Telling Lies in America (1997)

Director:

Guy Ferland

Writer (WGA):

Joe Eszterhas (written by)

Release Date:

15 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Dress sharp. Drive fast. Look cool. Laugh last.

Plot:

Karchy (Brad Renfro) is a boy in school who has moved from Hungary to America in the 1960's. He is struggling...

Plot Keywords:

Hall Of Fame | Radio | Radio DJ | 1960s | Money

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kevin Bacon	...	Billy Magic
Brad Renfro	...	Karchy 'Chucky' Jonas
Maximilian Schell	...	Dr. Istvan Jonas
Calista Flockhart	...	Diney Majeski
Paul Dooley	...	Father Norton
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Kevin Boyle
Luke Wilson	...	Henry
Damen Fletcher	...	Amos 'Blood Smith'
Jerry Swindall	...	Andy 'Croak' Stas
K.K. Dodds	...	Justine
James Kisicki	...	Cecil Simms
J.J. Horna	...	The Blind Kid
Ben Saypol	...	Timmy Morelli
Tony Devon	...	Danny Hogan
Rohn Thomas	...	Sgt. Disapri

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 (video premiere) | Hong Kong:IIA | Spain:T | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Company:

Banner Entertainment

Trivia:

This was one of the first seven films to be foreclosed by the Screen Actors Guild for non-payment of wages and residuals to SAG members. On 13 July 2004, rights to the film were sold at auction.

Quotes:

Diney Majeski: Why you got to show off so much?
Karchy Jonas: Cause I ain't got that much to show.

Soundtrack:

Little Bitty Pretty One

Under-promoted Gem

Yes, the movie deals tangentially with the payola scandals of the 50's (truly a big problem in the entertainment industry), but only as one of the many lies hinted at in the title.

The two main characters (Renfro and Bacon) do *nothing* but lie. They are balanced by the purity of the other characters (Flockhart and Schell).

Schell's character was a little underwhelming and the work by Renfro was, at times, uneven, but both were generally excellent. My only other quibble was with the settings of the film. As a Clevelander (where the story takes place and the film was shot), it's easy to understand the where the scenes took place and how the story was built around them, but I'm not sure that an "outsider" would understand the implications to the story of those different locations (the neighborhoods, the market, etc.).

The real find is Calista Flockhart. She gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, sweeter and deeper than anything you'll see on Ally McBeal. Interestingly, Flockhart spent time working on stage at the Cleveland Playhouse, so was well-suited for the role in a way.

Joe Eszterhas is not exactly known for his subtlety, but this movie is a small triumph for him and portends better things from his pen in the future.