The Unbelievable Truth (1989)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writer:

Hal Hartley (writer)

Release Date:

8 November 1990 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

After serving time for murder, Josh Hutton returns to his home town where me meets Audry Hugo. No one can remember exactly what Josh did...

Plot Keywords:

Mechanic | Directorial Debut | Ex Convict | Modeling | George Washington

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Adrienne Shelly	...	Audry Hugo
Robert John Burke	...	Josh Hutton (as Robert Burke)
Chris Cooke	...	Vic Hugo (as Christopher Cooke)
Julia McNeal	...	Pearl
Katherine Mayfield	...	Liz Hugo
Gary Sauer	...	Emmet
David Healy	...	Todd Whitbread
Matt Malloy	...	Otis (Driver / Bum)
Edie Falco	...	Jane (The Waitress)
Jeff Howard	...	Irate driver
Kelly Reichardt	...	His Wife
Ross Turner	...	Their Son
Paul Schulze	...	Bill (as Paul Schultze)
Mike Brady	...	Bob
Bill Sage	...	Gus

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Action Features

Trivia:

Filmed in just 11 days.

Quotes:

Josh Hutton: The last time I took a drink, I got into a car crash and I killed a girl.
Otis: No!
Josh Hutton: Yeah.
Otis: That's enough to drive you to drink.

Movie Connections:

References A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Are you a priest or something?

This is a great movie! When I went to see it in 1990, I had no idea what it was about. I had a pass for a free screening. What luck that was--I have not been the same since. I love deadpan comedies, and this one is the best I've seen--it paved the way for Welcome to the Dollhouse and Bottle Rocket in 1996, and director Hal Hartley has become a well-known figure in the art house scene (too bad he has never been able to duplicate the success of his first movie). Robert John Burke plays the ex con mechanic, mistaken as a man of the cloth by several characters. Adrienne Shelley (where is she now?) plays the depressed teenager who falls in love with him, despite his mysterious past (did he really kill her best friend's sister?) Shelley appeared in Hartley's second film, Trust, and then made a low budget teen comedy (can't think of the title). Burke went on to replace Peter Weller as RoboCop and star in "Thinner." What a waste of two great talents! This movie has it all--romance, comedy, a quirky soundtrack, George Washington obsession, fun with crescent wrenches, and just a bit of drama. "Listen......bombs." See it!