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The Daily OrangeBlurring the lines
Screened at SU, "Nothing but the Truth" challenges notions of right and wrong
By Abram Brown
Posted: 11/3/08, 4:25 AM EST Section: Feature
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As it stands, the film delivers a solid, dramatic punch. But the knockout blow proves to be hard to find.
"Nothing But the Truth" grapples with how far law should extend into journalism and also examines the changing face of journalism.
Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) outs a CIA agent (Vera Farmiga) and goes to jail instead of giving up her sources. Even First Amendment attorney Alan Burnside (Alan Alda) can't get Armstrong out of jail.
The plot runs smoothly for the most part, but halfway through, director Rod Lurie seems to forget a major element of his movie - the true story.
Lurie said the movie was not based on the true case of CIA agent Valerie Plame, only inspired by it. But pulling more from the true story could have catapulted the movie into Oscar contention.
Lurie said he wanted to tell the story from a "what if" perspective - mainly, "what if" Plame's child and the children of the reporter who outed her went to school together.
For the first quarter of the movie, it looks like Lurie's "what if" twist will work and the movie will take just enough from the true story. But we stop seeing the two children, Timothy (Preston Bailey) and Allison (Kristen Bough) midway through the movie.
Lurie's scenario would have played out much more effectively if he had at least checked in with the children more frequently.
But in the end, the film is about the characters and how they come to terms with the world around them.
The two mothers are well portrayed.
Beckinsale is dead-on in her role. Her transformation, both physical and emotional, from the eager journalist to the hardened prisoner was heart wrenching. Her flaws make the character believable. Without them we wouldn't be able to take her seriously.
Farmiga's performance nearly overshadows everyone else. She balances determined CIA agent and caring mother well, looking matronly in the scenes with her daughter while proving capable of swearing like a sailor when under pressure.
Lurie continues to craft incredible female characters. But the performances from the males in the movie don't live up to their female counterparts.
The best part about Alan Alda's character is his strong dash of witty, dry humor, which keeps the audience from being weighted down.
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