Where the Truth Lies
2005
**
Director: Atom Egoyan
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth, Alison Lohman, Rachel Blanchard, Sonja Bennett, Maury Chaykin, David Hayman, Kristin Adams
Lanny Morris and Vince Collins were a popular pair of comedy entertainers whose lucrative partnership came to an end in 1957 when a college student was found dead in their hotel room. 15 years later, a young female journalist, who is hired to write Collins' biography, is determined to uncover the events of that fateful night. Atom Egoyan's erotic thriller was adapted from Rupert Holmes' 2003 book. The twisty story jumps back and forth in time and unravels like a good mystery novel. That is, until the resolution which is disappointingly underwhelming. However, the main problem with Egoyan's stylishly mounted noir is that I never become invested in his characters. Whether it is the comedy duo who tragically succumb to a life of excess without a moment of privacy, the writer who finds herself cruelly manipulated, or the poor student who dies, I am equally unmoved. Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth come through unscathed, but Alison Lohman, who was the best thing in Matchstick Men and White Oleander, is woefully miscast as the smart and sexy journalist.
