The Good Lie
Warner Bros. | Release Date: October 3, 2014
7.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 51 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
40
Mixed:
4
Negative:
7
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9
csw12Dec 21, 2014
The Good Lie is a rare movie this year that gives you characters to care about. The acting is excellent, the humor is timely and the story is powerful. A film that deserves to be seen.
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7
Trev29Dec 19, 2014
A heartfelt movie that has genuine storytelling. It is also well acted with touches of nice humor. It could have been one of those cliché movies that is overly sappy, but this one feels real and believable.
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6
TheDRauchDec 19, 2014
One of the more underrated wide release films of 2014, The Good Lie retains some of the power that lies in the true story upon which it is based, in spite of the sometimes glossy Hollywood approach through which it is framed. The use of realOne of the more underrated wide release films of 2014, The Good Lie retains some of the power that lies in the true story upon which it is based, in spite of the sometimes glossy Hollywood approach through which it is framed. The use of real actors that were once child soldiers of Sudan themselves adds an undeniable authenticity to the performances of the four central characters. While far from a starkly realistic portrait of the enduring atrocities that I'm sure still plague Sudan, The Good Lie is still competently made and gets it's point across quite well. The inclusion of noteworthy actors, like Reese Witherspoon and Corey Stoll, while each delivering fine performances, creates an initially jarring effect and distracts until we become used to the characters later on in the picture. Some of the conflicts during the mid-section of the film can seem more slight than others when contrasted with The Good Lie's engaging first act. The bickering between Paul and Mamere is one of the lesser aspects that the film devotes it's time to. There is also an overall feel throughout that we aren't getting a view of the whole, horrific picture. To account for this could be the accommodating tone that often usurps The Good Lie's possible heft. One of the positive aspects that arises from this light touch is how surprisingly funny the film can be. Not every gag works, but the 'Coming to America' style of culture-clash humor feels natural and prevents The Good Lie from being overbearingly solemn. One sizable flaw I had was that the final solution to the brothers' problem, from which The Good Lie derives it's title, doesn't feel manipulative, but distractingly unfeasible, or, if this was the real conclusion to the true-to-life story, framed in a rush that undercuts it's dramatic and socio-political potential. All-in-all, The Good Lie makes for some surprisingly effective Hollywood drama, featuring some relative unknowns giving impressively authentic performances. It reminds me faintly of the 2011 drama "A Better Life", a film that also left an impact and showed depths of human emotion in spite of the sometimes treacly approach to the story.… Expand
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8
EdorkOct 14, 2014
Very sweet, well acted drama with lots of funny fish-out-of-water moments sprinkled throughout. If there was any faults against the movie it would be that the ending was a bit vague.
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9
LeZeeApr 8, 2015
Migration is the part of life for birds and animals for millions of years. For the different season, to be in the different places, away from harsh nature is to comforts from any severeness. Still happening in greater number everywhere exceptMigration is the part of life for birds and animals for millions of years. For the different season, to be in the different places, away from harsh nature is to comforts from any severeness. Still happening in greater number everywhere except humans who thought enough is enough, let's stay and face the challenges. Wow, that's awesome, the civilization was born. So those who stayed in the different places, formed different race, different culture and language with borders around. All kinds of people (religious) have to live together, if something goes wrong between them, the weaker must retreat, but to where?

I have to mention all these, because to remind ourselves how far we'd come. Today to travel to another continent you've to pass so many formalities like visa, passport, security check, background check, check-up for latest fast spreading disease, body scans for smuggling, purpose of visit etc. It is better to turn into a bird and fly away than going through all this. That's why I am not a nationalist and call myself the citizen of planet Earth, which put me on debate with guys around on the several occasions.

Okay. The movie was inspired by 'Lost Boys of Sudan'. The true story of four young Sudanese, after their elders were killed in the attack of their village they team up to escape. Henceforth living in the refugee camp in Kenya, looking for an opportunity for a better life. It lands, but struggle continues as to adapt the new place and finding the right employment. The journey from nowhere to the land of dream, but they had no dream at all, all they wanted was a normal life anywhere peacefully. On the other end, the rules and regulations begin to haunt them, which they were not used to it.

‘‘We found strength in sticking together
But our hope of ever leaving was fading.’’

Definitely an inspiring story. For the meaning of the title, you have to wait until the last minute. Because all the great stories told in the history began or ends with the great sacrifice. That was a touching scene, I just imagined, in reality, how tough it would have been. You probably don't understand what I'm saying, but I'm trying to keep spoiler away. We had seen the similar theme from another angle in Gerard Butler starer 'Machine Gun Preacher'. Yep, about the same war, but set in a different place. The main difference is this movie is not a heroic tale like that where a white man fights for the innocent Africans. You know there are about 20.000 boys and girls orphaned and displaced during the civil war that lasted for nearly 25 years. The writer had to pick just one from the thousands of stories. So that's how 'The Good Lie' came, a story of complete integrity.

From the filmmaker of Oscar nominated foreign movie 'Monsieur Lazhar'. One of my favourites from Canada. I loved all his previous films, so the expectation for this was same as always. It partially feels like a docudrama, but it was not. Leaping into Hollywood did not change his style of film making. He turned into an American movie in which something lacks today, reality and honesty with dynamic story than its characters. Reese Witherspoon's presence did not affect either, the narration was neutral from the perspective of character preference. In fact, Reese Witherspoon's existence helped to put some familiar face on the posters. Especially for the marketing purpose for the wide release, other than the film festivals. So this movie definitely is to go for it, only if you're not seeking entertainment.

8.5/10… Expand
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7
Brent_MarchantOct 19, 2014
A capably produced, heartfelt feel-good story with fine performances by actors who personally witnessed the kinds of horrors depicted on screen. Told with gentle humor and uncompromising (though not grotesque) recountings of historic events,A capably produced, heartfelt feel-good story with fine performances by actors who personally witnessed the kinds of horrors depicted on screen. Told with gentle humor and uncompromising (though not grotesque) recountings of historic events, the picture tells its story with warmth and inspiration. Some unevenness in the writing, however (especially in the film's second half), keeps this picture from being truly as great as it might have been.… Expand
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9
nosmaMar 1, 2016
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As an African living in Africa I appreciated a lot about this movie. I felt that was a factual and objective potrayal of Africans not merely based on stereotypes, putting everything into context by potraying their backgrounds, the village they came from which was far removed from civilization. Also their struggle to remain who they are as they adapt to a new life in America. This is one of the best and most touching movies I've ever seen. It has helped me to appreciate the trauma that refugees go through even as children, watching other children die, seeing dead bodies, being shot at by soldiers, and never having the luxury to receive therapy afterwards to deal with these traumas. Everything felt very real. The ending was okay but i would have wanted to know a little bit more about how the lost boys moved on.… Expand
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7
Muskrat147May 26, 2016
This film is unlike many "Based on a True Story" survival films. The Good Lie grabs Americans by the neck and shows the brutality and pain of War and the Life of Refugees. Though the film does go a little too far in its sentimentality, theThis film is unlike many "Based on a True Story" survival films. The Good Lie grabs Americans by the neck and shows the brutality and pain of War and the Life of Refugees. Though the film does go a little too far in its sentimentality, the powerful performances and intelligent script make up for an excellent drama/survival story.… Expand
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6
JLuis_001Feb 27, 2020
The message lacks strength and it can be argued and criticized that it uses the resource of a white protagonist as the face of a story of black people but still I didn't carry any expectations and it seemed decent enough.
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10
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