Search - Where the Truth Lies (Rated Edition) on DVD

Steve P. (pdssteve) from ALBUQUERQUE, NM
Reviewed on 1/8/2022...

Certainly an 'R' rated film. Not for family (or any) viewing !!

William B. from NINETY SIX, SC
Reviewed on 8/8/2021...

This movie was really deep. It really laid it all out there for what can really happen to someone in show business who likes to drink and do drugs and sleep around.

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Jennifer D. (jennicat) from ST AUGUSTINE, FL
Reviewed on 1/27/2015...

It went kind of slow at first and you really had to pay attention. By the end I was so surprised at what happened. A twist you never knew would happen.

2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Harold G. (Gig) from HOUSTON, TX
Reviewed on 5/27/2011...

I didn't know what to expect when this movie started, as the opening scene had a comedy team hosting a telethon. I am not suggestng for one minute that what ensued had any relation whatsover to the true lives of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis but it was quite evident that they were the inspiration for the screenplay.

If I had seen Colin Firth in anything earlier, I can't remember what it might have been but in this he was spectacular as was Kevin Bacon. I found it rather coincidental that Kevin should be playing the "Lewis counterpart" of the team as several yeas ago I thought that if they ever made a movie of Martin & Lewis, he should have been cast as Jerry

When he they did make a TVM, they cast Sean Hayes, who while I suppose he is a capable enough actor, I found it rather difficult to separate him from the Jack character he played on "Will & Grace". Jeremy Northum as Dino was terribly miscast.

Back to this film though,I thought the two principal actresses offered excellent support.

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Behind the Facade

MICHAEL ACUNA | Southern California United States | 10/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In what seems, at first glance, to be a death defying, jaw-dropping appeal to make himself more marketable to the general public by adapting a novel by the man who wrote and sang the insipid "Pina Colada Song," prodigiously talented director Atom Egoyan ("The Sweet Hereafter," "Ararat") outsmarts and certainly out-directs those that would make him Steven Spielberg by creating an "entertainment" as complex and important as "Laura" and as dizzyingly theatrical as "Memento."

In "Where The Truth Lies," Egoyan takes us to 1972 Hollywood and the story of a now defunct comedy/musical duo, Morris and Collins (a slimy, rat-packish Kevin Bacon and a calm on the surface yet internally whacked-out Colin Firth), the circumstances surrounding their break-up and the mysterious death of a beautiful young woman (a sultry yet prim Rachel Blanchard) being investigated by a young, ambitious reporter/novelist (the excellent Alison Lohman): a death with which Morris and Collins may have or may not have had anything to do.

Egoyan takes this popular entertainment, and like the great directors, Douglas Sirk and Alfred Hitchcock for example, approaches the material as if it is the most important in the world, seriously applying his expert skills, creating an undeniably truthful tone and a point-of-view that transforms this story into one infused with, on the one hand, a world-weary importance and on the other, a hold on to your underpants roller coaster ride.

Both Firth and Bacon do their best at chewing the scenery and attempting to best and upstage each other in all of their scenes together but despite this or maybe because of it, they both come off as prometheanly conflicted and flawed individuals ultimately guilty of only wanting to have a good time and make the most of their stardom and celebrity.

With her quiet, reserved performance, Alison Lohman manages to steal this movie away from both Firth and Bacon: she is an old-soul, with eyes both fierce and limpid and a manner and carriage that speaks volumes with the smallest flick of an eyebrow or a jut of chin.

Not only is there an intellect at work here with all cylinders firing but Egoyan's considerable humanity, awareness and understanding of all things human imbues "Where The Truth Lies" with a warm, sunset-like glow that stays with you long after the last image of the last scene flickers away.

"

Strong Acting of Kevin Bacon Cannot Save the Film from Shall

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 01/22/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I can usually forgive the complicated story especially when it is about a murder mystery or film noir. That is, if there is something that interests us - dead body, sexy woman, cool detective, or whatever. That `Where the Truth Lies' demands so much suspense of disbelief is already a big problem, but more problematic is that Karen O'Conner (Allison Lohman) is such a boring heroine as young fledging journalist who wants to know the `truths' about the two TV stars doing telethons in the 50s and a dead body of a beautiful woman found in a bathtub. (And Karen disrobes herself - yes, guys, there is nudity, just for the record. So if you're interested in Ms. Lohamn like me, see the uncut version.)



The story itself is intriguing, I admit. (I haven't read the original book by Rupert Holmes, but if you say it is better, I believe it). Young Karen, so desperate to find a big story, approaches two former TV celebrities, Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth). They were popular vaudevillians, and did a successful telethon on a broadcast during the 50s.



Now the time is 1972, the place, Los Angels. After meeting Vince in person who requires one million dollars, Karen finally gets a chance to read the inside stories written by Lanny, who so far has never told anything about the `unlucky incident' at the hotel. In the meanwhile, she gets a chance to know Lanny personally, and is attracted to him, only to find that the truths are more complicated and dangerous than she thought.



[TOO IMPOSSIBLE] I say again the premise is interesting. But any noir film or any kind of drama using the idea of crime mystery needs meticulously detailed descriptions of characters and situations, but sadly Atom Edoyan must have thought otherwise. We are told that Karen can pretend that she is `Bonnie' (Sonja Bennett) her friend and second-grade teacher, and use Bonnie's room to cover up her identity when she meets Lanny. We are told that Karen is an inexperienced journalist, but somehow she gets a contract worth $ one million. And that's one million dollars in the 70s when Lanny and Vince are now forgotten TV stars in the 50s, not Jerry and Dean. And we must believe that these Lanny and Vince are not only promiscuous (that part I can believe) but also so violent that Vince can beat up a rude audience at backstage. And it is Colin Firth (!) who surely is trying to undo his Darcy image.



But if you have to find the truths about this film, it can be found in poor acting of Allison Lohman. Yes, I wrote, poor. Maybe I should have written `miscast' but I do not actually mind the casting itself very much. But I still think her acting is disappointing, lacking emotional nuances that are essential in letting us know what Karen is feeling at each key scene. This is only my impression, but when Karen feels pride (for her job), joy (for meeting Lanny), fear (for experiencing what I cannot write here), or compassion (for the mother of the dead woman), Karen looks the same all the time. And there is nudity and kissing with another girl (attired in Alice in Wonderland costume). I tried to figure out the meaning of them, but at best they are as deep as the lyrics of Jefferson Airplane songs.



Only reliable Kevin Bacon and the perfect production designs are impressive in `Where the Truth Lies.' The rest of the film is a series of awfully incredible twists and turns of mystery which is in fact a very shallow one."

Disappointing, Miscast, Noir Wannabe

Donegal Dan | Southwest United States | 03/21/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"From the two main leads, I had hoped this film would be good. Unfortunately, it was only engrossing in fits and starts. To begin with, Colin Firth was badly miscast and played his part almost as if sleepwalking. I could get no insight into the man or his motivations. Kevin Bacon was better--and the best part of the movie although not up to his top form. His portrayal of the sleazy Lannie was relatively convincing but he got very little help from the plot or his co-cast members. And Alison Lohman, I'm sorry, was pretty terrible. For someone playing a supposedly junior hot-shot reporter, she was not only slack-jawed and naive appearing, but also irritating. In addition, the plot had her swinging from doe-eyed and innocent admirer to wanton sexual playmate without an iota of believability or back-up character development. The storytelling technique of voice-overs and flashbacks can be effective but in this case I found it primarily confusing and distracting. Overall, what could have been a well-done neo-noir mystery with intriguing twists and turns seemed merely muddy and offputting."