Hollywood loves a good biopic.
Notice how I didn’t say “Hollywood loves an accurate biopic.” They just love a good biopic. Directors want drama, excitement and entertainment. Who cares if you bend the truth a little to get there?
Filmmakers go crazy at the chance to tell a story about any kind of historical or culturally relevant person. They romanticize significant eras in history where music, art and politics were at a revolutionary turning point.
One of the most recent biopics I’ve watched was Love Story, a dramatized retelling of the life and death of Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. My roommate and I would eagerly wait for the newest episode to come out every Thursday, texting “episode 6 is out tonight!” and “are we watching the new episode later?”
I wasn’t around in the ‘90s, so I didn’t experience the shocking news of their accident firsthand, but I still felt like I did after watching the show. I grew very attached to the characters, so much so that when the last episode came out, it felt like I was mourning the deaths of people I actually knew.
As I write this, I feel like a hypocrite for getting pseudo-parasocial over the Kennedy family and then condemning directors and producers for exploiting their lives. I know they weren’t just tv show characters, they were actual people. There are still people alive today who knew them, loved them and experienced a real loss.
But I recognize that the storytelling in Love Story was a hallmark of a good biopic. It was dramatic, exciting and ultimately, entertaining.
It just wasn’t entirely accurate.
In a recent interview with journalist Katie Couric, John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg voiced some complaints about the accuracy of the show.
“We’re not just celebrities,” he said, speaking about his family. “We’re not just icons. These are public servants. It’s very easy to remember my grandfather, my grandmother, my uncle, who were very glamorous people, as just celebrities like people today, but they were public servants.”
While Schlossberg didn’t watch the show, he found one clip he saw to be so inaccurate that it was kind of funny. It was a clip of Grace Gummer portraying his mother, Caroline Kennedy, which he showed to her.
“We were laughing so hard, as if that’s how my mom acts,” he said. He reminded audiences to “keep in mind, it might be entertaining, but it’s fiction.”
Contrary to my original point, I don’t think all biopics are completely inaccurate.
One of the movies I am most excited for this year is Michael, a biopic about Michael Jackson. It is set to be released on April 24 this year.
Although I haven’t seen it yet, something I really like about this movie is that a family member is involved in the making of it. Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, is portraying his uncle in the movie, and I don’t think the director could have made a better choice.
Another one of my favorite biopics is Priscilla. Sofia Coppola’s depiction of Priscilla Presley’s relationship with (and eventual separation from) Elvis Presley was inspired by Elvis and Me, Presley’s 1985 memoir of her time with the rock star.
Presley was actively involved with the making of the film. She even stated in an interview with People magazine that “(Coppola) just got me, and I trusted her.”
While not all biopics are completely inaccurate, it is more often than not that audiences see a dramatized and romanticized version of real-life events. I’ve learned not to go into a biopic expecting complete truth and accuracy. If I wanted that, I’d look for a documentary.
Photo sourced from USAToday.