Summary

• A Man in Full is not based on a true story, despite its realistic portrayal of modern-day Atlanta.
• The Netflix series adapts Tom Wolfe's novel, but features a different ending and fewer plot points.
• Charlie Croker in A Man in Full was inspired by real Atlanta businessmen but is a fictional character.

The new Netflix limited series A Man in Full has a realistic story that takes place in modern-day Atlanta. A Man in Full is the latest series created by the acclaimed television writer and showrunner David E. Kelly, whose previous works include Big Little Lies (2017 - 2019), Ally McBeal (1997 - 2002), L.A. Law (1986 - 1992), Goliath (2016 - 2021), Love & Death (2023), and The Lincoln Lawyer (2022 - 2023). The series was adapted from the 1998 novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe, author of classic books such as The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968) and The Right Stuff (1979).

A Man in Full's cast features an impressive ensemble that includes Diane Lane (Man of Steel), Tom Pelphrey (Ozark), Bill Camp (The Queen's Gambit), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill), Wiliam Jackson Harper (The Good Place), and Sarah Jones (For All Mankind). Despite the impressive cast, A Man in Full's mixed reviews indicate a divided response among critics to Daniels' first project with Netflix. By the end of A Man in Full, Charlie Croker's debts finally catch up with him. Ultimately, as everything in the Atlanta-based real estate mogul's world starts to unravel and fall apart, Charlie's personality and drive inspire him to give everything he's got until the wheels come off.

A Man In Full Is Not Based On A True Story

The series does a good job of blending with real institutions

Although A Man in Full is based on Tom Wolfe's novel and has a very realistic look and tone, the Netflix limited series is not based on a true story. The so-called 60 Minute Man is a work of fiction although he was loosely inspired by a general type of Atlanta businessmen. The series does an excellent job at incorporating real-life offices and institutions within its narrative, tying in, for example, Georgia Tech, one of the most prestigious and biggest universities in the Southern United States, as well as the actual government buildings in Fulton County, Georgia.

A Man in Full features two somewhat disjointed main stories, one that revolves around the downfall of Charlie Croker leaving well beyond his means, and the other that showcases the grim realities of a hate-fueled prison sentence after a boiling-hot police confrontation. There doesn't appear to be much thematic overlap between the two narratives, one of which finds Charlie well within his lavish life as a billionaire. There is, however, a stark contrast between the opportunities and resources that Charlie is given versus Conrad, the good person who made a bad decision and ends up behind bars because of an incumbent judge's abuse of power.

A Man In Full Is An Adaptation Of The Novel By Tom Wolfe

Wolfe's book features many more plot points than the series

While A Man in Full is based on Wolfe's classic book, there are several changes to Charlie Croker's character and the overall plot. For example, the ending of A Man in Full is much different than the one Wolfe had originally written. Wolfe's book also features many more plot points, such as an earthquake and a prison escape, two major events that certainly did not have space to fit in the series' limited 6 episodes. The Netflix series could have been much broader in scope but decided to narrowly focus on the trials and tribulations of Charlie and Conrad, two characters who interestingly never meet face to face.

A Man in Full is arguably not even Tom Wolfe's best-known work, which makes it an interesting choice for a Netflix adaptation. The book is a whopping 370,000 words and took Wolfe eleven years to complete. Wolfe's first novel, The Bonfire of Vanities, is widely considered his best. It was published in 1987 and was adapted into a feature film starring Tom Hanks and Melanie Griffith. Wolfe wrote his last novel in 2012 titled Back to Blood, which was far less commercially successful than A Man in Full. He died in 2018.

Charlie Croker Was Inspired By Several Atlanta Businessmen

Charlie would have been in a very elite real-life social sphere

Charlie Croker shared some similarities with a group of Atlanta-based businessmen. For example, Charlie played football for Georgia Tech, just like the real-life businessmen Taz Anderson and Charles Loudermilk, both of whom went to Georgia Tech and blew out their knees (via Atlanta Magazine). There are also loose associations with the Atlanta-based architect/developer John Portman, who also ran into financial complications and debt. Loudermilk, Tom Cousins, and Rankin Smith, all incredibly wealthy businessmen, all had quail hunting plantations. Charlie Croker was just a fictional character in A Man in Full, but represented real-life bigwigs.

Source: Atlanta Magazine