The Lie

2011

A tall tale turns out to have long-term consequences in this dark comedy-drama. Lonnie (Joshua Leonard) used to dream of being a musician, but reality stepped in and now he's working a dreary day job and married to Clover (Jess Weixler), who is finishing her law degree. Lonnie and Clover are also the parents of a six-month-old daughter, and between work, school and looking after the baby, their free time has all but disappeared, which means Lonnie never gets to jam with his loser buddy Tank (Mark Webber). One day, Lonnie decides he just can't bear another day at work so he tells his boss that the baby is sick and he can't come in. Lonnie enjoys his day off so much that he chooses to skip work again the next morning, but this time his excuse ups the ante and leads him down a path that he won't be able to easily explain to his employers, his co-workers or Clover. Adapted from a story by T.C. Boyle, The Lie was the first feature film from director Joshua Leonard, who also plays Lonnie. The film received its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. more..

Director: Joshua Leonard

Starring: Joshua Leonard, Jess Weixler,Mark Webber, Alia Shawkat, Jane Adams

 19 Reviews

Reviews

  • Comprising small, near-perfect scenes played out largely at dinner tables and on couches, The Lie wonders if it's possible to rewrite lives and remake choices.

    Jeannette Catsoulis - The New York Times

    27 April 2013

  • The Lie is dark enough, but it has affection for its characters and doesn't destroy them. It paints them in three fallible human dimensions, and the actors are warm and plausible.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    27 April 2013

  • It's a film that casually mixes comedy with dread more or less deftly until faltering near the end. Up to then, however, it imparts the sensation that, along with Lonnie, you are being cooked alive in a pot of water that's slowly but steadily heating up toward the boiling point.

    Shawn Levy - Portland Oregonian

    27 April 2013

  • Embedded in The Lie is a sharp look at the moral limbo of a complacent life, the self-defeat of committing by halves, the self-interest of false equivalencies - but only the shallowest attempts are made to chip its themes out.

    Michelle Orange - Movieline

    27 April 2013

  • Good enough to almost overlook a so-so ending.

    Lou Lumenick - New York Post

    27 April 2013

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