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It seems as though most romantic comedies tend to revolve around some kind of misunderstanding, half-truth, or maybe a well-intentioned lie that puts a relationship in jeopardy. But in The Truth about Lies, one man piles lie upon lie to get closer to the woman of his dreams.
The Truth about Lies stars Fran Kranz as Gilby Smalls, an aimless young man whose main goal in life is to avoid stress—in his job, his relationships, or anywhere else. After he loses his crappy job, his apartment burns down, and his girlfriend leaves him for a long-haired hipster all in the same day, he ends up living with his eccentric mom. When he meets the perfect woman, his friend’s married sister, Rachel (Odette Annable), he’s willing to do anything to spend time with her—even if it means taking up yoga, running a business that he knows nothing about, and telling one ridiculous lie after another.
The Truth about Lies goes beyond the typical rom-com mix-ups to show how one lie can lead to another…which can lead to even more. And as it adds each new lie, it’s almost exhausting—because it’s obvious that, at some point, Gilby’s carefully constructed castle of lies has to come crashing down.
At first, Gilby seems like a lovable loser—an immature misfit who’s bumbling his way through life. He pretends to be someone he’s not to protect his ego, to get what he wants, or even just for fun. At times, his ability to fabricate a story without thinking twice can be wildly entertaining—especially when faced with his newly-ex-girlfriend and the new man in her life. But it soon becomes clear that Gilby is just a pathological liar. He’s childish and insecure, and he doesn’t seem to care about the damage his lies can cause. Not only is he building a relationship around something that he’s not, but he’s doing so with a married woman—working his way into her husband’s business (a business that he knows nothing about) in order to force his way into her life.
What starts out as oddly amusing eventually turns awkward and annoying. No one calls Gilby out on his lies—not even Rachel’s brother—instead laughing off his bumbling. And though the film toys with offering Gilby some opportunities for growth, his story simply comes full circle in the end, leaving viewers to wonder if there was a point to any of it.
Though it has the potential to be a fun (though formulaic) romantic comedy, The Truth about Lies eventually falls apart. It has a few entertaining moments, but I’m not gonna lie: that’s not enough to make it worth watching.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
