Donnersberg's line to Max that Chancellor Murkel asked him if he likes potato soup is based on a real-life quote from Angela Merkel from an RTL interview from 2009. One of the final questions from the co-host was, what Angela Merkel likes to cook in her leisure time. Among others, Merkel replied, that she can make good potato soup, which her guests enjoy.
While the news articles in the movie are based on real articles, the names of the newspapers featuring in the movie are parodying actual German press:
- The daily newspaper "Bild" (picture) is named "Blitzkurier" (Lightning courier).
- The weekly boulevard journal "Gala" is named "Galant" (gallant).
- The weekly news journal "Stern" (Star) is named "Wochenstern" (weekly star).
- The financial newspaper "Financial Times" is named "Financial News".
- The weekly news journal "Der Spiegel" (The mirror) is named "Der Montag" (The Monday), in reference to the publication day of "Der Spiegel".
- "Die Welt" (the world) is named "Deutschland Presse (Germany Press)", the globe from the original logo is not included.
- The weekly boulevard journal "Bunte" (Colourful) is named "Kolorierte" (the colorized).
- The daily newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Southgerman Newspaper) is named "Die Morgenzeitung" (The morning newspaper).
- The daily Newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine" (Frankfurt General Newspaper) is named "Der Blickwinkel" (The perspective). The fonts are similar to "Neues Deutschland" (New Germany), another daily Newspaper.
The quote by Angela Murkel that some things people don't want to know how they are made, laws, war and sausages, is based on an actual quote by former Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. A similar line was also used in The West Wing (1999).
During the movie the following real-life characters are mentioned or parodied: Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg (as Franz-Ferdinand von und zu Donnersberg), his wife Stephanie zu Guttenberg (parodied as Victoria von und zu Donnersberg), his father Enoch zu Guttenberg (parodied as Rochus von und zu Donnersberg), Guttenberg's professor Peter Häberle (parodied as Dr. Dr. Joseph Himmel), his later biographer and journalist Giovanni di Lorenzo (mentioned by Max as an 'italian editor at a weekly newspaper'), Angela Merkel (parodied as Angela Murkel), Kai Dickmann (parodied as Jan Breitmann), his wife Katja Kessler (parodied as Karin Breitmann), Guido Westerwelle (parodied as Guide Wellerweste), Wolfgang Schäuble (parodied as Wolfgang Schäuffele), Johannes B. Kerner (parodied as Kerrmann) Gerhard Schröder (mentioned only as Gerhard), Guttenberg's predecessor Martin Glos (mentioned only as Martin), former chancellor Helmut Schmidt, President of Germany Christian Wulff (named as Christian Wuff), minister of health Ulla Schmidt (mentioned by Murkel as the "special school teacher, who is responsible for the health"), minister of agriculture Ilse Aigner (mentioned by Horst simply as "Ilse" and by Murkel as the radio technician, who is responsible for the agriculture"), former minister of defense Rudolf Scharping (mentioned as Rudolf who was photographed in a swimming pool with his girlfriend, a actual event from 2001), former commander of the ship "Gorch Fock" Norbert Schatz (mentioned as the captain of the "Forch Gock", who was fired by Guttenberg in real life), Tom Cruise, Ralf Möller (mentioned as the bodybuilder, also in footage), Stefan Raab (named as Sebastian Staab), TV-show host Günther Jauch, Thomas Gottschalk (in footage), polar bear Knut (who was big in the news after his birth in the Zoo Berlin), and Kaiser Franz Joseph I. Also (mostly) uncredited parody versions of minister president of Bavaria Horst Seehofer (adressed as Horst by Murkel), Peer Steinbrück (also mentioned by Murkel as the "sociologist, who is responsible for the finances"), Andrea Ypsilanti, Annette Schavan, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Angela Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer is also portrayed in the movie as Murkel's husband but he has very little resemblance to the real Sauer, also because he is barely seen on public events with his wife.
Franz-Ferdinand is portrayed in the movie having one son, Franz Josef Junior. His real-life prototype Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg had no son but two daughters who were born in 2001 (like Franz Josef in the movie) and 2002.