Breaking News in Yuba County (2021)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
Timid Sue Buttons lives in Kentucky with her husband, Karl. When she discovers him in a compromising situation that leads to his sudden death, she decides to exploit the situation for personal gain. By pretending he has gone missing, she gains significant media attention from her sister, a local news reporter. However, the lie becomes increasingly difficult to maintain as local authorities, a suspicious detective, and various criminals involved in Karl's secret life begin to converge on her, creating a volatile situation where the truth is buried beneath layers of deception and escalating danger.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Sue Buttons, a timid woman in Kentucky, finds her husband Karl dead after a confrontation. To gain the attention she feels she lacks, she pretends he was kidnapped. This lie gains traction with local news reporter Nancy, but Detective Harris becomes suspicious of Sue's inconsistencies. Meanwhile, Karl's involvement in money laundering for a man named Mr. Kim brings dangerous elements into play, including his brother Petey and associates Mina and Ray. As Sue's lie grows, she becomes entangled with these criminals, who are also searching for the missing money. The plot involves multiple kidnappings, a jewelry store robbery, and a deadly confrontation involving a drill press and a hatchet. Ultimately, Sue is caught in a deadly standoff with Mr. Kim and Detective Harris. She manages to survive and, a year later, publishes a bestselling book about her 'experience' while being interviewed by the media, successfully maintaining her public persona despite the carnage behind the scenes.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tate Taylor
- Writers
- Amanda Idoko · writer
- Genres
- comedy; thriller
- Themes
- deception; media sensationalism; consequences of lies
- Tone and mood
- black comedy
- Setting
- Kentucky and a motel area.
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; mystery
- Reception
- The film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 11% · review count: 37; Metacritic · score: 24 · scale: 100 · review count: seven
- Production trivia
- It was the first release for American International Pictures since 1980.; The film was shot in Mississippi.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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