True Story

Name: True Story
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: April 17, 2015
Duration: 99 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Felicity Jones, James Franco, Jonah Hill

2015

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 77 Ratings

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6.0

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6.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 77 Ratings

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True Story

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Movie Details & Credits

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: April 17, 2015 | R

Starring: Felicity Jones, James Franco, Jonah Hill

Summary: When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) meets accused killer Christian Longo (James Franco) — who has taken on Finkel’s identity — his investigation morphs into an unforgettable game of cat and mouse. Based on actual events, Finkel’s relentless pursuit of Longo’s true story encompasses murder, love, deceit, andWhen disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) meets accused killer Christian Longo (James Franco) — who has taken on Finkel’s identity — his investigation morphs into an unforgettable game of cat and mouse. Based on actual events, Finkel’s relentless pursuit of Longo’s true story encompasses murder, love, deceit, and redemption.… Expand

Director: Rupert Goold

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 99 min

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Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper

Apr 16, 2015

The courtroom scenes are unapologetically over-the-top and sometimes excruciatingly exact in the details of the murder, but you won’t soon forget Franco’s expertly nuanced performance. It’s as good as any work I’ve seen in a film in 2015, and True Story is one of the better movies to come along this year. Read full review

Joe Williams

Apr 16, 2015

While the movie sometimes seems like faux Fincher, the symbiotic acting, artful imagery and punchline ending turn True Story into credible entertainment. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Apr 17, 2015

Director Rupert Goold keeps things appropriately creepy, but True Story is no “Capote.” It’s all buildup with little payoff. Read full review

John DeFore

Jan 31, 2015

Goold's work never feels stagey; a smart and varied visual sense opens up even settings as basic as a jail's visiting room. But what happens in that room isn't as convincing as might be expected from these actors. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Apr 16, 2015

The real problem with True Story is contained in its title. The story isn’t too good to be true, but rather too true to be good. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Apr 14, 2015

Goold, a highly regarded British theater director making his debut feature, lacks the panache to realize this twisted relationship onscreen. Instead he’s made a stolid, well-acted, intelligent drama that respects the complications of Finkel and Longo’s storytelling agendas without bringing them to life. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

Apr 15, 2015

Franco’s distancing routine helps sink True Story, an already turgid and tone-deaf adaptation of a self-serving memoir by a disgraced New York Times reporter (played by two-time Oscar nominee Jonah Hill) who bonds with a murderer he’s trying to exploit. Read full review

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User Reviews

gatorsrock

Apr 21, 2015

A must see movie, Franco is amazing and Hill and Jones were perfect. Finally something different and intelligent at the theaters. Rupert Goold present a film that will have you thinking for days. It's about the slippery slope between fact and fiction mixed with mystery and great acting.

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

DawdlingPoet

Nov 23, 2021

This is really quite a compelling watch. It seems quite slow and it didn't especially grab me at first but as the plot starts to build, it becomes more engrossing and interesting. Suffice to say, things aren't as simple as you may initially think. I was intrigued to see this as thisThis is really quite a compelling watch. It seems quite slow and it didn't especially grab me at first but as the plot starts to build, it becomes more engrossing and interesting. Suffice to say, things aren't as simple as you may initially think. I was intrigued to see this as this certainly stars Jonah Hill in a different role to his perhaps more usual stoner/sex centered comedy characters. Obviously the fact that this is, I assume, based on a true story gives it an extra element of intrigue and I was particularly intrigued by the identity theft angle (if you can call it that?) with the accused murderer referring to himself as the ex-journalist.

