Skip to footer

'True Story' finds James Franco and Jonah Hill turning from comedy to chilling drama

Hill takes on the role of New York Times reporter Michael Finkel, who discovers that criminal Christian Longo is posing as the journalist. The movie opens on April 17.

|
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
James Franco, a cast member in 'I Am Michael,' poses at the premiere of the film during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Moviegoers may remember actors James Franco and Jonah Hill working together on the 2013 film “This Is the End,” but their upcoming movie is a far cry from that comedy. 

Franco and Hill star in the movie “True Story,” which, as indicated by the title, is based on the true events involving Michael Finkel, a former New York Times reporter (Hill), and convicted murderer Christian Longo (Franco). Before he was arrested for his crimes, Longo posed as Finkel. Longo was on the FBI’s list of most wanted criminals. Finkel wrote a book titled “True Story” about his experiences.

The movie is directed by Rupert Goold, who previously helmed an episode of the miniseries “The Hollow Crown,” and co-stars Gretchen Mol of “Boardwalk Empire” as well as Felicity Jones, who was recently nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her work in the 2014 film “The Theory of Everything.” 

Both Hill and Franco are also Oscar nominees – Franco earned a Best Actor nod for his work in the 2010 movie “127 Hours,” while Hill received Best Supporting Actor nominations for his appearances in the 2011 movie “Moneyball” and the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” 

Screenwriter David Kajganich told the NYT that he believes the movie handles the murders of Longo’s wife and children, which Longo was convicted of committing, in the best way possible. 

“Writing this story in any way that would intentionally minimize or sensationalize their deaths is not something I could have agreed to, and avoiding those two scenarios was a factor in every narrative choice I made,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Franco said of portraying Longo, “You always try not to judge the [people you play], but I found it so hard with this character,” according to the Wall Street Journal. 

“True Story” will be released on April 17. 

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to 'True Story' finds James Franco and Jonah Hill turning from comedy to chilling drama
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2015/0416/True-Story-finds-James-Franco-and-Jonah-Hill-turning-from-comedy-to-chilling-drama
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe