The Lie (2011 film)

Last updated

The Lie
The Lie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joshua Leonard
Written by
Based on"The Lie"
by T. Coraghessan Boyle
Produced by Mary Pat Bentel
Starring
CinematographyBenjamin Kasulke
Edited byGreg O'Bryant
Music by Peter Raeburn
Production
companies
  • Perception Media
  • Das Films
Distributed by Screen Media Films
Release dates
  • January 25, 2011 (2011-01-25)(Sundance)
  • November 18, 2011 (2011-11-18)(United States)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Lie is a 2011 American drama-comedy film, directed by Joshua Leonard, from a screenplay by Leonard, Jess Weixler, Mark Webber, and Jeff Feuerzeig. It is based upon a short story of the same name by T. Coraghessan Boyle, which was printed in The New Yorker . [1] It stars Leonard, Weixler, Webber, Kelli Garner, Jane Adams, Alia Shawkat, Gerry Bednob, Holly Woodlawn, Kirk Baltz, Tipper Newton and Violet Long.

Contents

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2011. It was given a limited release on November 18, 2011, by Screen Media Films.

Plot

Lonnie and Clover are a young married couple with a baby daughter, Xana. The unplanned baby meant the couple had to abandon their early notions of idealism and make compromises for economic security. Clover, a former activist, has landed herself a cushy job in the corporate world. Lonnie, who has put his interest in music on hold for a job at a film production house, feels his dreams are behind him and starts seeing a therapist for depression. One day, to get out of work, he calls in sick, but his abusive boss demands he show up or he will be fired. Lonnie panics and tells a shocking lie to justify his absence. Once the lie is out, there's no going back for Lonnie. The lie pushes Lonnie to figure out who he is, what he wants, and what it means to be a father.

Cast

Production

Joshua Leonard had been on the lookout for a story to be made into a movie, when he read the short story "The Lie", which was in the April 14, 2008 issue of The New Yorker . [1] He realized that the story was a good fit for an independent film that could be made in Los Angeles, using collaborators he already knew in the area. [2] The original short story was sixteen pages long. [3]

The crew spent two and a half weeks shooting the film, and six months editing it. [4] For baby Xana, the filmmakers cast Violet Long (an infant at that time), whose parents are Daniel (the film's co-producer) and Darby Long.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2011. [5] Shortly after, Screen Media Films acquired distribution rights to the film. [6] It was released on November 18, 2011. [7]

Critical response

On review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, The Lie has an approval rating of 74% based on 19 reviews. [8] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [9]

Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly said "[T]his ultra-low-budget dark-comedy also may be one of the upcoming Sundance Film Festival's most touching family dramas." [10] In The New York Times , Jeannette Catsoulis commented the film is "beautifully acted and emotionally resonant -- in the film's best scene, Clover's face silently telegraphs the dawning realization that Lonnie's hideous new song is really a terrible confession -- The Lie is about adjusting one's self-portrait to accommodate changing realities." [11] Roger Ebert awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying, "It's easy to imagine this movie going wrong: Pumping up the drama, punching the big developments, using the wrong music. It keeps its cool. One test of a new director is how he handles a scene that has cliche written all over it. In The Lie, Lonnie, Clover and baby Xana go on a weekend camping trip, and we see they truly do make up a family, and Leonard does this in a convincing and affectionate way." [12]

Mark Olsen of The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Though the scenes for The Lie have a preconceived shape and direction, there are only spare snippets of specific dialogue written, in the hope that the tightrope walk of the creative moment will help capture some real-life spark." [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Leonard</span> American actor (born 1975)

Joshua Granville Leonard is an American actor, producer, writer, and director, known for his role in The Blair Witch Project (1999). He has since starred in films such as Madhouse (2004), The Shaggy Dog (2006), Higher Ground (2011), The Motel Life (2012), Snake and Mongoose (2013), If I Stay (2014), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), 6 Years (2015), and Unsane (2018).

<i>Down in the Valley</i> (film) 2005 American film by David Jacobson

Down in the Valley is a 2005 American neo-western drama film starring Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, David Morse and Rory Culkin. The film made its debut in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival on May 13, and made its limited theatrical release in North America on May 5, 2006.

<i>Son of Rambow</i> 2007 comedy film

Son of Rambow is a 2007 comedy film written and directed by Garth Jennings and inspired by First Blood. The film premiered on 22 January 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was later shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and Glasgow Film Festival. The film was also shown at the 51st BFI London Film Festival. Son of Rambow was released in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2008 and opened in limited release in the United States on 2 May 2008. Set over a summer during Thatcher's Britain, the film is a coming of age story about two schoolboys and their attempts to make an amateur film inspired by First Blood.

Jess Weixler is an American actress. She played Dawn O'Keefe in the comedy horror film Teeth and Jordan in the comedy The Big Bad Swim and played the role of defence lawyer for Lyle Menendez in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

<i>Teeth</i> (2007 film) 2007 American film

Teeth is a 2007 American comedy horror film written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein. The film stars Jess Weixler and was produced by Lichtenstein on a budget of $2 million. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2007, and received a limited release in the United States on January 18, 2008, by Roadside Attractions. Its title refers to the ancient trope of vagina dentata.

<i>Winters Bone</i> 2010 film by Debra Granik

Winter's Bone is a 2010 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Debra Granik. It was adapted by Granik and Anne Rosellini from the 2006 novel by Daniel Woodrell. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as a poverty-stricken teenage girl named Ree Dolly in the rural Ozarks of Missouri who, to protect her family from eviction, must locate her missing father.

<i>Peter and Vandy</i> 2009 American film

Peter and Vandy is a 2009 American romantic independent drama film starring Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler. The film was written and directed by Jay DiPietro, adapted from his own play of the same name which opened in 2002 in New York.

