X
- 2014
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
- 2014
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
Summary Mamere and Theo are sons of the Chief in their village in Southern Sudan. When an attack by the Northern militia destroys their home and kills their parents, eldest son Theo is forced to assume the role of Chief and lead a group of young survivors, including his sister Abital, away from harm. As the tattered group makes the difficult tr...
Directed By: Philippe Falardeau
Written By: Margaret Nagle
- 2014
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
- 2014
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
The Good Lie
65
7.1
Where to Watch
Summary Mamere and Theo are sons of the Chief in their village in Southern Sudan. When an attack by the Northern militia destroys their home and kills their parents, eldest son Theo is forced to assume the role of Chief and lead a group of young survivors, including his sister Abital, away from harm. As the tattered group makes the difficult tr...
Directed By: Philippe Falardeau
Written By: Margaret Nagle
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
65
73% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
23% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
65
73% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
23% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
While The Good Lie certainly doesn’t shy away from scenes designed to make us shake our heads at man’s inhumanity to man and scenes designed to make us dab at our eyes, it’s the kind of movie that earns those moments.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 50 User Ratings
7.1
78% Positive
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
8% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
14% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 50 User Ratings
7.1
78% Positive
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
8% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
14% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Migration is the part of life for birds and animals for millions of years. For the different season, to be in the different places, away from harsh nature is to comforts from any severeness. Still happening in greater number everywhere except humans who thought enough is enough, let's stay and face the challenges. Wow, that's awesome, the civilization was born. So those who stayed in the different places, formed different race, different culture and language with borders around. All kinds of people (religious) have to live together, if something goes wrong between them, the weaker must retreat, but to where?
I have to mention all these, because to remind ourselves how far we'd come. Today to travel to another continent you've to pass so many formalities like visa, passport, security check, background check, check-up for latest fast spreading disease, body scans for smuggling, purpose of visit etc. It is better to turn into a bird and fly away than going through all this. That's why I am not a nationalist and call myself the citizen of planet Earth, which put me on debate with guys around on the several occasions.
Okay. The movie was inspired by 'Lost Boys of Sudan'. The true story of four young Sudanese, after their elders were killed in the attack of their village they team up to escape. Henceforth living in the refugee camp in Kenya, looking for an opportunity for a better life. It lands, but struggle continues as to adapt the new place and finding the right employment. The journey from nowhere to the land of dream, but they had no dream at all, all they wanted was a normal life anywhere peacefully. On the other end, the rules and regulations begin to haunt them, which they were not used to it.
‘‘We found strength in sticking together
But our hope of ever leaving was fading.’’
Definitely an inspiring story. For the meaning of the title, you have to wait until the last minute. Because all the great stories told in the history began or ends with the great sacrifice. That was a touching scene, I just imagined, in reality, how tough it would have been. You probably don't understand what I'm saying, but I'm trying to keep spoiler away. We had seen the similar theme from another angle in Gerard Butler starer 'Machine Gun Preacher'. Yep, about the same war, but set in a different place. The main difference is this movie is not a heroic tale like that where a white man fights for the innocent Africans. You know there are about 20.000 boys and girls orphaned and displaced during the civil war that lasted for nearly 25 years. The writer had to pick just one from the thousands of stories. So that's how 'The Good Lie' came, a story of complete integrity.
From the filmmaker of Oscar nominated foreign movie 'Monsieur Lazhar'. One of my favourites from Canada. I loved all his previous films, so the expectation for this was same as always. It partially feels like a docudrama, but it was not. Leaping into Hollywood did not change his style of film making. He turned into an American movie in which something lacks today, reality and honesty with dynamic story than its characters. Reese Witherspoon's presence did not affect either, the narration was neutral from the perspective of character preference. In fact, Reese Witherspoon's existence helped to put some familiar face on the posters. Especially for the marketing purpose for the wide release, other than the film festivals. So this movie definitely is to go for it, only if you're not seeking entertainment.
8.5/10
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It's a deeply touching story about survival, perseverance, and hope.
It works as well as it does precisely because of an intelligence, humanity and restraint we rarely see in Hollywood films.
A drama with honourable intentions that feels like a bit of a fib.
Reese Witherspoon is funny and touching as the scrappy Kansan who befriends the bewildered arrivals, and the movie's three Lost Boys, no longer lost or boys, are intensely appealing.
The Good Lie is so manufactured around a particular dramatic blueprint that any sense of spontaneity, surprise and engagement are sucked right out of the picture.
This film is unlike many "Based on a True Story" survival films. The Good Lie grabs Americans by the neck and shows the brutality and pain of War and the Life of Refugees. Though the film does go a little too far in its sentimentality, the powerful performances and intelligent script make up for an excellent drama/survival story.
Report
One of the more underrated wide release films of 2014, The Good Lie retains some of the power that lies in the true story upon which it is based, in spite of the sometimes glossy Hollywood approach through which it is framed. The use of real actors that were once child soldiers of Sudan themselves adds an undeniable authenticity to the performances of the four central characters. While far from a starkly realistic portrait of the enduring atrocities that I'm sure still plague Sudan, The Good Lie is still competently made and gets it's point across quite well. The inclusion of noteworthy actors, like Reese Witherspoon and Corey Stoll, while each delivering fine performances, creates an initially jarring effect and distracts until we become used to the characters later on in the picture. Some of the conflicts during the mid-section of the film can seem more slight than others when contrasted with The Good Lie's engaging first act. The bickering between Paul and Mamere is one of the lesser aspects that the film devotes it's time to. There is also an overall feel throughout that we aren't getting a view of the whole, horrific picture. To account for this could be the accommodating tone that often usurps The Good Lie's possible heft. One of the positive aspects that arises from this light touch is how surprisingly funny the film can be. Not every gag works, but the 'Coming to America' style of culture-clash humor feels natural and prevents The Good Lie from being overbearingly solemn. One sizable flaw I had was that the final solution to the brothers' problem, from which The Good Lie derives it's title, doesn't feel manipulative, but distractingly unfeasible, or, if this was the real conclusion to the true-to-life story, framed in a rush that undercuts it's dramatic and socio-political potential. All-in-all, The Good Lie makes for some surprisingly effective Hollywood drama, featuring some relative unknowns giving impressively authentic performances. It reminds me faintly of the 2011 drama "A Better Life", a film that also left an impact and showed depths of human emotion in spite of the sometimes treacly approach to the story.
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Production Company
Alcon Entertainment,
Black Label Media,
Blue Sky Films,
Good Lie Productions,
Imagine Entertainment,
Reliance,
Reliance Entertainment,
Summit Entertainment
Release Date Oct 3, 2014
Duration 1 h 50 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Miracles are made by people who refuse to stop believing.
Awards
National Film Awards, UK
• 3 Nominations
Deauville Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Heartland Film
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
