WASHINGTON — James Franco and Jonah Hill have carved a reputation for lowbrow frat comedy, forming an unholy trinity with Seth Rogen in “This is the End” (2013) while mining crude laughs on Comedy Central roasts.
But to their credit, they have already proven they can turn in fine dramatic roles, whether it’s Hill earning an Oscar nomination in “Moneyball” (2011) or Franco earning one in “127 Hours” (2010).
Now, they’re teaming up for something far more serious in “True Story,” chronicling the real-life yarn of disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Hill) who meets accused killer Christian Longo (Franco) who has mysteriously adopted Finkel’s identity. Agreeing to pen a book on the bloody case, we begin to question each character’s motives — and the effect on Finkel’s wife, Jill (Felicity Jones).
Franco is an effective cast as a potential killer. His mischievous eyes and sinister smile make us believe he could indeed snap at any time, though the film holds off until the very end to confirm whether or not he actually murdered his wife and three kids.
As for Hill, he manages to craft a captivating anti-hero from a rather unlikable character, allowing us to enter his shoes as he claws to rebuild his sullied reputation. His ambitious journalist starts off cocky, answering a voicemail from his editor by guessing it rhymes with “Shmulitzer,” only to be fired for fabrication. By the end, when he capitalizes financially off this true-crime book, we’re left to wonder whether he has lost his soul — just like the real-life Finkel who sold his book to Hollywood.
Writer/director Ruper Goold doesn’t shy away from this self-reflexive hypocrisy. Rather, he makes it the central question to his film’s moral compass. As such, you’ll likely leave the movie liking Goold for the way he handled the material, but disliking Finkel for selling a family’s murder tale for profit.
Until now, Goold has directed mostly TV episodes, so in his feature film debut, the British filmmaker shows plenty of promise. The film’s opening shot is riveting slow disclosure in a static high angle shot, starting with a closeup of a teddy bear, which falls in slow motion to reveal the contents of a suitcase below. Later, he intercuts Hill’s fingers on a typewriter with Jones’ fingers on a piano for a powerful montage. Clearly, this is a filmmaker who’s trying to work the medium to his advantage.
As for his writing, Goold’s screenplay — co-written by David Kajganich (“The Invasion”) — sparkles with clever moments. During one interview session, Hill tells Franco the art of the “wink,” where a writer puts something in the text as an inside joke to something else. This conversation leads them to dedicate their book to “Shortstop,” which on the surface is a nickname of Franco’s character, but which may actually be a wink to Hill’s “Moneyball.” Or, maybe the “wink” is a judge named Odenkirk — an ode to Bob Odenkirk? Either way, it’s nice to see writing that works on multiple levels.
In the end, “True Story” never quite rises to the level of Richard Brooks’ “In Cold Blood” (1967) or Bennett Miller’s “Capote” (2005) and the neglected housewife subplot of Felicity Jones lacks the emotional payoff of Gwyneth Paltrow in David Fincher’s “Se7en” (1995).
Still, the film deserves to be taken seriously as a worthy little brother to those fine films. Like Steve Carell in “Foxcatcher” (2014), Hill and Franco want to be taken seriously as much as they want to make people laugh. And in this case, they’ll leave you exiting the theater talking about the film’s meaning on the ride home. When have their comedies done that?
Your ride-home conversation should include the scene where Jones confronts Franco with a piece of classical music written by a 19th-century murderer. She says it’s so beautiful that you almost forget it was written by a monster. Almost.
Ditto for this movie.
★ ★ ★
The above rating is based on a 4-star scale. See where this film ranks in Jason’s Fraley Film Guide. Follow WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley on Twitter @JFrayWTOP.
