The Whole Truth

Ramsey (Keanu Reeves) defends his teen age client, Mike (Gabriel Basso), who is accused of killing his father Boone Lassiter (Jim Belushi). The problem is that Mike has confessed to killing his father, but won't confide in his lawyer. Oh, oh, this can't be good.

This one will keep you guessing trying to figure out who is lying and Ramsey believes everyone lies. He takes on Janelle (Gugu Mbatha- Raw) a lawyer who is known for her bullshit monitor – she can tell who is lying. So we go round and round trying to figure this all out. Is Mike, the son, protecting his mother Loretta (Rene Zellweger) or is she protecting him? Or is it something else? Inquiring minds want to know.

It's really good courtroom drama, but we just cannot come to a conclusion. Can you?.

Near the end Janelle comes to a conclusion. Will your conclusion be the same or is she wrong? Hmmm……… There is good suspense and the acting is very good all around. Will your conclusion change when Mike does take the stand and talks? Hmmm……...

Is there a twist you ask? Of course there is and it will shock you.

There is suspense, but no real tension. But wait, wait, that tension comes at the very last scene, but then everything fades to black. Sorry. It's over. But now you know. ('bout time) (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: Kind of as seen from a distance by a neighbor. Nudity: No. Language: No.

An easy watch, you don't have to concentrate too much and I was able to check my phone, make a cup of tea etc without missing anything important. It's not a bad movie and a kind of interesting storyline, but I felt there could have been more.. or it could have been longer. It ended a bit oddly, and as a mother reviewer said, it feels like it ended in the middle of the story.

All of the characters had potential for more development, and to dig a bit deeper into their background, lives and their future. Especially the Mother, and the son. Nobody really stood out as the main characters.

Perhaps the story could have been better as a short series. I expected a bit more intensity.

Courtroom dramas are interesting and this one is a fine addition. Nothing that fancy or over- stylish, it's basically very straightforward and has a simple style. But, that's OK because it works for this film. It doesn't try to be anything it isn't. The scenarios and the dialogue is all very well handled and thought out. It makes you think twice a few times as well.

Some scenes really work and have great tension and intrigue. Especially whenever there is a court scene. Some aspects would have been nice to have seen explored more like when they explain how to tell if someone is lying when testifying.

Keanu Reeves does a good job here and isn't so stale like some people like to say he usually is. There might be some truth in that for some films, but here you can see that he stepped up his effort. The role was originally set to be played by Daniel Craig, and I can definitely see how his acting style would have worked well for the character. It's a shame he dropped out last minute, but Reeves makes the character his own and you can understand his motivations.

The ending was unexpected and included a strange little twist which the movie could have done without and still worked well and perhaps in some ways been more effective.

The film is interesting if you want a mystery with some turns and it has some captivating courthouse scenes which are in some moments disturbing.

First of all, I have to say that I am glad I skimmed through some of the other user reviews. Those "thumbs up" reviews encouraged me to take a look at this film. That, and the fact that I always love seeing Keanu on the screen. I think "The Whole Truth" is an okay movie. Nothing special, but watchable.

Secondly, I want to say that whomever it was who composed the film score is responsible---- immensely so---- for distracting me from my complete enjoyment of the film. Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle go the piano keys. It got so annoying, at times all II could think about was "Who in the heck thought this constant 'drama' music was needed?"

What really got to me, though, was how I kept thinking the kid's Mom reminded me so much of Renee Zellweger. At one point I even asked myself, "Does this actress find it hard to get work simply because she is such a dopplegänger for Zellweger?"

Hahaha. The joke is on me. IT IS Renee! I swear I didn't know, until I looked at the cast and credits. My jaw hit the ground. Wow. Oh, Renee. You and Jennifer Grey. Why? WHY?

I'm glad I didn't know during the movie, as then I would have been too focused on why in the hell Renee would have something done which would so drastically alter her appearance. I liked her the way she was.

There's nothing like a good courtroom thriller. The thing I love about them is that everything can't possible be as it seems, because otherwise there would be no point in making the movie. There's nothing at all interesting about a straightforward court case, however one with a twist is a thing to behold. The only problem with this is that a lot of them end up getting rated purely on the strength of their twist. Everything that has happened up until that point can tend to be forgotten. That's sort of the case again here. A solid, but not stunning movie comes alive with a very strong ending, and it certainly adds some plus points to the final opinion of the film.

I tend to really like Keanu Reeves thrillers. A lot of his dramas and sci-fi films are completely forgettable, but when he signs on to a thriller it often seems to turn out very good. Renee Zellweger on the other hand is far from a personal favourite of mine. She has a serious lack of charisma and her appearance change is very distracting in this film. I feel like there are a lot of actresses who could have done a better job in this role.

'The Whole Truth' is a film that is entertaining throughout, partly because you are almost certain there is a twist coming, and partly because the story is well written and movies at a good pace. Then at the end it goes Bang! I really enjoyed this film and I think any thriller lovers out there will have a good time with it too.