The Devil Wears Prada 2 was recently released in theaters, and it is tearing up the box office—earning $253 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Like its predecessor, the sequel stars Meryl Streep as Miranda, whose character is loosely based on fashion media mogul Anna Wintour. We wondered why filmmakers opt for movies loosely based on real-life figures instead of going the route of biopics. Loosely based is not a novel path. The 1941 film, Citizen Kane, stars Orson Welles as a publishing tycoon whose character is modeled on media magnate William Randolph Hearst. “Rocky,” Sylvester Stallone’s character from the eponymous movies dating back to 1976, is inspired by boxer Chuck Wepner. Join us on this episode of the Cup of Tea Critiques Podcast as we discuss the advantages and drawbacks of films loosely based on real-life figures.

Send us a comment to let us know your favorite movie that was loosely based on a real person.

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Chaisson, Reba. “Eye Two Times Mouth makes thematic use of light.” Cup of Tea Critiques (June 21 2023). https://www.cupofteacritiques.com/shortfilms/eye-two-times-mouth/.

Leeds, Sarene. “41 Movies Based on True Stories You Won’t Be Able to Stop Thinking About.” Readers Digest (January 29 2025). https://www.rd.com/list/movies-based-on-true-stories/.

Mackelden, Amy. “True Crime Books That Inspired Our Favorite Movies and TV Shows.” Biography (September 28 2023). https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/g45243653/true-crime-books-movies-and-tv-shows/.

Stefansky, Emma. “10 Movies You Never Knew Were Based on Real People.” ScreenCrush (February 27 2026). https://screencrush.com/surprising-movies-based-on-real-people/.

Weinfurter, Molly. “Movies You Didn't Know Were Based On Real People.” Ranker (April 15 2025). https://www.ranker.com/list/movies-surprisingly-based-on-real-people/molly-weinfurter/.

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