No. 47 A Little White Lie (2022) 93 of 100

 

If you look up ‘nice’ in the dictionary you wouldn’t find this film as that’s not how dictionaries work, but you would get a definition that would aptly describe this gentle and slightly affecting comedy drama.

Kate Hudson plays an English professor who is organising a literary festival for her small university. The festival is in trouble as the lack of a star guest has threatened their funding. In desperation she invites reclusive writer CP Shriver, who wrote one book and disappeared from sight. No one has a picture of the writer who is talked about in similar tones to JD Salinger.

The invite letter lands in the mailbox of a lonely handyman also named Shriver. He lives alone with his lovely orange cat and as he has a whisky with his dinner we know he’s a total drunk. He takes the invite to show a friend at the pub and, despite realising it’s a case of mistaken identity, Shriver allows his friend to accept the invite on his behalf.

Soon Shriver is on the plane to the festival and meeting fans along the way. News of his appearance has galvanised the festival and the college faculty, who include Don Johnston, are excited for his arrival. Shriver gets cold feet and is ready to head home but at the airport bar he meets the lovely Kate and decides to take his deception a step further.

The festival goes well although Shiver does alienate a black feminist author and runs into a Rolling Stone journalist whom the real Shriver spoke with years ago. Mild peril is introduced as the black writer goes missing and Jimmi Simpson’s policeman character, who wears the worst turtle neck jumpers, starts fishing around the pretend author’s credentials.

Things come to a head after a society party when the ‘real’ Shriver shows up just as the Shannon version has an epiphany. Who is the real author, if anyone? and will the hapless handyman find some redemption?

This is a hard film to dislike. It is quite insubstantial but it has a likeable cast and the stakes are so low you can’t get too upset over the lies and misdirection in play.

Shannon is good as the author/handyman but I didn’t like the device of him doubling up on screen and arguing with himself. I get that he’s conflicted and dealing with inner demons but it just seemed a bit daft. The character arc was good though and from outright flim-flam man Shannon did a good transition to a learned author who may in fact be the real deal. The ending left things enigmatic but I’m pretty sure he was an author and not a handyman. It does beg the question though why a reclusive author would hide under his real name?

There were plenty of familiar faces down the cast with Don Johnson not convincing as a cowboy poet and Tory off Cobra Kai excelling as a cheerleader.

The climax was good fun with Zach Braff showing up as the real author and testing our faith in the seemingly redeemed Shannon.

This was a fun pastime of a movie which won’t live long in the memory, but a sunny L.A. and lots of attractive people are hard not to like and despite some literally waffle the film does deliver the write stuff.

When is Shannon-On? - 03.57

Outcome? Starting over with Kate Hudson

Film 3.5/5

Shannon Stars 3.5/5