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Lately, it seems as though it’s gotten harder and harder to tell the difference between political satire and real-world politics. And while the political comedy Maximum Truth sets out to tell an outrageous story of some shady politics, it feels more like something you might see on any national news report.
Maximum Truth joins a documentary crew in following outspoken lawyer and political consultant Rick Klingman (Ike Barinholtz) on his latest mission. This controversial attorney is well known for causing chaos and filing questionable but high-profile lawsuits. So when a wealthy political activist offers him a whole lot of money to knock congressional candidate Antonio Kelly-Zhang (Max Minghella) out of the running, he calls in his eager young associate, Simon (Dylan O’Brien), and sets out to dig up some dirt, using any means necessary.
Along the way, Rick and Simon stalk their unwitting enemy, approach former coworkers and classmates, and meet up with shadowy figures who promise to provide exactly what they need…for the right price. But no matter how many paths they take, they all lead to a dead end. Still, these two shady characters carry on, displaying far more confidence than competence.
Rick is supposed to be a notorious legal agitator, but it’s hard to imagine anyone of importance caring about anything that he has to say—and especially not someone like Seth Rogen, who has a brief cameo, ranting about how much he hates this guy who, in real life, wouldn’t be worthy of his attention. He’s merely a small-time nuisance—and his general cluelessness makes him difficult to watch.
The biggest problem here, however, is that, these days, political scandals and rumors started by shady politicians and their even shadier associates are no longer shocking; they’re just a part of the daily news cycle. So none of Rick’s actions—and none of the steps he takes to find something dark and deplorable hidden in this politician’s seemingly spotless past—seem especially outrageous. There’s just nothing clever or surprising or memorable about this character and his quest to make himself out to be a big name in the world of political muckrakers and troublemakers.
Unfortunately for Maximum Truth, it’s not easy to shock or surprise viewers with political satire anymore—though a little bit of cunning or charm could definitely help the story. But these characters have neither, making them no more interesting than the random trolls we tend to encounter on the internet every day.
Maximum Truth arrives in select theaters and on demand starting on June 23, 2023.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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