User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 3 out of 10

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  1. Kevin
    Mar 28, 2006
    3
    Doesn't really make narrative sense. Characters are never really fleshed out. Not such a good adaptation of an excellent book.
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  2. ChadS.
    Apr 6, 2007
    7
    In the publishing industry, there are two types of autobiography: the memoir and the unauthorized tell-all. Karen(Alison Lohman) is an aspiring investigative journalist(imagine Kitty Kelley with a moral compass) writing a competing book about the life of Vince(Colin Firth), who comprised one-half of a comedy team that she admired as a polio-stricken lass. "Where the Truth Lies", Atom Egoyan's least painstakingly esoteric film since "Speaking Parts", is quite the departure for the celebrated Canadian filmmaker of Armenian descent; this time out, he's extending an olive branch out to the hoi polloi instead of catering strictly to a film festival jury(the only people alive who screened "Calendar") and movie buffs(I watched "Ararat" three times, sad, I know). On the surface, "Where the Truth Lies" thrills and titilates, but the central idea that Egoyan really wants to get across, echoes the same sentiment in Todd Solondz's "Storytelling", which is that all non-fiction is basically fiction. Each voice-over narrative, Vince's and Karen's, miss the truth by inches(white lies), or by miles(lies; a conspiracy to cover up the real story). "Where the Truth Lies" is Egoyan's first attempt at genre filmmaking and it's mostly successful, in spite of Lohman's inability(like Scarlett Johanson in "The Black Dahlia") to evoke the Hollywood sirens of yesteryear. Rachel Blanchard(who plays Maureen) is more successful, and should've had more screen time. Expand
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  3. MicheleA.
    Oct 13, 2005
    9
    Firth and Bacon were wonderful, cinematography and music lush. More enjoyable for the aura and characterizations than for the plot. Don't let the mixed reviews keep you from seeing it!
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  4. GaleG.
    Oct 14, 2005
    9
    Smart, intelligent departure for Egoyan. Entertaining whodunit surrounded by strong cast including ever surprising Colin Firth. Who knew among all his other talents he could scat? What's next gangster rap? A slick POV film that begs to be viewed repeatedly to see all the nuances. Cheers to a job well done All!
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  5. Anandgyan
    Oct 12, 2005
    7
    Slick production and many titillating moments, the thriller is astutely rendered, alas the detective seems naive though she delivers. In short; misleading lead characters!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 29
  2. Negative: 4 out of 29
  1. Atom Egoyan has delivered a big, slick and sexy mystery in Where the Truth Lies, turning the Rupert Holmes novel into a sumptuous tale of show business hype and duplicity.
  2. Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    60
    Atom Egoyan's most mainstream and genre-oriented picture in his 20-year career applies a thick noir lacquer to a jumbled, time-jumping tale of a young female journalist prying the facts out of the aging entertainers and their cronies.
  3. The time shifts are awkward, and Egoyan displays little of the deftness of characterization he evinced in such movies as "Exotica" (1994) and "The Sweet Hereafter" (1997); the result is a cold scold of a movie.