It holds a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10.
(meta data) TITLE: Telling Lies in America (1997) - Rotten Tomatoes (meta data) PUBLISHED DATETIME: 1997-10-16T17:00:00-07:00 Top Box Office Tickets & Showtimes DVD & Streaming ## Sign In Email address ## Sign up for Rotten Tomatoes Sign up with Facebook First Name Last Name Would you like to receive our newsletter? By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. ## Forgot your password Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. Email Address ## Real Quick We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Don't worry, it won't take long. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. Please reference "Error Code 2121" when contacting customer service. # Telling Lies in America Critics Consensus No consensus yet. ## 65% ### TOMATOMETER Total Count: ## 46% ### Audience Score User Ratings: 1,765 ## Telling Lies in America Ratings & Reviews Explanation Super Reviewer Share on Facebook ## Telling Lies in America Photos View All Photos ## Movie Info Karchy Jonas (Brad Renfro) was born in Hungary and immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1960s where he felt adrift in a strange sea of American culture. Jonas tries to fit in at the Catholic high school he attends but finds himself a laughing stock. At home, his stern father (Maximilian Schell) insists that he adhere to traditional Hungarian ways. Karchy's only respite is the rock & roll music he adores. A year before he arrived, flashy, failed disc jockey Billy Magic (Kevin Bacon) rolled into town, found a job at WHK and became the host of the High School Hall of Fame contest, something that Karchy decides he must win so he too can be cool and therefore impress his lovely classmate Diney (Calista Flockhart). Eventually, he does win and before long has made friends with Billy. The DJ proves to be a real pal and pays Karchy a C-note a week to run a few errands and do odd jobs for him. Some of those tasks involve taking money from promoters. When not working, Billy is introducing Karchy to life's wild side. But despite such fun times, there is much the naive youth is destined to learn the hard way about his new buddy Billy. The film's story comes from screenwriter Joe Eszterhas' (Basic Instinct) script, penned around 1982. Himself a Hungarian immigrant , Eszterhas added a few autobiographical touches to the script. Rating: PG-13 (adult situations/language) Genre: Comedy, Directed By: Guy Ferland Written By: Joe Eszterhas In Theaters: Oct 17, 1997 On Disc/Streaming: Dec 18, 2001 Runtime: 101 minutes Studio: ## Watch it now ## Cast Kevin Bacon Billy Magic Brad Renfro Karchy Jonas Maximilian Schell Dr. Istvan Jonas Calista Flockhart Diney Majeski Paul Dooley Father Norton Jonathan Rhys Meyers Kevin Boyle Luke Wilson Damen Fletcher Jerry Swindall Andy `Croak' Stas K.K. Dodds James Kisicki Cecil Simms J.J. Horna The Blind Kid Ben Saypol Timmy Morelli Tony Devon Danny Hogan Rohn Thomas Sgt. Disapri Joe Baka Det. Carpenter Tuesday Knight WHK Receptionist Dave Buckel WHK Newscaster Matt Miller Assistant DA Jack Skelley Immigration Judge Jane Jean Miller Groupie No . 1 Wendy Waltz Groupie No . 2 Angelique Osborne Giggly Girl Abdullah Bey Old Man Kevin Willigham Patrick White School Kid View All ## Critic Reviews for Telling Lies in America All Critics (17) | Top Critics (9) While the elements in this coming-of-age saga may seem familiar...Eszterhas brings a fresh, immigrant's-eye perspective to his tale. Mar 5, 2018 | Full Review… David Ansen Top Critic The Hungarian angle gives the film a little distinctiveness. Jun 12, 2013 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel Top Critic Kevin Bacon gives one of the best performances of his career Apr 19, 2008 | Rating: 3/5 Clint Morris It's only rock 'n' roll, but you'll like it. Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review… Rod Granger Film Journal International View All Critic Reviews (17) ## Audience Reviews for Telling Lies in America Feb 27, 2011 Cast: Kevin Bacon, Brad Renfro, Maximilian Schell, Calista Flockhart, Paul Dooley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Luke Wilson, Damon Fletcher, Jerry Swindall, K.K. Dodds Director: Guy Ferland Summary: Shy immigrant Karchy Jonas (Brad Renfro) is a social disaster at his 1960s American high school. But things pick up when he pursues a cute, supermarket coworker (Calista Flockhart) and hooks up with a slick deejay (Kevin Bacon, in a standout performance) who shows Karchy life's wild--and dangerous--side. My Thoughts: "The performances by Kevin Bacon and Brad Renfro are great, it's the script that leaves something to be desired. There are also some very good actor's in here that are wasted by very limited roles. There was some great music in this as well. But just not as good as I thought it would be considering the talent." &#9829;&#745;&#435;&#1048;&#1048; & Super Reviewer See all Audience reviews ## Telling Lies in America Quotes There are no approved quotes yet for this movie. ## News & Features 150 Erotic Movies Ranked worst to best! 2019's Most Anticipated 63 movies coming up this year 200 Essential Movies Chosen by RT staff! Best of Netflix Movies and shows to binge now View All View All Results Go back More trailers
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Telling Lies in America
Reception.
"Telling Lies in America" received mixed to positive reviews from critics.