Directed by: Rupert Goold
Starring: Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones, Gretchen Mol, Robert John Burke, Ethan Suplee
True Story is all buildup with zero payoff. What a frustrating film to watch. In the end, the only two words I could muster were, "That's it?" It's a waste of some pretty good acting by Hill and Franco, who by now have risen above starring in dud comedies only to show they can star in dud dramas too. For better examples of their work, see The Wolf Of Wall Street and 127 Hours respectively.
The movie opens with an image of a child lying in the fetal position inside an open suitcase. A teddy bear drops from the ceiling apparently and we learn of the fate of the child. She, along with the child's mother and her two siblings, were brutally murdered and their father Christian Longo (Franco) is arrested for the crimes. In a strange twist, Longo identifies himself as Michael Finkel (Hill), a famed New York Times journalist recently fired for fabricating facts in a cover story. Word of Longo's strange admission reaches Finkel, who has gone into seclusion in the wintry Montana mountains, and Finkel travels to Oregon to talk to Longo. Why did Longo say he was Finkel? The question is much more fascinating than the answer.
Longo makes Finkel a deal. Finkel will teach him how to write like a journalist and Longo will give him the exclusive story on the murders. Longo proclaims his innocence. Actually, he more like mumbles his innocence. Finkel, now disgraced and unemployable, sees this story as his ticket back to the big time. He sees a best-selling book. Yet, why would a reputable publisher even think about publishing Finkel after the New York Times mess? Since True Story is based on true events and Finkel wrote the book on which the film is based, a publisher took a chance.
Finkel believes Longo is innocent, even though he has no reason to believe so. The evidence against Longo mounts, Longo sends creepy letters to Finkel that scream "I AM GUILTY" and Longo himself throws a curveball during the arraignment. I won't reveal this, but let's say it severely dampers his ability to mount a strong defense. I had to keep reminding myself that this was based on true events while disbelieving that this could've actually happened.
How Longo's lawyer went along with his client's strategy is baffling also. Speaking of which, during all of Finkel's meetings with Longo, the lawyer is never present. Shouldn't any lawyer worth his salt advise Longo that telling his story to Finkel and sending him notes would hurt his case? Even a public defender would know better than to let this happen.
After everything goes down and the characters' fates are decided, I was puzzled. What exactly was the outcome of Finkel's relationship with Longo? Were they friends? Enemies? Two guys using each other? I could see why Finkel would use Longo, but what were Longo's motives? Did he want Finkel to return to prominence and use himself as bait? Did Longo just want to become a better writer? No matter what, we are underwhelmed. We invest a lot of time into watching True Story only to come up empty. Finkel is seen as somehow screwed over by Longo, but the film never really explains how or why.
The performances are all the more impressive considering how the film leaves them hanging. Jones, who plays Finkel's girlfriend and to my recollection has no scenes in which she even pecks him on the cheek, does her mightiest. They may as well have been platonic roommates. In fact, her character should have been left out of the film altogether considering how little impact she has on the plot.
I can't imagine what it was about the story that swayed the studio to pick up the rights and make a film out of it. There are hints of mystery and gravitas which lead nowhere. You know a film is bad and pointless when we leave the theater trying to determine what exactly just happened.
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