The Lie (2011)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good movie but grossly overrated

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Meet Lonnie. He's working a dead end job, and has a major dick for a boss. He's hoping to get off the "boulevard of broken dreams" for a music career with his friend Tank, but they are both stoners, so will any of these dreams happen? Now, meet Clover. She, too, is looking for the best things in life, and is hoping for a great job in the future, but this all relies too heavily on what decisions Lonnie makes. Now, meet Xana. She's an adorable, six month old baby girl, and she belongs to the parents of Lonnie and Clover. Lonnie wants to get out of his job, mainly due to complete job satisfaction. Most of the time, he doesn't even show up to work, calling off, and leaving a boss cussing him out over the phone. One day, he decides to call off, and his boss tells him that if he does not come in on that day, that he will be fired. In response, Lonnie tells "The Lie", which cannot be back pedaled. I can't spoil what this lie is, it's the main vein of this film. What I can tell you, is if you are looking for a comedy with loads of laughs, "The Lie" is not the movie you are looking for. I found it to be a very emotional ride, which is probably what Joshua wanted it to be. What you can expect, is a movie that will challenge the viewer to see what the outcome is by telling a so called "white lie". There is no such thing as a white lie. A lie is a lie. If you are not being truthful, you are a liar. The lines, however, between what a "white lie" and a "huge lie" are are blurred here. Telling his boss this lie has triggered a chain of events, and it leaves Lonnie feeling as if he's lost all control of the wheel. In the meantime, a wife is in the dark on what is going on, and an innocent child has suddenly fallen victim to a lie that was told in less then five words. ( I think it was only three words!) "The Lie" may not make you laugh even once, however, what you can expect is a movie that will make you feel, think, and possibly smile. I found it to be an unappreciated treasure, in the wonderful maze of bullshit major titles crank out, sometimes the great movies are the obscure ones, and "The Lie" falls in that category. It's not perfect by any standard, I don't even believe it even tries to be. However, the hidden message is in clear view on this one, and if you don't know what that hidden message is, you need to watch it again. The climax of the film relies on weather or not he will reveal his lie to his wife, and in the end, it appears he will have no choice whatsoever, so the ending will be seeing how she will react, and if she will even want to continue staying with the person that she loves very much. I highly recommend this movie, and please disregard the low rating this movie is drawing in.

Seriously there is something technically wrong with this movie. It has the appearance of being recorded on a jerky cell phone. I don't mean obligatory shaky cam because that's all edgy and indie and like that. I mean straight up high latency data buffering problems. Plus I'm pretty sure no artificial lighting at all was used. Whatever was natural light (INDOORS) was what they used. Everything is army green and brown. The sound is smooth and syncs OK. Now to the story. A bunch of near middle aged stoners and slackers who wake up every day bemoaning their utter lack of responsibilities or sense. Sample line "His day job has become his....livelihood!" Well herp derp Jackson that's kinda what life is. Dude. I can only conclude that person who made this movie hates each and every one the characters.

Basically, this movie is about a man (and his wife) having a pre-mid-life crisis that starts and ends in the span of a week.I heard about this movie and checked its rating on here (which, at the time of this writing, was 4.8.) Generally when things are that low I give them a pass, but I watched the trailer and was strangely compelled to try it anyway. I enjoy indie movies as whole. I find they are all quite character driven, usually dialogue heavy, prone to closeups and no-frills in most departments. I feel like this movie is a pretty perfect example of that and wonder if (despite the written reviews) those people that simply gave it a score without a review are judging it harshly in comparison to larger budget dramas? If you're looking for action or twists, this is definitely not the movie for you! But, if you enjoy observing characters and getting into their heads, this is a pretty good movie for that. Not great, but good! Also very well rounded.The main actor, Joshua Leonard (also the director) was in another recent indie movie I saw called Higher Ground. That movie received a score of 6.8 on here (again, at this time) yet I actually found this movie much more compelling and watchable than that one and enjoyed it more as a whole.The actors in this movie are fantastic. Whether or not you enjoy the plot, you cannot deny that the actors (specifically the main two) do amazing work with their expressions conveying internal thoughts. Some of the scenery/cinematography is quite lovely as well.The main theme may be a bit cringe-worthy to some (not me) and heavyish at times, but ultimately this is not a depressing movie as a whole. The trailer gives a very good outline of the movie, but leaves the ending out.

As somebody to whom honesty is extremely important, I found the main part of this film incredibly uncomfortable to watch. But if anything it has given me pity for liars rather than contempt because, as this goes some way to illustrate, the disintegration of the soul is at stake.As well as the morality and consequences of lying, it also questions how faithful we are to our principles in the face of stark reality.On a lighter note, it's hardly worth posting as a goof, but why would anybody use a baby monitor when the baby is asleep in a tent just a few yards away? And there is no IMDb credit for Violet Long who portrays Xana - without whom there would be no story and little to feel good about!