Review: Jonah Hill and James Franco Get Serious In ‘True Story’

“Jonah Hill and James Franco deliver a hilarious…”

How else would a review starring the stoner comedy heavy hitters who’ve delivered quotable performances from Super Bad, Pineapple Express, and This Is The End begin?

No. True Story is, in fact, a true story of reporter Mike Finkle recently ousted from The New York Times for falsifying elements of a sensationalized piece that was published as a cover story; his seventh while with the publication. When he’s found out and released he’s desperate to find something, anything to write about and save his career. He finds his answer in the form of a man on the FBI’s most wanted list, Christian Longo, for the alleged murder of his wife and three children who was apprehended on the run in Mexico while using Michael’s name as a cover. When brought to Michael’s attention he becomes intrigued and uses the opportunity to reach out to a man preparing for the trial for the murder of his entire family.

Christian, who used Michael’s name because he has been a longtime fan of his writing, agrees to meet with Michael, the only member of the press or person in general he speaks to. Christian agrees to give Michael exclusive access to him as he tells the story of his life if Michael agrees to teach Christian how to write. Michael agrees and the two begin communicating regularly. The complication arises in that, despite the evidence stacked against Christian he is repetitively vague and ambiguous about confessing to the murders with Mike. The movie evolves in to a prolonged murder mystery; a voyage of “did he or didn’t he” that’s played out as a mental show down between Franco and Hill. As Christian begins to behave erratically in the courtroom it starts to take a toll on Michael’s already struggling credibility and his relationship at home with his girlfriend, Jill, played by Felicity Jones, as he becomes more dedicated to a story she herself is skeptical of.

This story, directed well by feature film first timer Robert Goold, is carried by the basics: a clear desire by the protagonists, high stakes, and juxtaposition. While Mike has sacrificed his journalistic integrity for success he absolutely needs his writings about Christian to prove to be accurate and successful. Christian, on the other hand, has no other way to get out his life story, or at least the version he wants known, to a public that will forever see him as a monster. Both have one chance and need the other for public redemption. The film deals with themes of identity, truth, freedom, second chances, and redemption while utilizing only Franco and Hill for the majority of the movie. The execution is clean and precise and even though the film instills an extreme sense of doubt in Christian’s character there’s a simultaneous desire to believe in him as empathy is shared with Mike who wants to see through the doubt, as plain as it is, in order to regain his acclaim as a writer. The “did or didn’t he” turns in to a “how could he” aimed at Michael for deluding himself in to aligning his sympathies with a manipulator for the sake of his career.

True Story does have one major flaw in its storytelling and that is presented in Jill’s character. Felicity Jones’ (The Theory of Everything) has her acting talents wasted on a character that was not adequately developed and more existed to compliment the authenticity of Michal’s real life than she did contribute to the story. She shares a masterfully performed scene with James Franco late in the film but outside of this moment is not utilized properly in the film. The potential was present but the character could have been removed all together and the same story could have been achieved.

The most remarkable thing about this drama (emphasis on drama) was how desperately the audience wanted this film to be a comedy. A number of people laughed at dialogue that they wanted to be funny but was not. There’s perhaps one moment of chuckle-worthy comedy in the film all together and nothing more. While it’s incredibly difficult to separate a pair of actors affiliated with each other in the complete opposite genre from their typical work, Franco and Hill succeeded in producing performances in this riveting true story worth experiencing.

True Story is in theaters now.