True Story

A true story is not necessarily an interesting one, a fact proved by this mess of a movie. The easy pickings for criticism begin with Jonah Hill – a very talented and enjoyable actor who is out of his depth in this leading role. After turning in excellent (and, to some, surprising) dramatic performances in Oscar-nominated supporting roles in Moneyball and the Wolf of Wall St., Hill, or someone in his camp, decided it was time to take a crack at a dramatic leading man role. I'm not saying he can't or won't someday be successful in that effort, but this wasn't time. Nor was it completely his fault.

The script and the direction lack clarity and vision. And, as the two greatest opponents in any communications endeavor are confusion and boredom, True Story pulls of the cardinal double no-no. First time feature film Director Rupert Goold had a potentially interesting story and some capable talent in his hands but simply didn't execute on it. The montages that fail to advance the story in an interesting manner are just one example maddening displays of wasted opportunity. The staging is often flat. The edits, at times, seem to happen because they can rather than for any good reason. The strange thing to me is, watching this film in a packed free preview audience, there were more than a few people that seemed to think it was at least "okay". I could be snarky and say they got what they paid for it, but I'll take the high road. My opinion, like all, should be taken with a grain of salt.

Hill plays Michael Finkel, a former New York Times reporter who got fired for the way he embellished a story and conflated sources to tell, what he felt, was a greater truth. I never believed Hill as a writer, though he has shown great intelligence in even some of his silliest characters previously. James Franco plays Christian Longo, who ranks among the lower level of scum of the earth for killing his wife and three kids in brutal and remorseless fashion. Felicity Jones is a fine actress whose character, Jill, seems to have some interesting things to say, but rarely gets a chance to show them. Her relationship with Hill is laughably bad. And as much as I wanted to cheer for her in the dramatic take it to Christian moment when she decides to visit him in prison (and she's there because it makes good drama…?), the movie was long since gone. James Franco flashes occasionally as Longo, but I still get the feeling he was bored or partially committed too often, unwilling to throw his full weight behind what he's doing. See him in Spring Breakers to get the depth of depravity played well if you want to see this type of thing.

I've been reading a lot of reviews here talking about how this movie is basically a build up with no pay off. While I agree with the build up part, I might have to disagree with the latter. This is a true story about a disgraced top journalist who then will befriend an accused murderer. The journalist Mike, played by Jonah hill became intrigued when he finds out that Longo, played by James Franco has been using his name for an alias. The two meet up and Mike sensing a big story for his come back from disgrace, befriended Longo with the incentive of helping him with his writing. So then they would correspondence with each other but without ever establishing that Longo is guilty. Mike even think that he's innocent.

Things then took a turn when Longo pleads guilty to two counts of murders out of four counts, with the intention of manipulating the court. From this point on, this to me was the pay off. The moment Longo testifies about what happened on the night of the murders, we the viewers as well as our main character Mike, realised that we have been manipulated all along by Longo. All this time Mike has been teaching him about storytelling and Longo used that to his advantage. When Mike realised what's truly happening, Longo turned around to face mike. With a little shrug, a wink and a slight smile, he realized he was fooled, its like someone douse him with cold water, the realization is sobering. This was a very good scene, and to me, a pay off doesn't always have to be grand or climactic, a little moment like this could have just as much of a punch as a big moment.

I especially enjoyed the last 30 minutes of this movie. This movie is worth to watch if you enjoyed crime thriller.

