by Jenny Jones
Loosely based on actual events, “Nothing but the Truth” chronicles the events surrounding the attack on a country (in this case Venezuela) which is believed to be involved in an assassination attempt on the President but that is later exonerated by an under cover CIA agent whose identity is leaked to the press. This CIA operative, Erica Van Doren is played by Vera Farmigo and the not-so-lucky news reporter who got the tip and ran the story is Rachel Armstrong, played by Kate Beckinsale. When the government decides that Rachel’s informant has threatened National Security by divulging the name of a CIA member and demands to know her source, Ms. Armstrong finds herself facing time in jail until she complies with the government’s request. She then must decide what is more important… her family, her career, her integrity as a reporter one little promise she made to an informant.
One of the most unfortunate occurrences with movies today is the desire to choose a big name actor as the lead in order to draw in the audience. Regardless of their talent or suitability for the role in question, a lot of studios will bring in famous names such as Nicholas Cage or Angelina Jolie to attract audiences to their movies. In this case Kate Beckinsale is the big name actress being used to draw in a crowd. This is not to say that Cage, Jolie or Beckinsale are not talented performers because they are, but only in specific roles tailored to their particular acting type. More often then not they are simply slapped into any role and unfortunately they can not measure up to the task. In the case of “Nothing but the Truth” I felt that actress Vera Farmigo, who played under cover CIA agent Erica Van Doren would have been much better suited to play the part of Rachel Armstrong (newspaper journalist) as she is a more believable dramatic actress. But no one would have gone to see a movie, or have even rented a movie, starring a no name actress like Vera Farmigo. It is an unfortunate catch 22 in the film making business.
Another unfortunate truth about the entertainment industry is that actors who play a regular role on TV for a number of years become type cast and can never break out of that mold. Such is the case for David Schwimmer. After seeing him portray the goofy and loveable Ross Gellar for so many years on the hit sitcom Friends, it was impossible to take him seriously in a dramatic role as Rachel Armstrong’s husband.
Other big names associated with this movie that just seemed wasted in their roles include Angela Bassett (as Rachel’s boss at The Sun Times newspaper), Matt Dillon (as hot shot prosecutor Patton Dubois) and Noah Wylie (as Avril, the uptight lawyer for the newspaper).
The only celebrity that actually lived up to his typical exceptional caliber was Alan Alda who played Rachel Armstrong’s lawyer in the film. As always Mr. Alda gave me chills as he poured out his heart and soul in the emotional pleading of his client’s case.
This was a fascinating and heart wrenching story. To think that these events actually happened (although some liberties have been taken here) is shocking and tragic, but for some reason when they unfold in the movie they don’t come across as very dramatic. I had no sympathy for the journalist’s family, or more importantly for her. I felt the severity of the issues and compassion for the characters would have been stronger if someone else had played the role of Rachel Armstrong. This film touched on a very controversial and intriguing situation, one that I am glad was told however the movie itself felt too long, drawn out, slow moving and predictable. Although as you can tell, it did leave me with a lot to think about!
6.5 / 10