The Good Lie (2014)

As children, many of us were taught that lying is bad - that, in any given situation, it's always better to be honest. Of course, growing up has shown us that this childhood dictum doesn't always hold true. As The Good Lie takes pains to explain, there are moments when a lie has positive consequences that outweigh the telling of it. In fact, there's just such a lie embedded in the marketing campaign for Philippe Falardeau's earnest if occasionally overwrought film: that Reese Witherspoon is the star and central character of the movie. Witherspoon's name and pretty face on the poster will, of course, bring in audiences, but she's really not the main attraction here. Instead, her top billing for the film will bring attention to the far worthier and more riveting story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, refugees to America from a land brutally torn apart by civil war.

The lives of the children of Sudan are fraught with dangers and horrors - before the age of twelve, they endure war, famine, death and deprivation, with only the faint prospect of leaving their country to start afresh somewhere new. Mamere (Arnold Oceng), with his sister Abital (Kuoth Wiel) and brothers-in-arms Jeremiah (Ger Duany) and Paul (Emmanuel Jal), gets that chance - but only after losing too much of his innocence and blood to a battle he should never have had to fight. The promise of a new home and freedom, however, come neither freely nor easily. Mamere is helpless to prevent the bureaucracy of the system from taking his sister to another state in America, and culture shock lingers in every corner and around every turn.

It's easy to see why Falardeau was asked to make his English- language debut with The Good Lie. His previous effort, the bittersweet Monsieur Lazhar, dealt impressively with issues of displacement, loss and identity, and won him an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in the process. Falardeau displays the same sensitivity with the quartet at the heart of his latest film, giving each character a personality and heart beyond the labels and paperwork more easily affixed to them. He understands the irony facing these young men: the notion that they've lived through guns and hunger, only to be flummoxed by bureaucrats and capitalism.

The film could easily have tipped over into a self-congratulatory farce, painting Carrie Davis (Witherspoon) - the boys' employment agent - as the pretty white-girl saviour of these savages from the third world. But Falardeau instead teases out the myriad ways in which their new lives are better, but also possibly worse than, what they left behind. He finds these tragic contradictions in the wide-eyed manner in which they respond to their new homeland: the way Jeremiah revolts at the casual, easy wastage of produce in the supermarket where he stocks the shelves, and the manner in which these boys simply cannot believe that Carrie is genuinely taking care of herself with neither father, husband, brother nor son on hand.

Coupled with the very good work done by Falardeau's young cast (especially Oceng and Wiel), it becomes almost easy to overlook The Good Lie's relatively predictable script by Margaret Nagle. There are a few hard-hitting moments, particularly when Mamere struggles beneath the weight of guilt that comes with being alive because others close to him have died, but no real surprises. It's no doubt a film that deals with painful, difficult issues and politics, but it does so in such an earnest way that it winds up feeling safe a

Fmovies: I was invited to a screening of this movie and wasn't sure what to expect. The only thing I had heard was a bit of Oscar buzz concerning Reese Witherspoon.

I found the movie very interesting and moving, comical at times, yet sad as well. I was moved to tears multiple times at just the thought of what these children to adults had to endure. For her part, I didn't feel that Witherspoon did much in depth acting at all, much less an Oscar worthy performance. The real emotion was depicted by the Sudanese actors. They are the ones who deserve an award.

I was left wanting more, as some parts of the story were not fully told. Overall, a very good movie and worth seeing.

This can be a touching and humorous movie, which has the rare ability to transfer thematic elements from the harrowing and horrific to sugary sweet humor, all in one film. It centers around a group of young Sudanese refugees living in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, in Kenya, who are selected after 13 years at the camp to participate in a relocation program to America, which became known at the time as the "Lost Boys of Sudan". Actually, they will be sponsored and under the auspices of the Faith Based Charities organization once they arrive in the U.S.A..

The first part of the movie can be difficult to watch, as it depicts the horrors of the Sudanese Civil War, and how these surviving children saw their families killed by invading troops. Also, how they trekked nearly 900 miles across the sub-Sahara, under the most dangerous and difficult conditions to reach the Kakuma Camp. The remainder of the film depicts the culture shock awaiting them in Kansas City as they relocate to America.

Reese Witherspoon is superb, as usual, as Carrie Davis, an employment counselor assigned to help the new arrivals find local jobs as soon as possible, but who will also become more involved in their well being. Corey Stoll and Sarah Baker also add well to the mix in supporting roles.

The group of young Sudanese that the film focuses on, are all either actual refugees from the camp, some being child soldiers at one point, or direct descendants of refugees in the camp. Their performances are terrific and there's lots of deadpan humor that emerges from their characters. The group includes Arnold Oceng, as Mamere, Ger Duany, as Jeremiah, Emmanuel Jal, as Paul, and Kuoth Weil, as Abital.

The film was directed by Canadian filmmaker Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar), and written by Margaret Nagle.

By the way, there is a well presented documentary on this exact subject called "Lost Boys of Sudan", which I viewed in the last year or so, that you may want to check out.

In summary, I thought this movie had heart and was able to illustrate the ravages of war, but then show what can happen when people are given a second chance in life.

The Good Lie fmovies. The story, script, acting, directing and cinematography are all first class - a must see film for sure. This film highlights a serious issue with a lot of heart, humor and great story telling. Reese Witherspoon was amazing, maybe her best performance of her career. The cinematography was amazing, you could freeze frame most shots and the photograph would be worthy of displaying at a museum. The best part is the unbelievable story, which was inspired by true stories about the lost boys of Sudan. I highly recommend this movie, it is a film that will inspire and challenge you and you will remember it for a very long time.

We saw this movie on the spur of the moment while vacationing in Tel Aviv. I was worried it would be a hokey version of "The Blindside," where the focus of the story is on a white woman helping some underprivileged people of color, but instead it was a captivating, beautifully written story that was both authentic and deeply moving. The film skillfully portrays the enormous difficulty facing the Lost Boys of Sudan as they try to adapt to America while absorbing the unbearable trauma of their childhoods. Reese Witherspoon was a delight, and was surprisingly restrained -- the movie was not all about her. The acting was superb, performed by Sudanese who did a remarkably good job. The writers did a great job of not allowing this story to wander off in to mawkishness or sentimentality. There is no attempt to tie it all up in a neat bundle, yet it's ultimately uplifting. It's a great film that I have continually recommended to friends.

THE GOOD LIE was only seen in theaters for a brief time back in October, but it has left a lasting impression on me. There are few movies that have a heart like this one. And don't let the advertising mislead you: Reese Witherspoon has a supporting role and doesn't even appear in its first half hour. This story is one of uplift in the face of incredible odds. Its cast of virtual unknowns are superb. And all four of the young African actors are themselves refugees or children of refugees and their ability to relate to the experience allows for a kind of acting you don't see in your average film. I can't wait for it to be available for download or on a DVD. I intend to have friends over to watch it and see for themselves what a really good movie is all about.