Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Nothing But the Truth

EMAILPRINTYari Film Group

Nothing But the Truth reviews
64
7.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama  |  Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Rod Lurie

Directed by: Rod Lurie

Release Date:
Theatrical: December 17, 2008

Running Time: 108 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R for language, some sexual material and a scene of violence

Starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda, Vera Farmiga, Harry Lennix, David Schwimmer, Angela Bassett, and Noah Wyle

Inspired by today’s politically charged climate, Nothing But the Truth is about Washington, DC political journalist Rachel Armstrong, who writes an explosive story about a government scandal in which she reveals the name of a covert CIA agent. When a special government prosecutor demands she divulge her source, she refuses and finds herself behind bars, struggling to defend the principles she has based her career upon. (Yari Film Group)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Lurie hits closer to the bone here than he did in his ham-handed "The Contender" (2000).

Read Full Review >
80

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

A typically intelligent if occasionally overwritten political thriller, boasting a powerhouse cast.

Read Full Review >
80

Film Threat Scott Mendelson

It is a rock-solid entertainment, made by adults, starring adults, and intended for adults.

Read Full Review >
75

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Throughout it all, however, I couldn't escape the feeling that this movie belonged on television instead. It has the immediacy, but also the shallowness, of an extended TV episode. Talking heads proliferate and pontificate.

Read Full Review >
75

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Lurie has crafted a different kind of thriller, one with a mind and a heart.

Read Full Review >
75

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Mostly, Nothing But The Truth operates a lot like Billy Ray's "Shattered Glass" and "Breach," offering up the sort of no-nonsense, meat-and-potatoes docudrama that's in short supply these days.

Read Full Review >
70

Variety Todd McCarthy

Competently constructed and nicely acted by Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga.

Read Full Review >
70

Village Voice J. Hoberman

In the spirit of its title, Nothing but the Truth pivots on a plot twist that's both good and fair. And kudos to the ever-earnest Beckinsale for surviving a prison brawl as splatterific as anything Mickey Rourke had to endure in "The Wrestler."

Read Full Review >
60

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

A fairly gripping cautionary tale.

Read Full Review >
50

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Nothing but the Truth has nothing much at all to do with the historical record, which wouldn't be bad if it offered something persuasive and worthwhile in return, like a reckoning of journalism and its abuses.

Read Full Review >
40

Los Angeles Times Sam Adams

Lurie spins off into invention like a "Law & Order" writer on deadline, scrambling the issues so thoroughly it's no longer clear what, if anything, the movie is meant to address.

Read Full Review >
38

New York Post Kyle Smith

Nothing But the Truth is like listening to the fourth-best debater in middle school present a term paper called "Politics, Power and the Media."

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jim C gave it a10:
An excellent, intelligent flick with great acting by Kate that highlights the loss of democracy in the war-mongering U.S.

steve b gave it a6:
Not believable. It assumes that the Federal Prosecutor is a noble American trying to uncover the identity of an American traitor which is OK for a movie but since it is based on real life where federal prosecutors did not even make the slightest attempt to find the traitor the overall effect is one of nauseau. A good propaganda film for Bush Cheney fans.

Jay H gave it a6:
The interesting story would have been so much better with a stronger actress in the lead role. It is over Kate Beckinsale's acting abilities. The rest of the cast is great though. Always interesting.

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | Olympics | Lost | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use