True Story (2015)

When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.

Director:

Rupert Goold

Writers:

Rupert Goold (screenplay by), David Kajganich (screenplay by)

Stars:

James Franco, Jonah Hill, Felicity Jones

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonah Hill	...	Michael Finkel
James Franco	...	Christian Longo
Felicity Jones	...	Jill Barker
Maria Dizzia	...	MaryJane Longo
Ethan Suplee	...	Pat Frato
Conor Kikot	...	Zach Longo
Charlotte Driscoll	...	Sadie Longo
Stella Rae Payne	...	Madison Longo
Robert John Burke	...	Greg Ganley
Byron Jennings	...	Judge Odenkirk
Gretchen Mol	...	Karen Hannen
Betty Gilpin	...	Cheryl Frank
Seth Barrish	...	Blaise
Robert Stanton	...	Jeffrey Gregg
Michael Countryman	...	Coroner

Storyline

Jonah Hill plays Michael Finkel, a recently terminated New York Times journalist who's struggling for work after a story gone wrong. One day, he receives a phone call from a man regarding an FBI Most Wanted individual named Christian Longo, who's been captured and claimed to be living as Finkel. Longo and Finkel meet and form a potentially marriage shattering bond while Longo is in prison awaiting his trial. Finkel exchanges journalism tips for the real events behind Longo's alleged heinous acts of murdering his family. Through the twists and turns in the movie, only at the end will Finkel uncover the True Story.

---

Plot Keywords:

journalist | murder trial | prison visit | discredited reporter | investigative journalism | 

---

Taglines:

Some stories are beyond belief

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some disturbing material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Ibo

Release Date:

17 April 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

A História Verdadeira

Filming Locations:

Warwick, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,930,000, 19 April 2015, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,715,819, 31 May 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Plan B Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1 Datasat Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Jonah Hill punches the bathroom stall was improvised. He ended up hurting his hand, and had to go the the hospital afterward, but it ended up just being a slight bruised bone.

---

Goofs

28 min into the Movie Michel is leaving home driving a red car, but when he reaches Chris home he is driving a grey car.

---

Quotes

Christian Longo: Sometimes the truth isn't believable. But that doesn't mean that it's not true.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer/Felicity Jones/FKA Twigs (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Sonata in F Moll Op.57 (Appassionata), Andante Con Moto, Allegro Ma Non Troppo Presto
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Eliska Novotná-Gazdová
Courtesy of The Savoy Label Group, LLC / Selectracks, Inc.

User Reviews

A Forgettable Crime 'Thriller'

Sadly, there is not much to say about True Story. It's a crime/mystery 'thriller' (labeling this a thriller is questionable) that plays out just as you would expect. There were far too few surprises to speak of, which the movie seemed to be moving toward. Everything here felt like 'the calm before the storm' but when it came time for the storm, there was nothing there. The story in itself is quite interesting, a murder taking on the identity of a writer which leads to the two interacting and trying to determine the motive behind such a weird act. But nothing ever comes of it, at least nothing interesting or thought provoking. True Story is a straightforward crime drama that finishes as a courtroom drama.

The acting was decent enough, a strong cast, but the camera work tries to force the creepy persona of James Franco down our throats with a ton of close of shots of his face. It was difficult to see a monster, he may look scruffy but down under there was no beast to be found here. The character of Longo was never creepy enough to carry the movie (Hopkins had 13 minutes of screen time in Silence of the Lambs and created a truly frightening monster).

So while the trailer might look appealing, just now that it's quite deceptive (just like the main theme of the movie). Like I said, everything found here was too calm for its own good, there was no huge reveal or anything like that to make this movie interesting. Certainly a forgettable movie within Franco and Hill's growing filmographies.