The Good Lie

The compelling story -- or stories -- behind "The Good Lie," are informative and well worth watching. But the tone of this film is confusing and the structure is unfocused.

In the tradition of based-on-a-true-story movies, the first thing we see is text informing us of the brutal civil war between North and South Sudan in the 1980s. Then we follow a group of orphaned children as they walk across sub-Saharan Africa for thousands of miles until they arrive at a refugee camp.

It's not until 35 minutes into the narrative that Reese Witherspoon appears and the story takes a new turn with a new protagonist. Carrie Davis (Witherspoon), a brash American employment agent takes on the task of helping three (now-grown) refugees find work in the United States. Suddenly, we're introduced to a light-hearted cultural comedy as young men with no concept of telephones or electrical lighting attempt to make a home in Fargo, North Dakota.

Jeremiah (Ger Duany), one of the Lost Boys of Sudan interviews for a job at a fast food restaurant:

Interviewer: So what brings you to the United States?

Jeremiah: My parents were killed in the civil war in Sudan, and my sisters were taken as slaves.

Interviewer: Do you have any restaurant experience?

Is this the story of a boy who becomes a man to emigrate his family, or the story of a family separated by continents who must find each other. Or is it about a jaded woman who learns compassion through charitable giving? What this film should be is sacrificed by the requirements of a Hollywood production.

The featurette "'The Good Lie' Journey" looks at Witherspoon and director Philippe Falardeau's personal experiences bringing this movie to the screen. And the deleted scenes demonstrate how much more confused the narrative would be if they hadn't been cut.

"The Good Lie"
Blu-ray + DVD
Rated PG-13 / 110 min.
warnervideo.com