I think I've mentioned before how much I hate the phrase "based on a true story." However, I cannot for the life of me find where I've discussed it before. The phrase has all the significance and meaning of the phrase "I'm sorry if you took offense" or "your call is important to us." Simply being "based" on a true story could be "we gathered every detail we could and stuck as true to the story as possible while filling in holes with what experts believe happened" or simply "eh, in both stories there's a guy with brown hair."
As much as I loved Robin Williams, I have to admit that the liberties taken with the movies he's starred in has always bugged me, but I think the phrase "based on a true story" lost all meaning for me when it started being applied to Hollywood horror films involving possessions and ghosts. It turns out the MPAA doesn't regulate the use of the phrase "based on a true story," so anybody can use it wherever they want.
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| "Based on a true story." |
So on that note, let's discuss
The Bank Job.
