Larger-than-life true stories are catnip for Hollywood, as if “this really happened” imprints lend more gravitas and import than fictional narratives that are potentially just as trenchant or more so. The problem therein lies not only with doing the story justice, but seeing beyond the compelling details and transforming them into something with moving dramatic heft, with the freedom of fiction often being a much more pliant tool. And like most alluring substances, the attracting agents within the true story can be blinding.
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