CANNES -- Atom Egoyan has delivered a big, slick and sexy mystery in Where the Truth Lies, turning the Rupert Holmes novel into a sumptuous tale of show business hype and duplicity.
Boasting a handsome cast, top-flight design and evocative music, the film should have no trouble attracting audiences seeking high-style, grownup entertainment.
Rich in backstage atmosphere and the glamour of big-time hotels and nightclubs, the movie delves with considerable wit into the ugly side of the entertainment industry.
In the late '50s, Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth) are the biggest comedy duo in America. The last thing they need is the naked body of a beautiful blonde in the bathtub of their New Jersey hotel room.
In fact, the last thing the comedians do as partners is to deny they had anything to do with the dead woman, and they promptly break up their long-standing and hugely successful act.
Fifteen years later, a young writer named Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman) wins a fat contract from a publisher to write a book about Vince Collins, and it is through her eyes that the secret behind their split is slowly revealed.
Using flashbacks from different points of view, Egoyan traces the lies and deception that have kept the sordid events that followed a Miami telethon from a still-adoring public.
Larry and Vince had been forced by a no-nonsense gangster named Sally Sanmarco (David Hayman) to fly directly from the Miami gig to the opening of his New Jersey nightclub, where the corpse was found.
As O'Connor discovers, many facts were quickly hidden and the comics appear to have covered their tracks cleverly but with their careers pretty much over by the '70s, their mutual desire for public acclaim drives them to reveal a version of the truth.
But the young writer cannot resist being drawn into the pair's intense world of fabrication and celebrity worship. "Having to be a nice guy is the hardest job in the world when you're not," Larry tells her.
Egoyan has enormous fun peeling the wrappers of showbiz lore so that we see the hoodlums, the drug taking, kinky sex and unstoppable violence. Soon O'Connor is wrapped up in it as much as the superstars who might or might not have committed murder.
The film obeys the sometimes strained logic of mystery novels so that there's more than the occasional need to suspend disbelief, but Egoyan's script moves slickly along to a satisfying conclusion.
Bacon is as taut and effective as usual, and Firth might prove a revelation to those who have seen him only in period pictures and English comedies. Lohman carries the weight of lead investigator with immense charm and no little grit.
Best of all, the film looks wonderful, and full credit is due to production designer Phillip Barker and costume designer Beth Pasternak. Mychael Danna's music, too, is sly and seductive, adding a touch of noir class to the proceedings.
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES
Serendipity Point Films, First Choice Films
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Atom Egoyan
Producer: Robert Lantos
Co-producers: Sandra Cunningham, Chris Chrisafis
Based on the novel by: Rupert Holmes
Cinematographer: Paul Sarossy
Editor: Susan Shipton
Production designer: Phillip Barker
Music: Mychael Danna
Costume designer: Beth Pasternak
Cast:
Lanny Morris: Kevin Bacon
Vince Collins: Colin Firth
Karen O'Connor: Alison Lohman
Maureen: Rachel Blanchard
Reuben: David Hayman
Sally Sanmarco: David Hayman
Alice: Kristin Adams
Bonnie: Sonja Bennett
Mrs. O'Flaherty: Deborah Grover
Jack Scaglia: Beau Starr
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 107 minutes...
Boasting a handsome cast, top-flight design and evocative music, the film should have no trouble attracting audiences seeking high-style, grownup entertainment.
Rich in backstage atmosphere and the glamour of big-time hotels and nightclubs, the movie delves with considerable wit into the ugly side of the entertainment industry.
In the late '50s, Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth) are the biggest comedy duo in America. The last thing they need is the naked body of a beautiful blonde in the bathtub of their New Jersey hotel room.
In fact, the last thing the comedians do as partners is to deny they had anything to do with the dead woman, and they promptly break up their long-standing and hugely successful act.
Fifteen years later, a young writer named Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman) wins a fat contract from a publisher to write a book about Vince Collins, and it is through her eyes that the secret behind their split is slowly revealed.
Using flashbacks from different points of view, Egoyan traces the lies and deception that have kept the sordid events that followed a Miami telethon from a still-adoring public.
Larry and Vince had been forced by a no-nonsense gangster named Sally Sanmarco (David Hayman) to fly directly from the Miami gig to the opening of his New Jersey nightclub, where the corpse was found.
As O'Connor discovers, many facts were quickly hidden and the comics appear to have covered their tracks cleverly but with their careers pretty much over by the '70s, their mutual desire for public acclaim drives them to reveal a version of the truth.
But the young writer cannot resist being drawn into the pair's intense world of fabrication and celebrity worship. "Having to be a nice guy is the hardest job in the world when you're not," Larry tells her.
Egoyan has enormous fun peeling the wrappers of showbiz lore so that we see the hoodlums, the drug taking, kinky sex and unstoppable violence. Soon O'Connor is wrapped up in it as much as the superstars who might or might not have committed murder.
The film obeys the sometimes strained logic of mystery novels so that there's more than the occasional need to suspend disbelief, but Egoyan's script moves slickly along to a satisfying conclusion.
Bacon is as taut and effective as usual, and Firth might prove a revelation to those who have seen him only in period pictures and English comedies. Lohman carries the weight of lead investigator with immense charm and no little grit.
Best of all, the film looks wonderful, and full credit is due to production designer Phillip Barker and costume designer Beth Pasternak. Mychael Danna's music, too, is sly and seductive, adding a touch of noir class to the proceedings.
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES
Serendipity Point Films, First Choice Films
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Atom Egoyan
Producer: Robert Lantos
Co-producers: Sandra Cunningham, Chris Chrisafis
Based on the novel by: Rupert Holmes
Cinematographer: Paul Sarossy
Editor: Susan Shipton
Production designer: Phillip Barker
Music: Mychael Danna
Costume designer: Beth Pasternak
Cast:
Lanny Morris: Kevin Bacon
Vince Collins: Colin Firth
Karen O'Connor: Alison Lohman
Maureen: Rachel Blanchard
Reuben: David Hayman
Sally Sanmarco: David Hayman
Alice: Kristin Adams
Bonnie: Sonja Bennett
Mrs. O'Flaherty: Deborah Grover
Jack Scaglia: Beau Starr
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 107 minutes...
- 5/13/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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