Telling Lies in America

Interesting and well done look at the American pop scene in the sexy sixties. Featuring a oversexed, insecure loser named Karchy who teams up with another oversexed loser disc jockey intent on preying and playing just one more gig in the nowhere business of top 40 music. The charismatic DJ, a burned out cynic, has a history of using unpopular teens to make illegal profits or to cheat them in business deals; which, of course, continues as he rolls into a new town amid a flurry of excitement and adulation. As the rollicking DJ and the impressionable teen play out their drama, another is occurring as Karchy tries to woo an older woman who, for some reason, shows an interest in the love struck teen. Different from most of the gunk coming out today: well worth seeing.

Yes, I live in Northeast Ohio, but that's not the only reason I truly enjoyed this movie. The daughter of an acquaintance, 'Giggly Girl' Angelique Osborne, had a tiny part and I originally watched to see her. Now every time Bravo plays this movie on IFC Fridays, the phone comes off the hook, the popcorn is popped and I get good and comfy. The sentiment portrayed here, although it's roughly 15 years before my time, pulls me right in. The struggles of wanting to feel important (or at least to fit in), where to draw the lines of loyalty and figuring out what makes any of us happy are timeless. It never occurs to me that I'm watching Kevin Bacon or Brad Renfro. They become their characters. (Kevin Bacon proves he has a range most people don't realize and Brad Renfro, although beautiful to look at, also has that un-namable quality that makes you feel you're watching a future legend. Let's pray he finds his way safely.) Just as you never think about the set or the camera during a genuinely good movie, all the components of Telling Lies in America flow beautifully.

After reading some of the other reviews here, it seems some people can't be entertained with a good story and good acting. Some movies don't have to resort to the typical Hollywood recipe in order to leave a positive imprint in your mind. Too bad you have such a short attention span.

In the early 1960s, Cleveland, Ohio immigrant teenager Brad Renfro (as Karchy Jonas) struggles with adolescence and assimilation. Mr. Renfro is working on eradicating the remnants of his Hungarian accent (his "th" sound). Meanwhile, slick disc jockey Kevin Bacon (as Billy Magic) arrives in town (one step ahead of the law), to spin "sweaty collar and dirty fingernail music" on the local rock 'n' roll radio station. Mr. Bacon is a payola player, who needs an underage kid to handle money illegal exchanges. When Renfro cheats on a radio contest, Bacon offers him big bucks to serve as "unwitting accomplice"...

Bacon swaggers through his role with perfection. And, Renfro is incredible, in a very difficult role; capturing the vulnerability of youth, as he struggles to both adopt and resist Bacon's seductive persona. Calista Flockhart (as Diney Majeski) is very effective, as Renfro's "older woman" love interest. Their performances should have received some award consideration. Maximilian Schell (as Istvan Jonas) would have been more believable as Renfro's grandfather, to support the obviously wider than envisioned cultural gap between the characters. A few of the scenes are silly, but many more work, due to director Guy Ferland and his convincing cast.

"I make things up sometimes," Renfro reveals. Don't we all. "Telling Lies in America" certainly breaks no new ground - but, it revisits cinematic themes in great style. The film builds to a fine conclusion, and the music is terrific.

******** Telling Lies in America (8/2/97) Guy Ferland ~ Brad Renfro, Kevin Bacon, Calista Flockhart, Maximilian Schell

"Telling Lies in America" is a film that seems to have gone directly to video. It certainly deserved a wider audience because what Guy Ferland, the director does with the screen play Joe Eszterhas wrote for the film. Mr. Eszterhas is a man that can write, although some of his efforts have misfired.

If you haven't seen the film, perhaps you should stop reading here.

The basic problem with the film is the casting of Brad Renfro as the main character of the film. While this actor is not a bad actor, he seems miscast as this Karchy Jonas. Most comments in this forum focus on the fact Karchy has no accent, but having been in Cleveland for about seven years, explain that he already has a command of the language. Yes, he might stumble upon certain words, as shown in the film, but basically the character is believable. The only thing is that Mr. Renfro looks an older fourteen, rather than the seventeen he is in the film.

This fact becomes painfully apparent in his relationship with Diney, and with the older woman Billy decides to have him experience sex for the first time. We are not saying it's not possible, because it can easily have been the case, which might have been derived from an experience of Mr. Eszterhas life.

The other thing that doesn't ring true is the relationship between Karchy and his father. It appears that he can do whatever he wants and it's OK with the old man. Usually in the case of immigrant families, it's just the opposite. People immigrating to this country tend to be more protective, demanding discipline and obedience that is nowhere to be seen in the film. Also, Karchy's behavior in school would have probably grounded him forever, but it never comes into play.

The marvelous Kevin Bacon is the best asset this film has going for itself. Not only is Mr. Bacon the most versatile of the current actors working in films, he brings such an intelligent take to his take on Billy Magic, the DJ of the local radio station that sees right through the lies Karchy Jonas tells. Being a liar himself, Billy can pick a liar whenever he sees one, as is the case when he meets Jonas. Billy Magic has no scruples. He takes money from the record companies, but he has Karchy pick the envelopes.

The cast is good. Maximilian Schell, plays the father, Dr. Jonas, a man so decent, one wonders where did Karchy go wrong. He seems to be a loving father, albeit a distant one. Is it perhaps the fact that the son has embraced the American culture with too much gusto? That might explain the difference, although Karchy is never disrespectful to the old man.

Calista Flockhart is seen as Diney, the mousy worker at the poultry shop where young Karchy works after school. Ms. Flockhart is perfect as the older girl that inspires love in the young man. Luke Wilson is seen as the man in charge of the shop. Paul Dooley makes a wonderful Father Norton, the man who dares put Karchy in his place.

Notable in the film is the use of the popular songs that one hears in the sound track. It made perfect sense the use of those tunes since the background is a popular radio station that catered to teenagers.

This is a film that should be seen by more people because of the good work the director and screen writer have done.

This is a charming movie that touches upon payola in the 60's. Bacon takes money for overplaying a song on radio, thus boosting its ratings, and uses Renfro as a go-between for these dealings so that the money never goes direct from sponsor to Bacon. After a while Renfro becomes bolder as some of Bacon's attitude rubs off on him. He starts lying about his background, car and things he's done to impress those around him. But he finally quits when he realizes that these 'white' lies hurt as well as the 'black' ones. When the FBI decide to pressure Renfro into giving evidence against Bacon by speaking to the judge during his naturalization proceedings, things take an interesting twist as the judge, before the proceedings, speak to Renfro alone and have a little chat about George Washington and the cherry tree. Won't spoil it by telling you what it is, but watch and find out, as it has a bearing on the movie as well. Calista Flockhart puts up a pretty convincing performance as well.