Karchy Jonas is a 17-year-old high-school student and immigrant from Hungary trying to find his way in the world. He meets radio personality Billy Magic, who takes him under his wing. However, unbeknownst to Karchy, authorities are after Billy for accepting payola from record companies to give their songs air time. Billy gives Karchy a part-time job because he realizes that Karchy cheated and lied to win his (Billy's) radio contest, and thus would be a perfect assistant in the scam. Karchy does not realize that his involvement may jeopardize his and his father's prospective U.S. citizenship. Karchy pursues a co-worker at the local grocery store where he works, only to find out that she became engaged to their employer, Henry. Karchy idolizes Billy but ultimately realizes how corrupted, bitter, and cynical he actually is.
Eszterhas wrote the film in 1983 under the title Magic Man but could not sell it. Eventually his wife Naomi read the script and suggested he revisit it. "It was so moving, so good, I couldn't believe it hadn't been made," she said. "I thought it was too good to be sitting on a shelf. I thought the relationship between Karchy (the protagonist) and his father wasn't entirely worked out."[1]
Eszterhas rewrote the script and sold it to Banner Entertainment. The writer gave up his $100,000 fee so Max Schell could play a role.[1]
According to the website Splitsider, actor John Candy was considered for the role of Billy Magic.[4]
Telling Lies in America received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It holds a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 5.93/10.[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
Box office
The film was released in limited release opened at #22 at the North American box office and grossed $11,470.[2] The film would end with a domestic gross of $318,809.[2]
The film was released in VHS on November 3, 1998, and DVD on April 25, 2000.[9] The film was released as part of a Blu-ray Disc double feature with Traveller from Shout! Factory on May 29, 2012.[9]
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