“The Lie” Review
Jason Blum is one of the most prolific producers of modern history.
In the past couple of years he has released hit films such as “Get Out,” “Invisible Man,” “Happy Death Day,” “Halloween (2018)” and many more beloved horror films.
Blum’s latest project is called “Welcome to Blumhouse,” which includes four feature length films. The first two films were released on Oct. 6, and “The Lie” was the first one.
“The Lie” featured an all star cast including Joey King, Peter Sarsgaard and Mireille Enos.
This movie had a very interesting plot. It is about Kayla (Joey King) who accidentally kills one of her friends and the lengths her parents (Peter Sarsgaard and Mireille Enos) will go to protect their daughter.
This movie was not good though, and the clear standout in this film was Mireille Enos. Enos did an incredible job playing a distraught mother who does not want her daughter to suffer. Her character can be dumb at times, but Enos really sells her character’s dread and horror at her present reality.
The best aspect of this film was the cinematography.
The film was shot beautifully and there were some specific shots that were quite mind blowing. “The Lie” is picturesque, which was only enhanced by the spectacular sets they chose for this film. Some of the stills in this film are quite memorable and will stay with viewers once they finish this film.
Another positive aspect of this film was the ending. It had a very clever twist that changed the future for these characters. It was smart to end the movie in an unpredictable way, as it adds a layer of depth to a film that was all in all forgettable.
The rest of the actors were over the top with their performances and, unlike Enos, they did not sell their dread and over acted for the majority of the film.
King has appeared in a multitude of films at such a young age and she usually shines. However in this film she had one of the worst performances of her career. Her character was written poorly, but it was King who really made her character intolerable.
Although the film had a clever ending, the rest of the writing was clunky and very cliche.
The film seemed very derivative of other dramatic thrillers like this one. The dialogue was painfully boring, and there was so much exposition. Each scene seemed to drag on forever, and although the film was only an hour and a half, at times it felt like the movie was around two hours.
The characters were also poorly written. There was little to no character development, and some characters' backstories needed to be fleshed out more.
It was hard for the audience to root for these characters that lacked a personality and were ultimately forgettable. The film was created so that audiences can root for this family, however they failed their mission and the movie seemed pointless since the family was so unlikeable.
Overall, this movie was void of personality. Enos had a wonderful performance, the cinematography was beautiful and the ending was shocking. But the movie as a whole fell flat.
It was horribly written and this short hour and a half movie felt twice as long at points. This is one of the weakest movies produced by Jason Blum, and it is no surprise that this film was supposed to be released in 2018 but got pushed back.
Audiences should not waste their time watching this movie, unless they love the actors or are in desperate need of entertainment.
Rating: 2/5
Jack Freiser is a freshman majoring in either media studies or telecommunications. To contact him, email jef5614@psu.edu.
