The Trouble with the Truth

The Trouble with the Truth is a deeply intimate and dialogue-driven film that plays more like a stage play than a traditional cinematic experience - and that's exactly its strength. Centered almost entirely around a conversation between two former lovers reuniting over dinner, the film explores love, choices, and the complex passage of time.

The writing is sharp and honest, capturing the nuance of adult relationships without resorting to melodrama. John Shea and Lea Thompson deliver wonderfully understated performances, imbuing their characters with warmth, regret, and realism. The chemistry between them makes every line feel authentic and lived-in.

While minimalist in setting and style, the emotional depth more than makes up for the simplicity. It's a quiet film that asks big questions, and it does so with grace and intelligence.

For viewers who enjoy thoughtful, character-driven dramas with a focus on meaningful dialogue, The Trouble with the Truth is a hidden gem.

While attending the 2012 Sedona International Film Festival it was impossible to ignore the definite buzz in the air about Writer/ Director Jim Hemphill's new film The Trouble with the Truth, which proved to be a bona-fide crowd pleaser with this year's festival attendees. The film centers on divorced couple Robert (John Shea) and Emily (Lea Thompson), initially brought together to discuss their daughter's impending nuptials.

Throughout the course of one evening,(which includes dinner, desert and more than a few drinks), the former couple playfully revisit their differing ideas regarding love and career which, of course, eventually drives the conversation to the inevitable excavation of their failed marriage. By evening's end their impromptu reunion will lead to a few surprises, a few confessions and, yes, even a few tears.

Given the film is basically a continuing conversation, with limited locations and lots of over the shoulder shots, obvious comparisons have been made to that other flick involving a dining duo, "My Dinner with Andre", but where that classic film deals in matters mostly cerebral, Hemphill's sharp and funny screenplay is all heart and, as a result, is a much warmer, intimate and personal film. If "…Andre" is a "thinking" person's movie, The Trouble with the Truth is for the "feeling", and proves to be an honest and thought provoking debate between the heart and the head.

When you've got a film that involves a lot more talk than action, casting is a make or break proposition, first and foremost, we have to like them, which I am happy to report we do, quite a bit.

We grow to like Robert quickly, due in large part to John Shea's handling of Hemphill's often blunt and hilarious dialog, the actor's years of experience on film, and more specifically the stage, serves him and the film quite well.

Lea Thompson as Emily, however, is the real surprise. The actresses' instant like-ability has been the cornerstone of her long and successful career for the last two decades, where the adjectives "cute" and "suburban" have been exhausted by writers with little imagination, but this time around Thompson is given an opportunity to play a modern woman who is perhaps a little deeper, a little more cultured and a lot more eloquent than we've seen from her previous roles and the result is nothing short of a revelation. Her performance is both funny and heartbreaking, (often simultaneously), and will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

The many talents of relative newcomer Jim Hemphill are on full display with his brilliant, quotable dialog and thoughtful instincts.The premise alone in lesser hands might have easily degenerated into bad drama and worn out cliché's, but the Director/ Writer deftly avoids the obvious traps at all costs and delivers a smart, funny and engaging film.

The Trouble with the Truth is, by far and away, the best indie I've seen this year. I can only hope a distribution deal is coming soon so that you all will have the opportunity to enjoy this one for yourselves.

This was my final movie on Danielle Harris' movies binge. She's literally only in the opening scene. I assume this movie is based on a stage play from how it's filmed similar to the movie Fences starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. There are literally three characters or four if you include the female bartender. This movie stars my favorite version of Lex Luthor himself, John Shea as Robert, Lea Thompson as his ex wife Emily, and Danielle Harris as their daughter Jenny who has become recently engaged. Their daughter's engagement causes the former couple to meet up and have a dinner where they spend the night analyzing their lives and their relationship.

I respect movies like this especially when the dialogue and writing is pretty good. Emily is a successful writer married to a rich husband she's bored with. Robert is the struggling artist living in a tiny apartment and having one night stands with women young enough to be his daughter including the female bartender. The movie analyzing their marriage, what led to their breakup, their daughter's life, aging, success, and even Robert being conflict avoidant to even discourage his daughter from marrying a man who he believes is her fail safe. This movies makes the viewer take a reflection of where they are in their lives and are they truly happy. Is it wise to continue pursuing a dream if you're still struggling to make ends meet? Is success based on luck or chance? Their conversation even causes Robert to question his place in life as a single middle-aged man or was it wise for him to give up on their marriage. One of the final moments of the film was the realistic choice Robert had to make. It's one thing to live in the moment. It's another thing to deal with the consequences after living in the moment.

I figure it was going to be a movie based on stage play based on watching the trailer. I'm not for sure. I'm only assuming based on how the movie was filmed. But I appreciate these films because it reminds us to take a breather and reflect on where we are in our lives. If you like movies like Fences (2016), Before We Go (2014), Closer (2004), or Before Sunrise (1995) and its sequel Before Sunset (2004), you'll enjoy this film because it's based on the strength of the writing and its delivery from the actors. However, if you don't like stage play type films with only a limited number of sets, no action scenes and the actors simply talking to one another and expressing their feelings and emotions through words, then you should skip it. I really enjoyed this film. Would recommend and watch again.

A poignant human study handled honestly, showing all facets of emotions, "The Trouble with the Truth" shows us two people that we can see ourselves in, even the parts we may not want to admit to.

Jim Hemphill's script deftly guides us into a character study that at times is heart wrenching, funny, sad, desperate, hopeful, and in the end really gets us to care about these two people in a way that we care about good friends as they go through their up's and down's.

John Shea as Robert does a masterful job with a character that is easy to dislike at first. Opinionated and blunt at times but with a gift of words and charm he transform this bristly guy into someone with insecurities, doubts, and winds up with honor and hope that connects with the audience and shows us the bright side idealist that he was as a young man, truly in love.

Lea Thompson shows us the full range of emotions, her Emily is both lovely, desperate, yearning for the sparks of love in a life that is comfortable but unfulfilled. Her feelings for Robert, her ex-husband, is evident as the two talk. She is caring, funny, brutally honest about her current situation, cynical, sometimes dark and at the same time hopeful that it is not to late to make a change.

These two characters send us on a roller-coaster of emotions where we like them, dislike them, marvel at the honesty they share, and ultimately win us over with their humanity as each of us have experienced the emotions they bring to light. This is a can't miss movie that shows two actors at their best and a script that is powerful that will be with you long after the closing credits.

I am sorry but I have no idea what the high ranking reviewers see in this. Maybe it's just not relevant or relatable for me. I found the movie to be a pompous attempt to be smart and edgy - but was just a major bore of 2 people sitting at a table pontificating about nothing. I think my heart stopped half way through because my brain was no longer sending messages to the rest of my organs reminding them to function. ( The only thing that makes it at all engaging is Lea Thompson is a great actress).