back, but 1,000 doesn’t quite have the same ring to it (h/t ScreenRant).

Audiences loved Stonewall, the film depicting the eponymous riots of the 1960s, but critics hated it. Perhaps it was due to the many inaccuracies in the film. For example, the film’s protagonist is a fictional character. Many critics accused the film of being whitewashed, too (h/t The Guardian).

A film can’t include every detail of somebody’s life. That would be very long and boring. However, many critics took issue with some of the omissions in Jobs, seeing them as important parts of his life story. His adoption, marriage, and cancer were just a few life details many felt should’ve been included or more prominent in the film. 

There were plenty of more crucial details that American Sniper got wrong about the actual story, like timelines and the nature of certain relationships, but all of those inaccuracies might have been forgiven had the filmmakers used a more realistic baby doll. Of all the ways to trim the budget…

There were plenty of incorrect details in The Blind Side, but one of the biggest complaints came from Michael Oher himself. The football player who went on to have a career in the NFL said he didn’t appreciate that the film depicted him as struggling with football at the beginning of the movie. In real life, he was a natural (h/t Insider).

Biopics are apparently in the business of misrepresenting famed music manager John Reid’s relationships with his clients because Rocketman got some details wrong, too. The timeline wasn’t correct either, but Elton John gave the film his approval, so who are we to criticize? 

There are … so many details incorrect in Pocahontas. It might be easier just to say that Pocahontas and John Smith were real people because that’s about as accurate as the film is. In reality, these two had a huge age gap and never had a romantic relationship. 

As for The Greatest Showman, it’s easiest to say that P.T. Barnum existed, and he started the circus. Aside from that, most of what the movie portrays is inaccurate. But that was by design. And an accurate portrayal would’ve been a lot less fun of a movie because P.T. Barnum wasn’t that great of a guy.  

With some of the details in Straight Outta Compton , we’re not entirely sure what actually happened. For instance, in the movie, Ice Cube leaves N.W.A. of his own volition, but some group members remember his exit differently, saying he was voted out (h/t The Daily Beast).

Many films misrepresent what it’s like for individuals living with mental health disorders, and A Beautiful Mind is no exception. The film’s portrayal of schizophrenia is inaccurate according to many mental health professionals and those living with the disease.  

Some details that Marie Antoinette got wrong seem more like oversights than creative decisions. For example, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI actually had four children, not three. There are also multiple instances of props being included that aren’t historically accurate. 

Hidden Figures tells the story of the Black female mathematicians who were an important part of NASA's staff early on in the space race. In a rare instance, critics and audiences were equally enthralled with this film, but certain aspects, like the timeline and the portrayal of the women’s relationships with one another, were inaccurate. 

Braveheart was quite inaccurate. Even the name of the film was referring to a different person than the main character. Other details about the main character are wrong, too. His backstory is completely fictionalized, as is his impetus for war on the English. 

The entire premise of Amadeus is inaccurate. According to historians, Mozart and Salieri didn’t hate each other, and Salieri didn’t have anything to do with his death. There’s evidence to support some sort of rivalry, but not a calculated takedown as is shown in the film (h/t BBC).

The film painted Bonnie and Clyde in a much better light. For instance, the couple didn’t rob banks but rather grocery stores and gas stations, largely affecting those of a lower socioeconomic status. Clyde also stole cars and weapons from the military. 

Fans loved Patch Adams, but the man who inspired the film was not one such audience member. According to Patch Adams, one of the most upsetting changes from his real life to the film was changing his best friend to a female and making that friend his love interest in the film. In reality, Adams’ friend was a male who died by murder. 

The Elephant Man is somewhat unique in that it adapted the memoir it was based on very well, but the memoir itself was full of inaccuracies. And the memoir wasn’t just someone’s perspective from a different vantage point. Details, like the main character being called John when it was based on a man named Joseph, were historically incorrect. 

Meryl Streep won an Oscar for playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, but if Oscars were given for accurate portrayals, Streep would’ve come up short. There are multiple scenes in the film that include Thatcher when, in reality, she wasn’t part of those events at all, like the assassination of Airey Neave.