These films failed to reveal the identity and history of their characters. 
Whenever someone in the world plans to make a new biopic about the life of an interesting person, we don't always get Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody or Stephen Hawking's Universe. Unfortunately, quite passable biopics are made about many worthy people, where the actors are chosen poorly, and real events are followed with large inaccuracies, and in general the level of production is lame.
Like film adaptations or historical films, biopics periodically fail, despite the big names in the credits or the big name of the person the film is about. Here are just 10 such cases when audience and critical reviews speak for themselves.
Deadly Number (2007) 
The film about the famous illusionist Harry Houdini with a star cast of Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones and young Saoirse Ronan was crushed by Western audiences. Critics complained about the poor acting and the sketchy fakeness of everything that was happening.
Where the story of Harry Houdini is shown better: the mini-series “Houdini” (2014) starring Adrien Brody.
Diana: A Love Story (2013) 
The film is about the last two years of the life of Princess Diana (played by Naomi Watts) and her affair with surgeon Hasnat Khan. The film received very poor reviews for its ridiculous plot and poor cinematography.
Where the story of Princess Diana is shown better: Season 3 of The Crown (2016-...), where the role of Diana is played by Emma Corrin. We also still recommend watching the film “Spencer” (2021), where the role of Diana is played by Kristen Stewart. In the West, the film was not received so badly, and Stewart was even nominated for an Oscar.
Jobs: Empire of Temptation (2013) 
The film about Steve Jobs, played by Ashton Kutcher, has been criticized for its superficiality, historical inaccuracies and failure to show Jobs as the iconic figure he has become in the world's consciousness.
Where the story of Steve Jobs is shown better: the film "Steve Jobs" (2015) starring Michael Fassbender.
Liz and Dick (2012) 
The direct-to-TV film focuses on the romance between the legendary Elizabeth Taylor (Lindsay Lohan) and actor Richard Burton. Critics raved about the film, calling it "ridiculously inept" and so terrible "you'll have to put ice on your face when it's over because you'll be wincing for two hours."
Where the story of Elizabeth Taylor is shown better: the film Burton and Taylor (2013) starring Helena Bonham Carter.
David Bowie. Man from the Star (2020) 
The hope that the Bowie film would become a new Bohemian Rhapsody was dashed. Firstly, the film did not feature the performer’s original music, and secondly, he was played by the diligent, but unlike a musician, Johnny Flynn. As a result, the film, according to critics, was unable to convey the specifics of David Bowie, so it will be incomprehensible to both fans and casual viewers.
Where the story of David Bowie is shown better: the documentary film “David Bowie: Five Years” (2013) about the five most important years in the musician’s career. But humanity has yet to make good feature films about Bowie.
I Saw the Light (2015) 
The film tells the story of country musician Hank Williams, and stars Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen. However, despite the bright actors, the film was received coldly - critics noted the weak atmosphere and the absence of any “spark”. On aggregators, the film has an average audience rating below 6 out of 10.
Where a similar story is shown better: There have been no other famous films about Hank Williams, but you can watch an excellent biopic about another country singer Johnny Cash and the same era in Walk the Line (2005) starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon . Or the successful film “Coal Miner's Daughters” (1980) about country singer Loretta Lynn.
The Conqueror (1956) 
The film is considered one of the worst in the history of cinema. The film was especially criticized for its casting - Genghis Khan was played by Hollywood actor John Wayne, who later himself admitted that he was not suitable for this role. The Conqueror was also criticized for the incoherence of the plot and the absurdity of the main character.
Where the story of Temujin/Genghis Khan is shown better: the feature film “Mongol” (2007) by Sergei Bodrov Sr., or the documentary film “BBC: Genghis Khan” (2005).
Streltsov (2020) 
The film with Alexander Petrov in the role of the famous Soviet football player Eduard Streltsov was heavily criticized for its secondary nature, historical inaccuracies and silence about some of the nuances of the dramatic life of the athlete. Also, the scenes with football matches are filmed unclearly and much less exciting than in the same “Moving Up”.
Where the story of Eduard Streltsov is shown better: the series “In the constellation Sagittarius” (2015) with Dmitry Vlaskin in the title role.
Tesla (2020) 
The film about the relationship between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison with Ethan Hawke in the title role did not go well with viewers with an average rating of around 5 out of 10, although critics were not so categorical.
Where Nikola Tesla is shown better: the film “Current War” (2017) with Benedict Cumberbatch received higher ratings from viewers, and Tesla also appeared in the film “The Prestige” (2006), where he was played by David Bowie.
Klimt (2005) 
Critics called the film about the life of the Austrian symbolist artist Gustav Klimt, performed by John Malkovich, cold and unnecessarily difficult to watch due to a vague storyline. The only positive thing about the film was its visual design.
Where the life of a famous artist is better revealed: the films “Modigliani” (2004), “Frida” (2002) and the experimental “Van Gogh. With love, Vincent" (2017). We also advise you to watch the film “Woman in Gold” (2015), where the center of the plot is Klimt’s painting “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I”.
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