Unauthorised Biopics: Should We Really Be Allowing Them?

As a movie girl, I absolutely love a good biopic or documentary every now and again. But sometimes, I think about the people behind them. Would Elvis really have approved of Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis'?

Or would he just like for his life to have stayed private? I find it really interesting that some of these biopics are made without the collaboration of their subject. I mean, surely it's not fair to leak somebody's entire life, right? In this article, I'll be exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of biopics, both authorised and unauthorised.

Pam And Tommy

Recently, I watched Pamela Anderson's documentary on Netflix, 'Pamela: A Love Story', in which Pamela sits down and speaks about her life experiences. It's a tale of self-discovery, love, and most memorably, the major invasion of privacy that she faced. For those who don't know, the former 'Baywatch' star married Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee in 1995, and the couple landed in hot water when a tape of theirs was stolen and leaked in 1996. It was a huge piece of news at the time, and even now it's a shocking story.

That may be why director Craig Gillespie decided to adapt the story into a Hulu miniseries starring Sebastian Stan and Lily James. The eight-episode drama was released in 2022, notably without Anderson's permission. Stan claims that he contacted Tommy Lee during the making of the show, saying that he introduced himself and explained that he would be playing Lee.

When asked about the show, Lee said 'It's a cool story, what happened wasn't'. He had a positive opinion of the show, while Anderson very much did not.

She viewed it as insensitive, saying that there was no reason to bring it up. Her documentary shows real-time reactions as she and her sons find out about the show. It's wild to me that this was allowed, as it's such a deep topic, and clearly a touchy subject for Pamela Anderson. In my opinion, it's exploitative of somebody else's pain and trauma.

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Elvis

On the other hand, Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis' was made with approval from both Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis's wife and daughter. The movie mostly portrays the difficult relationship between Elvis, played by Austin Butler, and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. If you haven't watched this movie, you probably should.

Butler disappears into his role, perfecting the late rockstar's mannerisms and voice nearly perfectly. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars and won Best Actor at the Golden Globes.

It's not overly invasive, but it really goes deep into the problems Elvis faced, especially later in his life. This is done delicately and respectfully, heavily contrasting the aforementioned 'Pam and Tommy'.

The Apprentice

Yet again, Sebastian Stan stars in this one. This man really can't stay away from a risky project, can he? Ali Abbasi's 2024 'The Apprentice' is a biopic following Donald Trump's life as he was mentored by cutthroat lawyer Roy Cohn.

It documents the rise of Trump, from his early days in real estate to his rocky marriage with his first wife, Ivana, played by Maria Bakalova. The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, with Stan saying that almost immediately after the movie was shown, a cease and desist was sent out. With reviews varying from terrible to amazing, responses were mixed. Trump himself called it 'fake and classless', claiming that it 'belonged in a dumpster fire'. In response to the cease and desist, the movie's producers said 'we want everyone to see it and then decide.'

Being screened only months before the 2024 election, it was accused of being defamatory by many. This is a tough one to decide on, and I'm honestly not completely sure whether or not it was fair. Whilst most of the movie's contents are true, certain parts are dramatized.

I've watched this, and personally, I think it's a well-made movie, just made at the wrong time. It does seem highly strange to release something like this while Trump was in the process of running for president.

Conclusion

So... Should unauthorised biopics be made? It's a difficult question to answer, as it really depends on the content. It's globally known how difficult Pamela Anderson's scandal was for her; she's even called it 'career-ruining', and yet somebody thought it was appropriate to monetize that?

I just don't think it's right.