10 Movies That Ruined Real Life People's Reputations
5. Cinderella Man - Max Baer
Ron Howard's riveting sports drama offers up a spirited biopic of boxing champion James J. Braddock, though isn't quite so charitable when it comes to depicting Braddock's final opponent, heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko).
Baer is basically portrayed as a caricature of his actual self - a prototypical sporting villain intended to amp up the film's underdog story through-line. Baer is presented as a cruel and callous man who took relish in killing two of his opponents in the ring.
In reality, Baer was actually an extremely popular fighter at his peak, and though he did indeed beat a fellow combatant, Frankie Campbell, to death in the ring, his son has insisted this incident haunted Baer for his remaining years, prompting him to donate money periodically to Campbell's family.
The Hollywood version of Baer is largely a fabrication because it weaves a more immediately dramatic story than Braddock simply triumphing over a nice, well-liked opponent.