xhidden99 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.

edwagreen Who wrote this inane character study of frustration, perplexing and otherwise absolute insanity.Feeling the frustration of the job he doesn't want to be in, a guy with a beautiful wife and the most adorable baby concocts a story that the child is in the hospital and later dies; this will get him out of going to work.You can just imagine the reaction of his wife when she finds this out. You can't just fathom how quickly she changes her ways in accepting him back.Jane Adams briefly appears as a pill pusher-or in this case, one who gets our hero some medical Mary Jane. The writer needed the latter for making this absolute junk.

Aibrean Ban 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.

Steve Pulaski 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.