True Story
Director: Rupert Goold
Year Released: 2015
Rating: 1.5
Former New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) - who was fired for making up details for a story about child slaves in Africa - is notified that a man named Christian Longo (James Franco), who (allegedly) killed his wife and children, was using Finkel's name as an alias while hiding in Mexico: the two meet ... and realize they have much in common. While this is actually based on a true story (hence the title), it lacks a certain 'punch' (or flair) - its points are made obvious ("Everybody deserves to have their stories heard," quoth Hill ... and queue eye roll) and Longo doesn't once come across as even remotely credible (perhaps perpetually smirking Franco is the problem). The one thing I was left wondering post-screening: what was the deal with Finkel and his partner Jill (Felicity Jones), since the nature of their (strained) relationship is entirely glossed over.
