10 Jul These ‘True-Life’ Films Actually Aren’t Very True At All

A lot of powerful dramas, especially those gunning for the big awards, tend to be in some way based on a true story. We all know that some changes have to be made to transform real events into two hours of cinematic entertainment, but aside from the expected omissions and additions, there are some movies that end up far from the source material when they make it to the big screen.

When we watch a true-life film, we are likely to assume that the basics of the story were correct, and continue to live our lives with information that may be completely false. The real people affected by the events in question can end up bewildered, and maybe even angry at the lies that hit the screen. Read on and find out whether any of your favourites are closer to fiction than fact.

1. The Social Network

There are a number of inaccuracies in the movie about Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook. For one, the character of Eric Albright, played by Rooney Mara, was entirely fictitious. In addition, the court case between Zuckerberg and co-founder Eduardo Saverin was a lot less dramatic than the film made out. Saverin’s shares were reduced, but they were diluted to 10% of the company, rather than the 0.3% shown in the film.

“The reason why we didn’t participate is because it was very clear that it was fiction from the beginning,” Zuckerberg explained when asked about The Social Network. Many involved with the company have said that the real events are far less dramatic, and were about creating new technology rather than a quest for power. On the other hand, the author of The Accidental Billionaires, which the film was based on, stands by the idea that this is the dark truth, and claims he was merely telling the stories Zuckerberg never wanted to be told.

2. Captain Phillips

This tense movie told the story of Richard Phillips, played by Tom Hanks, as he managed to level-headedly save his crew from a group of Somali pirates. It turns out that things were a lot less heroic in real life. The crew claimed that Phillips was a selfish, self-righteous man who no one wanted to sail with.

They also claimed that it was his actions that caused them toe be boarded in the first place. The captain was supposed to keep the ship 600 miles away from Somalia, but got as close as 235 miles from its coast despite the pleas of his crew. The crew of the ship even sued the company for $50 million for “wilful, wanton and conscious disregard for their safety”.

3. The Last King of Scotland

This is a case of a movie loosely based on a book that is loosely based on real events. First off, James McAvoy’s character of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan didn’t actually exist. If he was based on anyone it would be Bob Astles, a British soldier and friend of Idi Amin.

But Astles was an active part of Amin’s government by choice, and eventually served time in Ugandan prison once the regime collapsed. Astles was the head of his anti-corruption squad, and quite a lot of people seemed corrupt to the infamously paranoid dictator. It’s unclear how much Astles is responsible for, and he left prison to return to the UK afterwards, where he still lives.

4. Dallas Buyers Club

The story of how Ron Woodroof, played by Matthew McConaughey, smuggled and illegally distributed drugs to help with AIDS victims is an inspirational one, and perfect for a Hollywood awards contender. But the real Woodroof was neither a rodeo rider, an extravagant man, nor was he particularly homophobic as he was portrayed in the film. In reality, he was a fairly quiet, wary, and inconspicuous man.

In addition, the two major supporting characters were not much like their real-life counterparts, in that there weren’t any. Both Rayon, the transgender woman played by Jared Leto, and Jennifer Garner’s Dr. Eve Saks, were invented for the film.

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