Biopics are one of the biggest gambles in the film industry. Filmmakers and actors run the risk of offending the movie's subjects, like how Mark Zuckerberg hates The Social Network or Julian Assange's dislike of The Fifth Estate. Those who venture into biopics also risk alienating their key demographics, the subject's fans.
When the subject of a biopic hates their film, it is always a safe bet that the fans will follow suit, even if the film gets nominated for a few awards. Just look at how Marilyn Monroe fans reacted to Blonde. But there are plenty of biographical films that are loved by both the fans and the subjects. Elton John sang high praises for Rocketman, and Tonya Harding was humanized by Margot Robbie's performance in I, Tonya. Which biopics are loved by the fans the most?
10 Hated: Blonde
The reviews for Blonde fared well among critics, but fans of the late Marilyn Monroe were less than pleased. Monroe was an iconic sex symbol of her time, and she was routinely cast in roles that personify the "dumb blonde" stereotype. In reality, Marilyn Monroe was very intelligent and held several degrees. Viewers took to social media to protest the movie's blatant factual inaccuracies and its cruel and arguably sexist portrayal of Monroe. Filmmakers stress that the film is a fictionalized version of Monroe's story, but in a way that makes things worse. It's one thing to embellish a life story to make the movie more interesting, but when it misrepresents the life story of such a beloved figure filmmakers run the risk of spreading falsehoods and toxic rumors as facts.
9 Hated: All Eyez On Me
Many forget that there was a Tupac biopic in 2017, probably because it was very poorly received. The film has a pathetic 18% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and one IMDB critic said the film was, "plagued with a poor script, bad acting, and lazy direction." Ouch. It didn't help that one of the film's subjects dissed the project too. Jada Pinkett Smith called the representation of her friendship with Tupac "deeply hurtful," and chided the filmmakers for making up events that never happened.
8 Hated: The Blind Side
Sandra Bullock's performance in The Blind Side won an Oscar and the film was very highly praised by critics when it first came out. However, since then the film has fallen out of favor for being yet another blatant entry into the canon of "white savior" films. But one person hated the movie long before it was canceled for its overt racism, the film's subject Michael Oher. According to the football player, he was offended that the movie made him look like such a simpleton, and he was not happy with the unwanted extra scrutiny that came from fans and the NFL after the movie came out. The high-profile popularity of the film complicated the rest of Oher's NFL career.
7 Hated: The Late Shift
Leno vs. Conan was not the first beef over late-night hosting. In 1990, when Johnny Carson retired from The Tonight Show, a behind-the-scenes battle broke out between David Letterman and Jay Leno while both aimed to take over for Carson. Letterman was already a long-time NBC employee and had hosted Late Night, which followed The Tonight Show before he was replaced with Conan O'Brien. Letterman took offense to how the film made him look like a villain and a "psychotic chump," according to ScreenRant. Letterman is allegedly still so bitter about the movie he allegedly bumped actor Michael Higgins, who played Letterman, from a scheduled interview in 2009, fifteen years after the HBO movie aired.
6 Hated: Where The Buffalo Roam
Although Hunter S. Thompson was close friends with Bill Murray, he was allegedly not a fan of the first movie based on his work which Murray starred in called Where The Buffalo Roam. The movie is a series of vignettes about Thompson's friendship with Dr. Gonzo, AKA Oscar Zeta Acosta, a famous Chicano civil rights attorney told while Thompson (Murray) writes a eulogy for the man as he is now missing and presumed dead. Although Thompson praised Murray's performance, it was allegedly the only part of the film he liked. Thompson called the movie "a piece of crap." Fans of Thompson's are not big on the movie either, as it lives in the shadow of the more memorable and popular Thompson film Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas.
5 Loved: Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
Speaking of, fans of Thompson seem to love Fear and Loathing and were willing to forgive the parts of the movie that were embellished when compared to the book. There was not much in the film that needed embellishing though, as it tells the story of Thompson's debaucherous trips to Vegas that were fueled by, as Thompson might say, drugs, alcohol, violence, and insanity. The film stars Johnny Depp as Thompson and the actor went method, living with Thompson in his basement for a month. The film remains highly quoted, merchandised, and Hunter S. Thompson's costumes abound every Halloween. Thompson also has a cameo in the film.
4 Loved: Rocketman
Biopics can be tricky if the subject is still alive, but Rocketman was a home run as far as Elton John was concerned. Teran Egerton's portrayal of the iconically flamboyant rocker was praised by Elton John and critics alike. John said that making the film and revisiting the traumatic events of his past was a very emotional experience for him and that he was "astonished" by the filmmakers' results. It seems fans agree, it made nearly $100 million at the box office and holds a nearly perfect 5-star rating on most movie review websites.
3 Loved: I, Tonya
The production of I, Tonya was a controversial one, as the film's subject was at a time one of the most hated women on the planet. The film tells the life story of ice skater Tonya Harding, who was implicated in a violent scandal when her then-husband hired Shane Stant to break the legs of Harding's competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Some were not happy to see a humanized side of the violent story, but if the film is to be believed Harding did what she did after succumbing to the inordinate amount of pressure her agents, family, and handlers had put on her. According to the film's star, Margot Robbie, Harding was pleased with Robbie's portrayal. The real Nancy Kerrigan was surprisingly unbothered by the humanized portrayal of her attackers, saying it was "bizarre" that Harding would seek redemption in such a public way. "At this point, it's so much easier and better to just be."
2 Loved: Ali
Will Smith's portrayal of boxing champion Muhammad Ali pulled no punches. Forgive the pun but it's true. The movie covered every sordid and fascinating detail about the fighter's life, including his side job as a freedom fighter and his jail sentence for refusing to enlist in the Vietnam War draft. According to Will Smith, "The champ looked at me and gave me the nod that I did a good job." Smith would later be a pallbearer at Ali's funeral.
1 Loved: Ray
Although he died just as the film was concluding production, Ray Charles was a close collaborator with Jamie Foxx when he played him in the 2004 hit Ray. Foxx won the Oscar for Best Leading Actor for the film, it made $124 million, and received practically nothing but good reviews. It remains one of the most popular and endearing biopics ever made.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGhsZpqZpL2qr9JmnaKlo2LBqa3TZq6eqpVitaLAxJ1km7Fdm66vv4yapZ1lZWLBqa3TZpirnV2Xsq271Z6baA%3D%3D