Truth

Parental Rating: R

Contains: Language    

Jill's Review

Opens October 30, 2015

Runs 121 minutes

This is the story behind the firing of Dan Rather (Robert Redford) by CBS News. A team of journalists led by Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchette) discovered a possible gap in George W. Bush's National Guard Service. They found a witness who passed on "documents" which appeared to support their theory that Bush got preferential treatment getting into the Guard and then skipped out on his duties. They rushed the story to air on 60 Minutes because it was only days before the election. The only problem is that the witness recanted some of his statements and the documents could not be authenticated after the story aired. The entire team was eventually terminated. Bad reporting? Political pressure? 

This movie wasn't as biased as I had anticipated. All of the performances are good. It depicts the pressure to verify and produce a story of this magnitude. And, it shows the consequences of starting with what you think happened and then trying to support your version rather than letting the actual "Truth" unfold. Ultimately, they all paid the price because they all thought it was more important to ask the questions rather than provide the actual documented proof. Average movie. If you remember this story and you enjoy political reporting, then this might interest you.

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