810. The Unbelievable Truth (1989)

Running Time: 90 minutes
Directed By: Hal Hartley
Written By: Hal Hartley
Main Cast: Adrienne Shelly, Robert Burke, Christopher Cooke, Julia McNeal, Gary Sauer
Click here to view the trailer

ANOTHER SLIGHTLY TWISTED COMEDY

I first became acquainted with Hal Hartley in July 2011, when I watched "Trust" for THE BOOK. It was a film that I had a hard time really getting a grasp on, noting that the characters seemed out of this world and that the plot never really went anywhere. I'd have to say that "The Unbelievable Truth" was a bit better, but still lacking something.

The film begins with a man trying to hitch a ride, alongside the highway. We soon learn that the man's name is Josh (Burke), he's an auto mechanic and he's just been released from prison for committing murder. Meanwhile, we also zoom in on Audry (Shelley), a defiant teenager with paranoid thoughts about the end of the world. Vic (Cooke), Audry's father, wants her to go to college and is prepared to broker any deal he can to get her there, even if it means donating money to one of her "communist, bomb loving" charities. One day, Audry and Josh meet and Audry is crazy about him immediately. When she finds out that he's a mechanic, she gives him the address to her father's car repair shop, so that he can get a job. Audry tries to think up excuses to see Josh, even stealing his wrench at one point, so she'll have an excuse to go see him again. Meanwhile, a scamming photographer cons Vic into getting Audry into modeling, promising that the line of work pays well. The con ends up paying off for the reluctant Audry, who makes tons of money modeling and moves out of her parents house. There's also Pearl (McNeal), the daughter of the man Josh murdered, who is trying to cope with Josh's return to town.

Again with Hartley, I see characters who just aren't acting natural and who are really hard to get a read on. It's almost as if Hal Hartley and his movies are from Mars and not meant to be fully understood by us Earthlings. "The Unbelievable Truth" is a mildly interesting film, but not one that's going to make you reexamine your personal tastes or anything. I had a fair amount of fun with it, enjoyed it for the most part, but when it was done, it was done and that's that. The cast all did a fine job, adapting their styles to fit into the confines of a Hal Hartley film. They're all pretty much unknown faces, but they all delivered, especially the primary players: Shelly, Burke and Cooke. The dialogue was snappy and well written, but again, Hartley's sense of humor is something that I can't entirely comprehend or get in sync with. Therefore, the film left me wanting a little more in the way of seriousness, more naturally acting characters and a stronger plot.

Despite my mild enjoyment to Hartley films, I still see something there that appeals to me and I'd like to see more of his films to maybe find one that I can connect with. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to drop a line in the comments box.

RATING: 6.5/10  Not horrible by any means, but not blow away either. For the curious, this actually replaced "El Norte" from the FINAL 15 list, which went to a 'short wait' on Netflix.

MOVIES WATCHED: 593
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 408

November 28, 2012  12:26pm