The Whole Truth (2016)

Directed by: Courtney Hunt | 90 minutes | crime, drama, thriller | Actors: Keanu Reeves, Renée Zellweger, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Gabriel Basso, Jim Belushi, Jim Klock, Ritchie Montgomery, Christopher Berry, Lara Grice, Nicole Barré, Lucky Johnson, Lyndsay Kimball, Jason Kirkpatrick, Sean Bridgers, Jackie Tuttle, Mattie Liptak, Ryan Gregory

Keanu Reeves and Renée Zellweger in a movie. At the beginning of this millennium, that would have made everyone ecstatic. Now it is two actors who occasionally produce something worth mentioning, such as ‘John Wick’ and ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’. ‘The Whole Truth’, on the other hand, will have little eternity value.

In this courtroom drama, Reeves plays lawyer Richard Ramsay, who defends his old mentor’s son from his father’s murder. Zellweger plays the widow and (thus) mother of the suspect. The son, played by Gabriel Basso, is silent in all tones, which makes defending difficult. We follow the process from start to finish, interspersed with flashbacks of moments surrounding the murder and the troubled relationship between the father and son.

In itself ‘The Whole Truth’ looks nice, only the story feels contrived here and there. The son appears to be making some drawings during the process that should make him appear disinterested. That those drawings later turn out to have a different value feels like being made. It is far from a “Keyser Söze moment”, while that is clearly aimed at. Another construction, that of Ramsay’s temporary partner, Janelle, is intended to make the viewer think about whether the developments are completely kosher. But that role remains too superficial, making Janelle more whiny than sharp.

In addition to these constructions, the film also wants to surprise the viewer with plot twists. Admittedly: sometimes they work to the extent that you start thinking about where the truth lies. But the biggest surprise comes too unexpectedly. A court drama often revolves around who did it and during the story you as a viewer expect hints so that you can solve it yourself. These hints are omitted too much in ‘The Whole Truth’, making the denouement too quick and too unexpected.

Two former superstars would be expected to take a lesser story to the next level. But unfortunately that kite doesn’t fly. Reeves, as so often, has a superficial character and the same can be said about Zellweger. Although ‘The Whole Truth’ is ultimately about the big stars on paper, they don’t really belong. As a result, the film ripples without grabbing you to the end and afterwards you can continue what you were doing without even thinking about ‘The Whole Truth’.