Telling Lies in America

Yes, the movie deals tangentially with the payola scandals of the 50's (truly a big problem in the entertainment industry), but only as one of the many lies hinted at in the title.

The two main characters (Renfro and Bacon) do *nothing* but lie. They are balanced by the purity of the other characters (Flockhart and Schell).

Schell's character was a little underwhelming and the work by Renfro was, at times, uneven, but both were generally excellent. My only other quibble was with the settings of the film. As a Clevelander (where the story takes place and the film was shot), it's easy to understand the where the scenes took place and how the story was built around them, but I'm not sure that an "outsider" would understand the implications to the story of those different locations (the neighborhoods, the market, etc.).

The real find is Calista Flockhart. She gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, sweeter and deeper than anything you'll see on Ally McBeal. Interestingly, Flockhart spent time working on stage at the Cleveland Playhouse, so was well-suited for the role in a way.

Joe Eszterhas is not exactly known for his subtlety, but this movie is a small triumph for him and portends better things from his pen in the future.

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.

Telling Lies in America is a semi historically accurate examination of the late 50s/early 60s payola scandal told via a fictitious hustling DJ Billie Magic (Kevin Bacon) who comes to a Cleveland Top 40 radio station as his 4th station in 3 years. His tactic: hire a high school boy via a "Man of the School" competition won via the kid voted in the most mailed-in post cards. Billy rightly figures the winner usually forged most of the signatures and so would be the ideal young bag man for the payola cash envelopes.

Enter 17 year old Hungarian refugee Karchy Jonas (Brad Renfro) eager to graduate and be popular at an exclusive Catholic school that his law professor father Istvan Jonas (Maximillian Schell) struggles to afford via a working class job. Billy showers Karchy with high pay, fancy meals, offers of entry to Broadcasting School, lets him drive his fancy Cadillac convertible and hires a classy hooker to seduce him. Karchy falls for an older girl Diney (Calister Flockhart) at his previous work and gets a record contract via Billy for his black singer friend Amos (Damien Fletcher). When the police come investigating Billy, they threaten Karchy and his dad with being denied US citizenship if he doesn't implicate Billy in payola. You will have to watch the movie to see with how Karchy threads that needle.

The movie is carried by Bacon who knocks it out if the park as the epitome of a sleazy morally bankrupt DJ. Schell is solid as always. Renfro by then was a Hollywood darling at only 14 with all the right looks. Whilst he's a great actor, he's a bit out of place in this movie trying to play a high school senior and a Hungarian refugee supposedly only in the US for seven years. And having him dating Flockhart's character when Calista was almost 20 years older than Brad....hmmm, somewhat of a casting mismatch. Overall an OK movie with a cool ending.

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.