The real story of Michael Finkel and Christian Longo is a fascinating piece of history both from a psychological and a journalist perspective. The new thriller True Story (based on the novel that the real Finkel wrote) will at least serve to make people read up on the real story. Everyone unfamiliar with the story who sees this movie will go out thinking the same thing---"it HAS to be more interesting than whatever I just watched."
The film is directed and written by first timer Rupert Goold, who should perhaps audit both a college screenwriting and film making course before he does anything else. The story follows Michael (Jonah Hill) who gets his identity stolen by Christian (James Franco) and soon finds himself teaching Christian how to write in exchange for the full scoop. This could make a very interesting film but Goold makes every second completely unpleasant to sit through. Meanwhile, usually reliable actors such as Ethan Suplee, Felicity Jones and Gretchen Mol have nothing to do.
I can't blame the acting here. Lord knows Hill & Franco try as hard as they can to jump over the hurdle that is the writing and directing. Suplee, Jones and Mol even try their best with what little they're given. I blame the simultaneously under cooked and overblown script. There is no character in any of these people and yet it's expected of the audience to care about them. In real life, Finkel and Longo both seem like incredibly complex figures. Here, they come across as two bland guys who sat inside of a prison visiting room a few times.
The problem is also with the terrible directing. The look of the film is so drab and lifeless that it borders on the literally unbearable. While it could have been argued that the film's look is meant to be depressing to reflect the story, Goold never even makes an attempt to deliver that idea and it ends up coming across as simply someone who has no clue what they're doing.
While the story is not pleasant in real life either, the way these events are being portrayed onscreen was cringe worthy (and not in a good or effective way) from the first second to the last. It's one of those films in which the audience is just waiting for it to end. I respect the fact that Hill & Franco try to detract from their bro chemistry in real life but the fact that the script makes them feel so artificial makes that feel like a terrible choice.
The acting in True Story works for what it is. The problem is that literally everything else in the film is terrible. The story builds to an unsatisfactory conclusion. "Let's get dinner endings" is a term I have for endings that have nothing for the audience to care about. People simply leave when the credits start rolling and discuss where their meal out is going to be or other things. True Story has one of the biggest "Let's get dinner" endings I have ever laid eyes on. Goold seems to think what he's doing is clever but it's just predictable and cliche. Come to think of it, that can be applied to the entire film.
(1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language and some disturbing material)
