By Staci Layne Wilson
@StaciWilson

Liars are everywhere in our everyday existence – politicians, attorneys, children, spouses, and even in the mirror. An extensive 2002 study by University of Massachusetts’s Robert Feldman found that people told two lies in a 10-minute conversation, and 10 lies per week on average. (What with the surge of social media in the past 12 years, this number has surely increased.) Usually, these are harmless “little white lies” spoken to spare another person’s feelings or to save ourselves a scolding. From the recent public embarrassment of hotshot news correspondent Brian Williams, to the hilarious character of Tommy Flanagan played by Jon Lovitz on “Saturday Night Live,” there’s no shortage of untruths.

True Story is all about lies. This drama starring frequent collaborators James Franco and Jonah Hill shows two very interesting sides of the same falsehood – not just the kinds we tell others, but the ones we tell ourselves.

Michael Finkel (Hill) is a roving reporter for The New York Times whose sensational cover stories have made him famous in his field. But when it’s discovered that he’s stretched the truth on his most recent star-making feature, he’s disgraced and summarily sacked. Jobless and rudderless, he returns home to his wife (Felicity Jones) in Montana and tries to start over. But he’s a pariah. No one wants to be associated with the name “Michael Finkel” – except for one person.

That person is Christian Longo (Franco), the suspected murderer of his own wife and three young children. When Longo is apprehended in Mexico, he’s going by Mike Finkel, his favorite writer’s name. Intrigued, the real Finkel sets out to meet Longo in prison. In his introductory letter to the cunning criminal, Finkel states, “At the same time you were using my name, I lost my own. I am sort of seeking to find out who I really am.” And so, the two men become friends of sorts. But what’s the bedrock of their relationship? Lots and lots of lies.

True Story, based on Finkel’s bestselling memoir of the same name, is an incredibly thought-provoking and intriguing tale. Understated in spite of its sensational subject matter, it’s a well-made if somewhat humdrum movie. It’s nicely-acted, shot in an almost vague nouvelle style with its use of natural light and fly-on-the-wall feel, and of course the plot is innately captivating. It falls short of the mark when it comes to trickery; there’s no suspense, as it’s quite clear who’s lying and why. Personally, I would have preferred a deeper delve into the psychological aspects of the motivations behind this bizarre bromance rather than just seeing what happened. Everyone goes as expected from Point A to Point B. Director Rupert Goold, whose only previous credits are Shakespeare adaptations for the British theater, makes True Story seem more like a play than a cinematic experience.

If you’re interested in the tete-a-tete between novices and narcissists (the TV series “Hannibal” comes to mind), True Story is a good one to keep on your radar when it comes to VOD — but don’t spend big bucks for the big screen.
Rated R

1 Hour 40 Minutes

TRUE STORY Review