<i>Higher Ground</i> (film) 2011 American film

Higher Ground is a 2011 American drama film directed by Vera Farmiga in her directorial debut. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 memoir This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost by Carolyn S. Briggs, who co-wrote the screenplay. The film follows Corinne Walker (Farmiga) and her vacillating relationship with Christianity. The cast also includes Joshua Leonard, John Hawkes, Donna Murphy, Norbert Leo Butz, and Bill Irwin.

<i>The Truth About Emanuel</i> 2013 American film

The Truth About Emanuel is a 2013 American thriller drama film written, directed, and produced by Francesca Gregorini. The film stars Jessica Biel, Kaya Scodelario, Alfred Molina, Jimmi Simpson, Aneurin Barnard and Frances O'Connor. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2013.

Jennifer Prediger is New York City–based actress, writer, and director known for the films Uncle Kent (2011), Red Flag (2012), and Apartment Troubles (2014)—her directorial debut with collaborator Jess Weixler. Prediger also played and wrote Ask Umbra, the "world's most trusted eco advice columnist," on Grist.org.

<i>Don Jon</i> 2013 film by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Don Jon is a 2013 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, and Julianne Moore, with Rob Brown, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, and Tony Danza in supporting roles. The film premiered under its original title Don Jon's Addiction at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2013, and was released in the United States on September 27, 2013. The film grossed $41 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics.

<i>C.O.G.</i> 2013 American film

C.O.G. is an American comedy drama film directed and written by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and starring Jonathan Groff. The film, whose title stands for Child of God, is based on a David Sedaris short story from his book of collected essays, Naked. It marks the first time one of Sedaris's stories was adapted for film. It co-stars Denis O'Hare, Casey Wilson, Dean Stockwell, Troian Bellisario, and Corey Stoll. C.O.G. was filmed on location in Forest Grove, Oregon in October 2012.

<i>Listen Up Philip</i> 2014 film by Alex Ross Perry

Listen Up Philip is a 2014 comedy-drama film written and directed by Alex Ross Perry. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014, and won the Special Jury Prize at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival.

<i>Nasty Baby</i> 2015 film

Nasty Baby is a 2015 Chilean-American drama film written and directed by Sebastián Silva and starring Kristen Wiig, Silva, and Tunde Adebimpe alongside Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Agustín Silva, Alia Shawkat, Lillias White, and Anthony Chisholm.

<i>Blaze</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Blaze is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Ethan Hawke based on the life of country musician Blaze Foley. The screenplay by Hawke and Sybil Rosen was adapted from the memoir Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley by Rosen. It stars musician Ben Dickey as Foley. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the United States on August 17, 2018, by IFC Films.

Mary Pat Bentel is a Los Angeles based independent film producer known for Amateur Night starring Jason Biggs, The Lie starring Joshua Leonard and Jess Weixler, The Midnight Swim starring Lindsay Burdge, Aleksa Palladino, and Jennifer Lafleur, Animals starring David Dastmalchian, and Austin Found starring Linda Cardellini and Skeet Ulrich. Bentel also produced This Close for Sundance Channel.

<i>Animals</i> (2019 film) 2019 film

Animals is a 2019 Australian-Irish comedy-drama film directed by Sophie Hyde, starring Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat. It was screened in the Premieres category at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. An adaptation of Emma Jane Unsworth's 2014 novel of the same name, the film follows best friends Laura and Tyler whose lifestyle comes under scrutiny just as Laura becomes engaged to a teetotaller.

<i>Fully Realized Humans</i> 2020 American film

Fully Realized Humans is a 2020 American comedy film directed, produced, and edited by Joshua Leonard, from a screenplay by Leonard and Jess Weixler. It stars Leonard, Weixler, Tom Bower, Beth Grant, Michael Chieffo, Janicza Bravo, Erica Chidi Cohen, Zach Shields, Jennifer Lafleur and Ross Partridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Maine</span> American film director and screenwriter

Karen Maine is an American film director and screenwriter known for Obvious Child and Yes, God, Yes. She graduated from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts.

<i>We Are Little Zombies</i> 2019 film directed by Makoto Nagahisa

We Are Little Zombies is a 2019 Japanese coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, directed and composed by Makoto Nagahisa in his feature directorial debut. The film was shown at both the Sundance and Berlin International Film Festivals in the United States and Germany respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 Boyle, T. Coraghessan (April 14, 2008). "The Lie". The New Yorker . Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ Howell, Simon (November 17, 2011). "Interview: Joshua Leonard (Writer/Director, 'The Lie')". PopOptiq. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  3. ↑ Orange, B. Allen (November 17, 2011). "Joshua Leonard Talks The Lie". MovieWeb . Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  4. ↑ Nishi, Dennis (November 23, 2011). "Joshua Leonard Does "The Lie"". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved May 27, 2016. We shot the film for two and a half weeks but we were in the editing room putting it together for six months.
  5. ↑ "2010 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films In Competition". Sundance Film Festival . December 2, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (July 21, 2011). "Screen Media Picks Up Dark Comedy 'The Lie'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ Davis, Edward (September 19, 2011). "Exclusive: Poster For Joshua Leonard's 'The Lie' Starring Himself, Mark Webber & Jess Weixler". IndieWire . Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Lie (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Lie (2011)". Metacritic . Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (January 10, 2011). "Sundance EXCLUSIVE: 'The Lie' finds dark comedy in a falsehood sure to shock moviegoers". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  11. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (November 17, 2011). "Twentysomething in Need of a Life Coach". The New York Times . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  12. ↑ Ebert, Roger (November 16, 2011). "Some lies you should simply not tell". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ Olsen, Mark (November 29, 2009). "The little 'Lie' that could ad-lib". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.