True Story | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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Where to Watch True Story What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew More Like This Related Movie News Videos True Story Photos True Story

45%

Tomatometer

167 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

New York Times journalist Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) loses his job when it's revealed that he was not entirely truthful in a cover story he wrote on contemporary slave trading in Africa. His world collapses even further when he learns he's a victim of identity theft; a man named Christian Longo (James Franco) assumed Finkel's name and stood accused of murdering his own family. Seeing a way to rebuild his shattered reputation, Finkel meets with Longo to hear his story.

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True Story

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Critics Consensus

James Franco and Jonah Hill make a watchable pair, but True Story loses their performances -- and the viewer's interest -- in a muddled movie that bungles its fact-based tale.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... True Story just never feels like it gets anywhere.

Rated: D

Sep 1, 2017

Full Review

David Sims

The Atlantic

Franco and Hill's early scenes together maintains intrigue for a while, but True Story never quite indicates that it has something compelling going on beneath the surface.

Oct 14, 2015

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

The result is disappointingly televisual, the verdict wholly predictable.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 19, 2015

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Unfortunately, all the fine work being done by Hill and Franco is, in effect, bulldozed by Goold and David Kajganich's screenplay...

Jan 20, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Mind games, poetic symbolism, moving observations, and humorous notes compose an utterly mesmerizing script.

Rated: 8/10

Dec 4, 2020

Full Review

Chris McCoy

Memphis Flyer

It's a worthy addition to the true crime genre -- even if it leaves viewers questioning the meaning of "true."

Jan 9, 2020

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Leopold S A real smug, self important bore with point, no focus, no real reason ton have been made. The director/writer reeks of being from the "theahtah" and clearly though he was creating a masterpieces.... Zzzzzz Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/08/24 Full Review Jacques B Underrated and a hidden gem for some. Critics will say this movie didn’t get anywhere, but it does a lot of things very well. As a fan of the cast (Jonah and Franco) this was a refreshing and intriguing film for sure, it’s not perfect but a good watch nonetheless. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/10/24 Full Review donnie m i can't get past how James Franco talks-his tounge hits the roof of his mouth and he's WAY too dramatic in a bad way Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/06/24 Full Review KB B Considering the cast I thought it would be much better. I can't recommend this one and won't watch it again. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review fob1xxl Teriffic acting . Not a pleasant topic. Good film, not great, but good. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/24 Full Review Terry H Felt a bit flat to me. It's the story of a disgraced journalist out for redemption by meeting with and writing the story of a man in jail for killing his family. The movie plays on the dynamics between them and the motivations each have. I can see what they were trying to do, they just didn't pull it off well. Still, I didn't view it as a waste of time. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Rupert Goold Director Jonah Hill Michael Finkel James Franco Christian Longo Felicity Jones Jill Barker Robert John Burke Greg Ganley Gretchen Mol Karen

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Synopsis New York Times journalist Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) loses his job when it's revealed that he was not entirely truthful in a cover story he wrote on contemporary slave trading in Africa. His world collapses even further when he learns he's a victim of identity theft; a man named Christian Longo (James Franco) assumed Finkel's name and stood accused of murdering his own family. Seeing a way to rebuild his shattered reputation, Finkel meets with Longo to hear his story.

Director: Rupert Goold
Producer: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Anthony Katagas
Screenwriter: Rupert Goold, David Kajganich
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: New Regency Pictures, Plan B Entertainment
Rating: R (Some Disturbing Material|Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.7M
Runtime: 1h 44m