Telling Lies in America

Watch Telling Lies in America

"Just don't get caught."
  • PG-13
  • 1997
  • 1 hr 41 min
  • 6.2  (2,471)
  • 65

Telling Lies in America is a coming-of-age drama film that was released in 1997. The movie follows the story of a 17-year-old Hungarian immigrant, Karchy Jonas (played by Brad Renfro), who moves to Cleveland, Ohio, in the mid-1960s with his family. When Karchy starts attending a new high school, he feels like he doesn't fit in and becomes obsessed with becoming popular.

Karchy's dream is to become a DJ at a local radio station, WKRS, and making his dream a reality turns out to be more challenging than he thought. With no prior experience in radio broadcasting, Karchy makes his way to the radio station, where he meets Billy Magic (played by Kevin Bacon). Billy is the station's top-rated DJ, and after Karchy introduces himself, Billy takes him under his wing and becomes his mentor. Together, they work on developing Karchy's radio voice and showmanship skills.

As the story progresses, Karchy begins to live a life filled with lies and deceit. He starts telling people he's from Beverly Hills and lies about his family's occupation to impress his classmates. Meanwhile, he's still struggling to fit in at school and to find his place in society. His only solace is his friendship with Diney Majeski (played by Calista Flockhart), a beautiful girl he meets at the radio station who seems to understand him better than anyone else.

As Karchy continues to pursue his goals, he starts to become more enchanted with Billy's lifestyle. Billy leads a lavish lifestyle, and Karchy becomes enamored with him and the world he represents. Dancing with beautiful women, attending wild parties, and living in a world of excess, Karchy's obsession with Billy slowly spirals out of control.

Amidst Karchy's lies and his idolization of Billy, things take a darker turn when Billy finds himself in trouble with the law. As Karchy's world begins to crumble around him, he must decide whether he should stand by his mentor's side or expose him to the authorities.

Throughout the movie, we see Karchy coming to with who he is and the consequences of his lies. Telling Lies in America is a powerful and engaging coming-of-age story that explores themes of identity, belonging, and the costs of pursuing our dreams. The performances by the actors, including Brad Renfro as the lead, are excellent, and the movie effectively transports us back to the mid-1960s in Cleveland, Ohio. The movie's soundtrack also adds to the nostalgic feel, with classic songs from that era, making this movie a must-see for anyone who enjoys coming-of-age dramas or movies set in the 60s.

Telling Lies in America
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Description
  • Release Date
    1997
  • MPAA Rating
    PG-13
  • Runtime
    1 hr 41 min
  • Language
    German
  • IMDB Rating
    6.2  (2,471)
  • Metascore
    65
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