15 movies that rewrote history
The Oscar-nominated film "American Sniper" is taking heat for its portrayal of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. But Hollywood isn't exactly known for truth-telling.
In "Braveheart," you know that scene where the hero, William Wallace (Mel Gibson), has an affair with Princess Isabella of France? Never happened, historians say.
Grace of Monaco (2014)
The homage to Grace Kelly, starring Nicole Kidman, drew fire from the princess' children, who issued a statement calling the film inaccurate and full of "purely fictional scenes."
Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B (2014)
Producer Timbaland blasted the Lifetime film about the late R&B star. So did fans, who accuse the filmmakers of romanticizing her relationship with the much-older R. Kelly.
Gladiator (2000)
Several characters are based on real people, but not the main one. There was no specific Maximus, who was played by Russell Crowe.
Frost/Nixon (2008)
That drunken, late-night phone call that Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) made in the movie? Didn't happen, says just about everybody.
We Bought a Zoo (2011)
In the film, an American dad, played by Matt Damon, buys a run-down zoo. In reality, the dad, and the zoo, are British.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
The genius John Nash (Russell Crowe) is quite accomplished in real life, but he never worked for the Department of Defense like he did in the movie.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
This retelling of the hunt for Osama bin Laden has been accused of misrepresenting the role of torture in extracting accurate information from terror suspects.
Alexander (2004)
This depiction of the ancient Greek conqueror was criticized by historians for myriad inaccuracies, such as compressing the chronology of major events and attributing certain actions to the wrong people.
The Social Network (2010)
This biopic credits a breakup for motivating Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). In truth, Zuckerberg dated the same woman before, during and after the creation of the social media network.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of scammer Jordan Belfort makes him look much more revered and important to his employees than he really was, according to the prosecutor who went after him.
W. (2008)
This depiction of George W. Bush’s rivalry with his siblings has been called "hooey" by brother Jeb Bush.
Young Victoria (2009)
Yes, Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) did escape an assassination attempt, but her husband, Price Albert, never took a bullet for her, the way he did in the film.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Boxing fans came down hard on this biopic of fighter James J. Braddock. Rival Max Baer (Craig Bierko) is depicted as being brutal and threatening to kill Braddock in the ring. That threat never occurred.
Selma (2014)
This Oscar-nominated movie about Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyewolo) has been accused of falsely portraying Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) as an obstructionist against civil rights.