Hollywood NEEDS to Stop Making Biopics

[@theartofcarny]

I’ve made the point about Bohemian Rhapsody being out of order for no reason other than drama a number of times. Good video, dude. Lots of good points.

[@justmashpodcastnetwork3512]

Thank You! Bohemian Rhapsody is a mess lol

[@thefilmfan6326]

Good video!

[@justmashpodcastnetwork3512]

Thank You!

[@andrewfoster8100]

While you make some thought provoking points, I have to disagree with you on a pretty fundamental level here. Firstly, I’d argue that the practice about telling stories about real people isn’t unique to biopics; in fact, it’s a tradition that’s as old as civilization. Would you level any of the complaints you made here against Henry VIII by Shakespeare? Its medium is different, but at the end of the day it’s still a largely dramatized and sensationalized retelling of the life of a real person. How about The Odyssey of Homer, or the Epic of Gilgamesh? It’s unlikely that the main characters of those stories literally existed, but the oral traditions they spawned from likely drew inspiration from real people at some level. More broadly speaking, any true story (or any story, really) involves a level of shaping it around a narrative. Whether overt or not, when you’re retelling a story to your friends about the crazy thing that happened the other day, you inevitably include, omit, or even tweak details for the sake of better suiting the point you’re trying to communicate. Biopics are no different, and I think that you have to take that into account when you’re watching one. Finally, you make the point about them ultimately being driven by a desire to make money. While I agree that that’s an unfortunate reality, that’s ultimately true about any Hollywood movie, and about many, if not most pieces of art in general. At the end of the day, biopics aren’t all that different from any other piece of art. They’re created by artists who want to tell a story that’s inspired by a combination of real events and the author’s imagination, and shaped by the point or points the narrative is trying to make. While you correctly argue that this “isn’t the truth”, I’d argue that the standard of truth you’re holding them to isn’t fair, or even possible

[@justmashpodcastnetwork3512]

I appreciate the thoughtful response but several of your points here i disagree with and don't really think make sense with what i said in the video. For starters, yes, i would have the same criticism for Henry VIII if it were being presented as the truth and not as a fabrication, but i'm not sure which way it was presented by Shakespeare at the time it was made. Also, "How about The Odyssey of Homer, or the Epic of Gilgamesh? It’s unlikely that the main characters of those stories literally existed, but the oral traditions they spawned from likely drew inspiration from real people at some level" If the stories aren't about people that literally existed, that's not really the situation i was talking about at all, is it? Those are stories about fake people with fake gods that may have taken inspiration from real people but aren't about real people nor are they meant to be taken literally, which is an entirely different topic. Secondly, "any true story (or any story, really) involves a level of shaping it around a narrative. Whether overt or not, when you’re retelling a story to your friends about the crazy thing that happened the other day, you inevitably include, omit, or even tweak details for the sake of better suiting the point you’re trying to communicate." The difference here is that you are the one retelling your own story. Not someone else, and because of that, you are afforded the luxury of deciding what truths to omit or exaggerate because you are the one telling your story. One of the issues i laid out with biopics is other people twisting the truth about someone else's story, not their own, so once again that's a different issue. If you were telling your own story it wouldn't be a biography, it would be an autobiography. Yes, i made the point about them being made to make money, and you're right that most art is, but you missed my point that taking someone's life and manipulating the details for financial gain is wrong, which is a different scenario than just writing a fictional story and making money from it. If the standard of truth that i want to hold Biopics to isnt possible in your words, maybe they shouldn't exist because they portray themselves as truthful when they aren't. They can't hold themselves to the standard that is the definition of the word True. That's the point i'm making. Now of course, we're all entitled to our opinions and as i say in the video, i am not an authority on anything, just a guy who likes movies and has an opinion so nobody is right or wrong on the topic, just a discussion piece and i definitely welcome any and all viewpoints. I appreciate you for watching and presenting your thoughts in a respectful way!