Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Michael Ledo Steven Elliot (James Franco) is a successful author writing about his messed up life caused by his father, who is now deceased. He has a contract for another book, but has writer's block. The murder trial of Hans Reiser (Christian Slater) accused of killing his wife (no body found) catches Steve's attention. Here he meets NYT reporter Lana (Amber Heard) who is an enabler in his pharmaceutical drugged filled life style complete with a desire for pain as foreplay. Things quickly change when dad (Ed Harris) appears at one of his book talks and throws the BS flag. Steven must re-examine his life."True Deception" and "The Adderall Diaries" are the same film. It is about selective or edited memories that we all have and when faced with the truth....well things sometimes change. The acting and drama was good, but the film lacked action or memorable scenes. The idea that things aren't the way they seem and the juxtaposition of Steven's life to that of Hans Reiser needed better clarification. I am sure the book did a better job. The film needed to be edited.Guide: F-word, sex, nudity.

Floated2 The Adderall Diaries, Stephen's (James Franco) first book is called A" Part" but while it bears a different title, it's clearly just a substitute for "A Life Without Consequences", and it's those details that dismantle and nearly destroy Stephen, riding high on his success, when their lack of veracity is revealed. The Adderall Diaries is a tough film and has several different elements and subplots within the story. It may feel clustered at once, but the film is quite interesting for those reasons. There appears to be much happening, and although it is well acted, it does not feel forced in any way. The film really does a good job of its flashback scenes, where Franco and Ed Harris (playing his father) tell their point of views of how they lived going up. These flashbacks are constantly brought up and shown, and they play an important part within the end. Amber Heard does a solid job playing Franco's love interest. The film is quite short, at 87 minutes. Perhaps they could have developed the story a little more, though the film is quite good and worth a watch.

b W Why medium rare? Because I like it better than well done. This movie hits too close to home for many of the reviewers I can tell. Problem is that they are living it or agree with the abusive bullying lifestyle. It makes me sick to see 4 and 5 stars out of 5 for so many stinkers and this one gets low ratings. This isn't the best movie but it isn't a waste of time. Great cast and it is well made. Make yourself a drink and a smoke if you like and watch this one with your dog on a rainy. This is a tale about a guy that hates himself and was raised by a parent that also hated himself thus the vicious cycle of self hate and low self esteem. How can we learn to see life in a better way? How do we rewire our brains from a lifetime of conditioning in an abusive environment. Not every movie ends like a fantasy that is personally gratifying. Why? Because people do not make as many happy endings. If you want that to change make some effing happy endings and stop breaking people in half. That goes for women and men. Stop if you aren't too broken to pull it off.

dinterpreting I can usually tell if I'll like a film in the first 5 minutes. This film had me at minute 1. All the actors are excellent. The themes are thought provoking, something I think just about everyone can relate to. We all have different memories of our childhood. One sister or brother remembers it one way, you another, and the parents yet another. I have found that over time I want to strengthen my memories, or at least have them be justified and validated. Perhaps we each begin justifying and validating our memories to fit a certain story. How often do our memories paint us in a better light and someone else in a less admirable position. Can we be unbiased in our memories?