Where the Truth Lies: Grade C

C

Where the Truth Lies

Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth, Alison Lohman; Director Atom Egoyan

A reporter (AL) tries to find out who killed a young woman who was found in the hotel room of KB and CF, television stars, both of whom had alibis. She interviews the retired stars and the story is told in flashback to the 1970’s. However the flashbacks tell mainly about the sexual exploits of the KB character and offer no clues or story development about the mystery, which is virtually forgotten until the final scene when an arbitrary whodunit is revealed. So as a mystery movie, it is lame. As a character study, there is not much either. KB plays an arrogant womanizer, a stereotype. CF has a secondary role in the movie. Lots of women are shown prancing around naked and having sex, in prurient and gratuitous displays. The body doubles sometimes don’t even match within a scene. There is no point to the sexuality other than to show naked women. Acting is weak throughout, and the idea that KB and CF are entertainment stars is unconvincing, given the samples shown of their work. For a period piece, the interior sets are good, but the spirit of the times is not captured. Egoyan has been consistently disappointing for me, so I put him in the same category as Speilberg: vastly overrated.