Review of A True Story (2013) by Andrew R — 01 Sep 2014

Mike and Matt wrote a true story - well, OK, they said themselves that some things had been changed, some details left out (or maybe it was all pulled from whole cloth) - however it happened, this was one of the best written and acted non- romcon comedies I have ever seen. It is the first thing that I have seen Fife and McGee act in, and it vastly increased my respect for Katrina Bowden as an actress (she was also good in Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil).

This script was funny and incredibly witty, and the two leads were extremely good in it - so good that at times they were acting in a way that made me forget they were acting. That sounds like something all actors should be able to do, but very rarely does it happen in such an effortless way, especially in an independent movie. Part of that is the script, but I have seen many good movies (and some really good ones) where you can tell the actors know they are in front of a camera, and you can tell they know.

That was not the way this movie was. I started watching this not expecting much, and had zero desire to stop watching it from the first lines to the last.

John Gries and Malcolm Goodwin were excellent in supporting roles as a talent scout (Goodwin) and a producer (Gries), and their performances matched the excellence, catching the condescending FU attitude of the corporate types without cheesing or hamming it up. I give this movie a solid five, but I will admit that some people don't like incredibly funny and intelligent movies. If you want exploding porpoises diving into aircraft carriers, go watch Ben Affleck (yeah, there is a great bit about him halfway through the movie!).

Watch this movie - it should win awards!