The Whole Truth

How this movie made it into the Seattle International Film Festival I'll never understand. It's not that I didn't like the subject matter or disagreed with the point of view, it's more like... well, it had no point of view. It had no point! I got the feeling that the cast and crew of The Whole Truth were involved in some kind of inside joke that the audience wasn't privy to. I felt sorry for Elisabeth Rohm because she is such a good actor, but the role and how she was instructed to play it was totally ludicrous. It was beneath her and she should have never accepted the part. I'm sorry to say this but the director/writer Colleen Patrick should be embarrassed. Check out the audience comments on the SIFF web site http://www.siff.net/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=29098&FID=123 for more info.

THE WHOLE TRUTH is a unique comedy. The premise of an acting teacher who coaches defendants to transform themselves into the appearance of innocence is completely original. Actress Elisabeth Rohm (in a departure from dramatic roles like LAW AND ORDER) portrays a self-deluded acting coach with touches of Carole Lombard, Lucille Ball, and the young Diane Keaton. In a surprising turn Eric Roberts plays a foreign mobster who is both scary and hilarious. For those familiar with Roberts playing dark dramatic characters, this role will be a revelation. Sean Patrick Flanery (BOONDOCK SAINTS) is a once successful television actor who has hit a rough patch. The superb supporting cast includes comic actors Rick Overton as a henchman, John Fugelsang as a prosecuting attorney, and Jim Holmes as an ethically challenged defense attorney. Beneath the comedy is a commentary on how easily justice can be "gamed" by the unscrupulous.

I'm truly puzzled by some of the negative responses from some at the Seattle Film Festival. The audience I saw it with (there were two screenings) was entertained. THE WHOLE TRUTH is that rare PG comedy for adult sensibilities.

There are some movies that start badly, but make me hope for something worth staying for. Sometimes I am rewarded, sometimes I end up just satisfied enough and sometimes I just laugh at the train wreck that is unfolding before me...

...and sometimes, I get to the 30 minute mark and realize that the movie was always dead on arrival, and that there really isn't even a shred of hope.

Welcome to "The Whole Truth".

The "You're lucky I'm not Korean" line (spoken to a dog...oh, I get it!) was one of many painful and embarrassingly bad attempts at humor. I mean without exaggeration that the writing is truly cringe-worthy. Ever watch amateur comedians flop on stage and feel embarrassed for them? Yeah...it's that bad.

I heard a few quiet (and possibly just nervous/embarrassed) giggles in the first half hour. For a movie that promised "rapid-fire" laughs, there was a painful amount of silence in the theatre.

Additionally, the soundtrack was right out of a sitcom pilot that never got picked up for a first season, the acting was forced and brutally unfunny, and the general feel of the movie was that of a decent concept given terribly amateur treatment.

Oddly, I read a comment about a test screening that went really well. The audience at the (sold out!) Seattle Int'l Film Festival screening would probably beg to differ, and the reviews on the SIFF site are very telling.

I would have been very curious to see the Q&A session after the movie. I can't help but wonder if anything of interest was said. Did the filmmakers receive any honest feedback? I've heard that Sundance audiences have actually booed and hissed at selected screenings...I've never seen that happen here.

Then again, I had to leave at the 30 minute mark. I couldn't take it anymore.

Elisabeth Rohm stars in "The Whole Truth" from 2009, also starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Eric Roberts, and Tin Tin, a dog who is the best actor in the film.

The premise is a funny one: an acting coach, Angela Masters, prepares defendants for court, making them look and sound amazing so that they are found not guilty. One of her clients is a Russian mobster, played by Eric Roberts.

The only problem with this movie is its horrific direction. It is so over the top that it is embarrassing. Elisabeth Rohm, a good actress, a beautiful woman, screams and shouts her way through her role. Eric Roberts hams it up but good. If the movie had been toned down a little, it would have been so much better.

Only Sean Patrick Flannery and Tin Tin the dog emerge with their dignity intact. Pisay Pao, who plays Angela's maid, is good, but I think I missed something. From what I can gather, she pretends to be her own, elderly aunt, and when Angela is out of the house, she is her young self, seeing clients in an office. It took me the whole movie to figure out her profession. I think it was financial planning.

Not recommended unless your idea of comedy is overdone performances.

If you have time to kill you might enjoy laughing at the movie. Not with the movie.