Nothing But the Truth
Metascore
64 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    83
    Lurie hits closer to the bone here than he did in his ham-handed "The Contender" (2000).
  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    80
    A typically intelligent if occasionally overwritten political thriller, boasting a powerhouse cast.
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Scott Mendelson
    80
    It is a rock-solid entertainment, made by adults, starring adults, and intended for adults.
  4. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    Lurie has crafted a different kind of thriller, one with a mind and a heart.
  5. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    75
    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.
  6. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    75
    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.
  7. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    70
    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."
  8. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    70
    Competently constructed and nicely acted by Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga.
  9. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    60
    A fairly gripping cautionary tale.
  10. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    50
    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.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Sam Adams
    40
    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.
  12. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    38
    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."

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. JimC
    10
    An excellent, intelligent flick with great acting by Kate that highlights the loss of democracy in the war-mongering U.S.
  2. steveb
    6
    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.… Full Review »
  3. JayH
    6
    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.… Full Review »
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