The Good Lie

The collective stories of the Lost Boys of Sudan are both inspirational and heartbreaking, and far more complex in emotional scope than a standard Hollywood treatment could typically convey.

So give The Good Lie credit for a good effort, even if it ultimately succumbs to sappy contrivances. This glossy dramatization of the Lost Boys story at least keeps the focus on its Sudanese subjects while relegating the roles of the well-intentioned Americans to those of facilitators instead of saviors.

The film opens with the lengthy and arduous journey of a handful of teenage villagers from war-torn Sudan to a refugee camp in Kenya, where they hope to be among those chosen by an American charity for relocation there.

After many years, such is the good fortune of Mamere (Arnold Oceng), Jeremiah (Ger Duany) and Paul (Emmanuel Jal), who are sent to Kansas City where they experience major culture shock. While they are happy for the opportunity, their heart aches for those still back home and for their sister Abital (Kuoth Wiel), who is separated from them in Boston.

That’s where Carrie (Reese Witherspoon) steps in, as a feisty employment agency worker assigned to find them jobs, but who takes on a larger role once she realizes they need an advocate for much more.

The English-language debut of Canadian director Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar) creates its characters from composites rather than one specific story, but it doesn’t shortchange the struggles of the refugees in the process. In fact, those roles were cast using Sudanese natives with little acting experience but with ties to the struggles in that country. Their screen presence lends a welcome authenticity.

Once it reaches the United States, the film perhaps has too much narrative ambition and tends to lose focus. We only catch glimpses of the daily routine the Lost Boys face in their adjustment to a new culture — whether it’s employment or transportation or simply using the telephone. Likewise it rushes through Carrie’s efforts to break through bureaucratic red tape, and the ending feels tacked-on.

The fact that The Good Lie could have been so much worse isn’t necessarily a reason to bestow it with backhanded praise. Yet for its melodramatic flaws, the film at least will allow the plight of the Lost Boys to reach a wider audience, and that’s worth sacrificing a little extra sentiment.

Rated PG-13, 112 minutes.