Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Blistering performances.

When I was a performing musician in Paris, France in the 1960's I often used to play a tune entitled "Night Walk". In this movie the same tune is played but is called "Sleep Walk". How could the same tune have two titles? Does anyone know the answer to that? Otherwise the film was not so hot unless you have nostalgia for views of Cleveland, Ohio. How come the Hungarian refugee had no foreign accent? And I failed to understand why the George Washington question and answer session gave the judge the right to allow citizenship for both the father and son in spite of the fact that the son had obviously lied to the Grand Jury. Oh well! It's only a movie and doesn't necessarily have to be believable, n'est-ce pas.

Yes, the movie deals tangentially with the payola scandals of the 50's (truly a big problem in the entertainment industry), but only as one of the many lies hinted at in the title.The two main characters (Renfro and Bacon) do *nothing* but lie. They are balanced by the purity of the other characters (Flockhart and Schell).Schell's character was a little underwhelming and the work by Renfro was, at times, uneven, but both were generally excellent. My only other quibble was with the settings of the film. As a Clevelander (where the story takes place and the film was shot), it's easy to understand the where the scenes took place and how the story was built around them, but I'm not sure that an "outsider" would understand the implications to the story of those different locations (the neighborhoods, the market, etc.).The real find is Calista Flockhart. She gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, sweeter and deeper than anything you'll see on Ally McBeal. Interestingly, Flockhart spent time working on stage at the Cleveland Playhouse, so was well-suited for the role in a way.Joe Eszterhas is not exactly known for his subtlety, but this movie is a small triumph for him and portends better things from his pen in the future.

Yes, I live in Northeast Ohio, but that's not the only reason I truly enjoyed this movie. The daughter of an acquaintance, 'Giggly Girl' Angelique Osborne, had a tiny part and I originally watched to see her. Now every time Bravo plays this movie on IFC Fridays, the phone comes off the hook, the popcorn is popped and I get good and comfy. The sentiment portrayed here, although it's roughly 15 years before my time, pulls me right in. The struggles of wanting to feel important (or at least to fit in), where to draw the lines of loyalty and figuring out what makes any of us happy are timeless. It never occurs to me that I'm watching Kevin Bacon or Brad Renfro. They become their characters. (Kevin Bacon proves he has a range most people don't realize and Brad Renfro, although beautiful to look at, also has that un-namable quality that makes you feel you're watching a future legend. Let's pray he finds his way safely.) Just as you never think about the set or the camera during a genuinely good movie, all the components of Telling Lies in America flow beautifully.After reading some of the other reviews here, it seems some people can't be entertained with a good story and good acting. Some movies don't have to resort to the typical Hollywood recipe in order to leave a positive imprint in your mind. Too bad you have such a short attention span.

Kevin Bacon is the best thing about this film. He can play anytype of role, barely human (Murder in the First), a small-timecrook (The River Wild) or a twisted DJ (Telling Lies inAmerica). Here he is believable and puts in a good performance.Brad Renfro also does well in his role, but isn't veryconvincing. Two problems.1.) He comes from Hungary, but has no accent, and sounds like hecame from New York2.) Age. A year before this was filmed, he co-starred in TheCure. There he played an 11 year old, and looked too old. Herehe plays a 17 year old, and looks too young for the role. The other highlight is Maximillian Schell (I doubt I spelledhis name right). He is fourth billed as Renfro's Hungarianfather and is dead-on. Why Joe Esterhaus (Spelling error?) isAmerica's top paid screenwriter will never be known. He writeslame scripts that deserve to be thrown away, but are insteadmade into big-budget movies like this one.+ (GOOD THINGS) 1.) Kevin Bacon's performance 2.) MaximillianSchell's performance 3.) Plot line(BAD THINGS) 1.) Pretty well everything else