This film tells an interesting story and with intriguing characters, although it is quite a dark and somewhat harrowing watch due to the themes involved - its also quite thought provoking and so I'd recommend it on that basis.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Pablo6120

Jan 30, 2016

James Franco was the standout actor as a convicted serial killer. His effective performance was the highlight of this intricate murder mystery. Jonah Hill should also be lauded as the disgraced New York Times journalist, who tries to regain his career and find a job. Not a top rate thriller,James Franco was the standout actor as a convicted serial killer. His effective performance was the highlight of this intricate murder mystery. Jonah Hill should also be lauded as the disgraced New York Times journalist, who tries to regain his career and find a job. Not a top rate thriller, but well worth seeking out on premium TV channels, on DVD or on demand.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

smiyamot

Jul 21, 2016

While the story line seems like a hit: man is accused of murdering his wife and three kids - but he's innocent, maybe, and a disgraced New York Times reporter is hot on the trail, the movie itself is a miss. Just didn't feel any tension build up, no mystery, no saving grace.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

beingryanjude

Apr 19, 2015

Led by two very capable performances from Jonah Hill and James Franco, True Story is set up for success with Rupert Goold's David Fincher-influenced direction. It's effectively slow paced - however, with very little punch for conclusion.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

FilmPhonic

Jul 19, 2015

You might worry about the notion of a Jonah Hill & James Franco film that’s not a comedy, despite the fact that both have proven dramatic chops, but the performances from the 2 leads are nuanced enough to prevent them from being the main issue with ‘True Story’.

In many cases the realYou might worry about the notion of a Jonah Hill & James Franco film that’s not a comedy, despite the fact that both have proven dramatic chops, but the performances from the 2 leads are nuanced enough to prevent them from being the main issue with ‘True Story’.

In many cases the real story a movie is based on ends up being more interesting than the film itself, this is not the case here, if you thought most of what we know about the Longo murder case is already out there you would be right, so with ‘True Story’ director Rupert Goold focuses attention on the man whose memoirs inspired it, journalist Mike Finkel.

The result however is the loss of any mystery element, everything is pretty much as it seems throughout, there is no real character development outside of Finkel’s own self-indulgent journey of reflection and ultimately you’re left with nothing to latch on to other than a few details about a murder case you’re probably unfamiliar with.

Rather than a pseudo-psychological character drama, ‘True Story’ is essentially a slightly tedious morality piece about journalistic integrity which paints the journalist as the sympathetic character and near victim, without the context of Finkel’s memoirs or knowledge of his motivations it simply doesn’t translate into an engrossing cinematic experience.

A little bit of courtroom drama, a pinch of murder-mystery, a slight detective story and a smidge of a journalistic tale, all of which add up to nothing much at all.

The Bottom Line…
‘True Story’ is a valiant effort at a journalistic drama, but with an uncompelling narrative and scant character development, it proves that just because a story is true doesn’t make it interesting enough for a feature-length film.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Broyax

Jan 7, 2020

Un machin assez classique mais moins procédurier qu'attendu, sauf vers la fin tout de même, lorsqu'il faut statuer sur l'enfoirnaze supposé ou l'innocent injustement accusé (encore un complot) d'avoir zigouillé toute sa famille.

Le doute s'installe cependant, comme dans bien des films de ceUn machin assez classique mais moins procédurier qu'attendu, sauf vers la fin tout de même, lorsqu'il faut statuer sur l'enfoirnaze supposé ou l'innocent injustement accusé (encore un complot) d'avoir zigouillé toute sa famille.

Le doute s'installe cependant, comme dans bien des films de ce genre et il faut reconnaître à James Franco de laisser poindre quelque hésitation... mais pas bien longtemps. De façon somme toute prévisible dans cette espèce d'étrange relation entre le fouille-merde en quête du Pulitzer et la duplicité du taulard à la recherche de publicité, le film s'enlise pesamment et inexorablement jusqu'au procès.

Tout ça pour aboutir à un pétard mouillé et tout ça pour ça, à somnoler devant ce film d'une lenteur incroyable ! heureusement que la très jolie Felicity Jones est là, elle nous a presque réveillé. Une petite actrice à suivre, dans de bien meilleurs films que cette vraie daube (à oublier aussi sec) j'espère.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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