"True Story" (2015 release; 100 min.) brings the story of how a reporter becomes entangled in a murder suspect's world. As the movie opens, we see some brutal images of a young child being stuffed into a suitcase, which later turns up in the water. What is going on here? After the opening credits, we get to know Michael Finkel (played by Jonah Hill), a New York Times reporter, as he interviews young men somewhere in Africa. Alas, later on he is caught fabricating some of the facts for the subsequent NYT piece and he is let go in disgrace. Meanwhile, we get to know Christian Longo (played by James Franco), accused of killed his wife and 3 young kids. When he is rounded up, he claims to be Michael Finkel, NYT reporter. It is not long before Longo makes contact, from jail, with the real Mike Finkel. To tell you more would spoil your viewing pleasure, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: "True Story" is based on the Mike Finkel book of the same name, and if of course a true story. The premise of the movie is really intriguing (and cleverly played up in the trailer), reason I went to see this in the first place, namely is Longo somehow playing Finkel, while being in jail, and if so, what disastrous effects could that have for Finkel? Alas, in the movie it doesn't bear out. There is lots of build up in the movie, and ultimately not enough pay-off. I am all for a long build-up, but there has to be a reward for sticking with the build up, and when the reward finally comes, it's simply not enough. A quick word about the acting performances: James Franco does what he can with the limited material that is given to him. Jonah Hill is okay as the disgraced NYT reporter. The real star of the movie Felicity Jones in the role of Jill, the girlfriend of Mike Finkel. I also want to give props to prolific soundtrack composer Marco Beltrami (recently of The November Man; The Drop; The Giver, just to name those), who once again provides a lovely soundtrack.

The early evening theater screening where I saw this at was attended not very well (less than 10 people), but in fairness, it was a weekday evening. That said, while this is not a 'bad' movie per se, nor do I feel that the movie is all that it could've become. That said, if you have a chance to check out "True Story", be it in the theater or on DVD/Blu-ray, I suggest you do and draw your own conclusion.

'True Story' explores a scary real-life incident & tries to make an awkward friendship tale out of it. Well, almost. And sadly, not all of it works, but with some powerful moments & Strong Performances going its way, the film scores on some levels.

'True Story' Synopsis: When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) meets accused killer Christian Longo (James Franco) - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.

'True Story' begins grippingly & you're invested in the journey of these two disgraced men, one far more than the other of course. But, the pace slackens as the narrative proceeds. The second-hour lacks the punch, although the goings-on become quite intense in its penultimate moments. Nonetheless, the Writing needed some stronger stuff.

David Kajganich & Rupert Goold's Screenplay, which is Based on the memoir of the same name by Michael Finkel, is greatly Written in parts, but doesn't come across as solid overall. As mentioned earlier, the second-hour doesn't have the moments it should have. Rupert Goold's Direction is controlled & well-done. Cinematography is atmospheric. Editing is finely done.

Performance-Wise: Jonah Hill is in very good form, yet again! Hill, now a versatile actor known by all, sinks his teeth into the part & enacts the disgraced man, with great maturity. James Franco is top-notch. His performance is so good, that you actually want to believe him & want him free of the heinous crime he's accused of. Felicity Jones, besides looking stunning, takes a terrific turn, as the morally strong minded woman.

On the whole, 'True Story' isn't very engaging always, but the performances are.

True Story is based on the novel by Mike Finkel recounting his relationship with Christian Longo(James Franco), a man accused of murdering his wife and three children. Finkel(Jonah Hill)is a young up and coming journalist writing for the New York Times when his career is derailed after he plays a little fast and loose with some facts of a recently published article. While trying to plan the next chapter in his professional life he receives a call from a reporter looking to get an angle on the story about Longo. It seems that he was using Finkel's identity when he was captured in Mexico. Finkel is naturally curious but also smells a story that could put his career back on track.

Finkel and Longo arrange to meet and what follows are a series of meetings where both men engage in a dialogue meant to extract as much information as possible from the other. But how much of what Longo shares is the truth? How does Finkel use the information he gets?

The main problem with this movie is the pay-off, or the lack thereof. The story is simply not as interesting as it sounds. Honestly, it's no ones fault. The direction by first timer Rupert Goold is solid, well paced, and true to the story. The acting is good even if it is a little weird to see Hill and Franco together in serious roles. The best way to describe it might be we all know someone(friend or family member) who is excited to tell a story of something that happened to them or something they witnessed and when they are done, looking to you for a reaction, all you can say is "Is that it?"

The most compelling aspect of the film is Finkel coming to grips with the fact that he has to determining what is the truth and what is a lie. Not unlike his readers had to do after reading his last story for the Times. One liar interrogating another.

In the end, the build up leads to very little. The ride was interesting but the destination was a big disappointment.