Great Film overall

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

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.

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!

Even in its short runtime, The Lie manages to provide us with some very convincing characters instead of typical caricatures provided in films now. This is a surreal, sometimes brutally honest look at life when it gives you a little less than what you're hoping for. When reality exceeds your dreams and you begin to enter your midlife crisis when you're twentysomething.Our main character, Lonnie, is played by The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard. He also gets the writing and directing credits making this his first effort at both. Lonnie is an unsatisfied worker at a video production house, hoping that his music career with his buddy Tank (Webber) will soon take off. His wife Clover (Weixler) is hoping to work at a drug facility as soon as she and Lonnie reach an agreement.They have a kid together. Six month old Xana, who is cute as a button. But she, sadly, becomes victim to a crucial lie told by Lonnie which I dare not spoil. Soon, Lonnie watches his life spiral out of control, with no end in sight. On top of everything, he worries that his wreck of a life will become a permanent, everyday thing.I'll save everyone the same misconception I had walking into The Lie - it is not erected from the ground up on the typical, "lie spiraling beyond one's control" schlock. It doesn't throw one over-exaggerated effect after another as one would think until it becomes virtually uncontrollable. It actually becomes pretty humanistic and comparable to maybe one person's real consequences.Being that this is Leonard's first effort in the directing and writing field, it's important to pick up on how he handles the story and the direction. He does a pretty decent job. Especially in scenes where the film clearly avoids clichés, one being when the lie is finally discovered to be a lie by someone. It doesn't become a screaming, shouting, f-word contest between the two characters. It's handled in a human-like, yet sort of unlikely manner. If someone actually discovered the lie's origin, especially one like this, I believe they would be upset beyond any form of recognition.That is why the ending is a bit shaky and mildly disrupts the flow of the whole film. We've become so attached to these characters it would've been nice if we had a bit more time to spend with them. It's not that the ending we get is bad, it's just a little unexpected in a sour way. It left me in a strange place. But this is one of those independent films where the ending is very difficult to outline. It's best to contemplate it on your own rather than have someone spell it out for you.Still, I think what really makes The Lie succeed is the overall idea of the whole thing. We have a man who has told a wretched lie of an incomprehensible nature, yet we still sympathize with him since we sort of understand why he has said such a lie. We don't entirely get it, but we vaguely know where he's coming from. If a film can make me side with a character after such a wretched statement made by him/her, then it's a very well written film.The Lie is an ingenious, entertaining effort adapted from a short story by T.C. Boyle. The script is managed efficiently, the directing, very indie and very nicely conducted, and the acting from both Leonard and Weixler worthy of recognition.Starring: Joshua Leonard, Jess Weixler, and Mark Webber. Directed by: Joshua Leonard.