Here are various reviews that have been found online that have been written by fans who have seen the movie! IMDB.com GeneralHospital.About.Com
After wowing them at the Dances with Film Festival in Los Angeles, True Rights proves it has what it takes on BOTH coasts, as it was voted the hands down winner at the 2000 Brooklyn Film Festival. What can I add to all the reviews from LA but... if you have to drive 500 miles, run, walk, or crawl through glass, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! Yes, it is that good.
The performances from all the actors are top notch. Claudia Christian as Elaine and Tom Heard as Drew are just amazing as the sleazy duo out for the big story that will give them an "in". They hire Ariaga Prada (Gary Cruz) and Reynolds Portman (Richard Lee Jackson), who soon find out that Hollywood may not be all they thought it was cracked up to be. Rounding out this crazy crew is their "agent" Armand (Tony Monziotti - name sound familiar?) who works out of his garage.
Then the barrage of lunatic true life stories begins. The first is a mother on crack thinking her husband has killed their baby. Elaine skillfully gets her to sign the rights to her story for $50. Later Elaine is disappointed when the kid turns up alive...no story and out $50.
Next they visit a jail to interview Johnny O'Connor (John Wickersham), who is charged with killing his friends at a party. From the beginning you can sense the tension as he begins to ask Elaine if she knows any country songs. He then explains some dance step and tells Elaine to sing. She is resorted to "O Suzanna" as Drew is "taught" this dance step. It becomes a brawl, and Drew ends up having a break down. After going to a psychiatric ward and receiving the appropriate medication, Armand meets them to say he is cutting them loose - they are too costly. While Reynolds visits Armand in his new 6' x 6' cubical office and does his best to get him to reconsider this decision, Elaine and Drew make the rounds to various agents, pitching their stories.
When they come up short, they turn to the one story that has been hovering throughout the movie. Thad Whitney (Jack Betts) is an actor from old Hollywood that no one wants to hire. Down on his luck and tired of living in the image of his former self, he informs them that he has a story of life and death... his. He tells them he is going to commit suicide, but he lands a role on a TV show and changes his mind. Poor Elaine and Drew are left with no other alternative but the last story available to them.
Ladies and Gentleman, meet Charlie Vick (Jonathan Jackson), 17 year old militia leader of the Forest Angels "sent" here to do God's work. Now Charlie wasn't the true leader. He achieved that status when his father killed himself by blowing his brains out while demonstrating gun safety. As Elaine and Drew try to get the rights to Charlie's story he refuses to sign, saying he wants to be a producer, while all the time he’s seen belching and chewing with his mouth open. As they continue their discussion they believe there is an air raid, and are all set to blow up themselves and the compound ... only Reynolds points out that it is a TWA passenger jet, and Charlie says, "Oh yeah, they do that to us all the time." When back inside to continue the discussion, Drew completely loses it, in more ways than one, and says they are nuts - no one is coming after them. To which Charlie shoves him up against the wall and Elaine begs him to let him go, he has a condition. They leave without the rights but Charlie still hopes something can be worked out, saying he felt connected to Elaine. Driving off, he gives Drew assurance with Jonathan's now famous adlib line, "Soldiers piss too."
Needing to make ends meet, Drew takes a job cleaning the office of an egomaniac agent who likes to piss in the waste paper basket. Reynolds and Ariaga follow him around. It is here they run into Thad Whitney again, who informs them the part in the TV series fell through and that the deal for his story is still a go. It is back at his apartment Elaine pressures him into actually setting up his own suicide, which he then decides he will commit that night. As they drive to the chosen site, under the "D" of the Hollywood sign where Thad once got laid, we hear on the radio that the Forest Angels blew up their compound and that Charlie Vick is the only surviving member.
The rest you have to wait and see... sorry, I don't want to spoil it for you. But please, please see this movie. The scenes with Drew and Elaine run a gambit of emotions and the scenes between Thad and Reynolds are some of the most heart warming and moving I have seen in a long time. Jack Betts (Thad), who won the award at the Brooklyn Film Fest for
Best Actor in a Feature Film, was just a natural. Richard Lee Jackson reminded me of a modern day Jimmy Stewart - his portrayal of the idealistic young Reynolds will break your heart. And everyone by now has heard how funny Jonathan is in his scene. Is it true... no. It is HILARIOUS!! It was a great to be reminded of what comedic timing he has given the challenging, dramatic roles he has recently portrayed.
There is not enough I can say about this movie. Director Meg Thayer is one of the most amazing women on the planet to be able to pull this off so brilliantly. We sit and we laugh, yet this is truly what we have become. The thought that we need other peoples’ misery to entertain us and make us feel better made me uneasy after the movie was over. With ironic characters, like Jonathan’s being the "chosen one", or Richard's becoming disillusioned, it sometimes got too close to home. Also on another note, I was really impressed with the original music. It is very apparent that Scarlet Road may have a new CD out...as soon as they find time to get into the studio and record it. I can’t wait since it is obvious it will surpass God Candy. I hope you see True Rights and come away entertained, but leave with a whole lot more insight then what you brought. Kudos to all.
Date: 29 June 2000
Summary: A rave review of this wonderful movie!!!
Magnificent, Beautiful, Exciting, Funny & Dramatic. Just a few words to describe how great this movie really was. All the actors were superb, especially but not limited to Jonathan Jackson, Richard Jackson and Jack Betts. The fact that the director Meg Thayer in her directorial debut was able to give us such a blend of drama and comedy in a single camera film is amazing. She truly deserves to take a bow. She truly captured the lust of Hollywood producers and the pursuit of the story above all else. This movie would do well on the big screen and should be shown at every theater in the country. If it comes to a festival near you, take time out of your day to see it. It'll be well worth your time.
Date: 2 July 2000
Summary: An excellent film not to be missed!
This film has an excellent mix of comedy, drama and satire all rolled up into one. The director managed to get absolutely flawless performances from every one of her actors. The acting is incredible! The material was extremely well-written. It goes from being hysterically funny to poignant to sad to sweet. The film is very clever. The characters are well-defined and interesting. It was a joy to watch the characters come to life.
