Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Billy Wonka (A) on April 26, 2015 at 17:25:06

Longo & Finkel



Three nominees: Franco, Hill, and Jones, do their best to bring this "real life" story alive for the audience but miss by a few feet.

'True Story' begins with a mea culpa from Mike Finkel about fudging his last feature story for the NYT. He mixed characters to give the story a greater impact about the slaving and mine trade. He knew it, got caught, and got fired. Now, Fikel returns to Montana and his wife Ms Jones. He is digging around trying to recover from his career-killing gaffe when he receives a call from Oregon concerning a man who is using his name.

Finkel goes to Oregon to find out more about the man (Franco) who has murdered his wife and three kids. Finkel sees Longo. Thus begins a slow dance between to the two with each working towards his own purposes.

I really like Jonah Hill but this film seems to be an attempt for everyone to take him seriously. It's going to take a few more roles to be convincing. Franco is probably the least effective in this film. He seems like the woozy stoner he plays so well. Felicity Jones (though not on the screen much) absolutely nails a small town "Americana" woman with her body language and speech. Her one scene with Longo is memorable.

The story is well told and the characters are recognizable but this is a movie done on a tight budget. The producers got their money's worth but could have done better.

Disc or cable.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_NiP_bqlns   (Open in New Window)