The Four-Faced Liar (2010) User Reviews

It's the name of a bar

[Red-125 · 7/10 · 6 November 2010]

The Four-Faced Liar (2010) was directed by Jacob Chase. Marja Lewis Ryan, the film's writer, is also the star. She plays Bridget, a lesbian who is quirky, foul-mouthed, and very successful at one-night conquests. Todd Kubrak is Trip, Bridget's roommate and best friend. Daniel Carlisle (Greg) has just joined his fiancée Molly (Emily Peck) in the West Village. One of them sees their neighborhood as colorful and charming, while the other sees is as unpleasant and threatening.

Everyone hangs out in a bar called The Four-Faced Liar, and the four of them, along with Trip's fiancée, have a more or less "Friends" type existence, with alcohol substituted for caffeine.

This was an interesting film, with good acting and a solid sense of New York City. It didn't really work for me because the key to the plot is Bridget, and I couldn't believe that this irritating chain-smoker would be perceived as every lesbian's dream lover. If you can't accept Bridget as what she's supposed to be, the rest of the film loses steam.

Still, the movie had its moments, and the next viewer might find it as charming as it's meant to be. We saw the film at the Little Theatre as part of the excellent ImageOut Rochester Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. It should work well on DVD.

A well written, enjoyable film that's worth watching.

[blackphone123 · 7/10 · 11 February 2012]

My summary for this review pretty much takes the cake as far as reviews go. There's not much more to say because this film is not an epic tale like...well, has there ever been a romantic- comedy with a lesbian twist that has been epic? Maybe there's one out there that holds true and strong to you personally, however the whole coming of age, finding yourself, with lesbianism on top- genre is not in grip of the main commercial audience.

This is a humble, down to earth film with a low budget that successfully tells a story with an ending that is both endearing and realistic. The movie keeps you engaged and moves you through it until the end. It is well written, well cast and well directed which is amazing. For those of you who appreciate film, you should watch this.

Attractive cast and well-made on a low budget

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 25 November 2010]

This involves four 20 somethings in NYC. Womanizing lesbian Bridget (Marja Lewis Ryan) lives with her str8 roommate Trip (Todd Kubrak). He's having problems with his girlfriend Chloe (Liz Osborne). Greg (Daniel Carlisle) and Molly (Emily Peck) are living together before they get married...but Greg is too mild-mannered and Molly wants more. They all meet at a bar called Four Faced Liar. They become friends but then Molly falls in love with Bridget and things get unpleasant.

As I said the cast is attractive (especially Carlisle) and it's well done...but there's nothing really new or extraordinary here. The story has been done before and, in a lot of ways, this just seems like an ordinary Hollywood movie with a lesbian twist. We almost constantly hear some song on the soundtrack while watching the characters react to something. Seriously--that's been done hundreds of times before and this adds nothing new. However I must admit the songs were good. Also good is the script--it's well-written and interesting and it had an ending that no Hollywood studio would touch. The acting was all good--especially by Ryan and Kubrak. Carlisle does wonders with a very hard role. His character had to always be laid-back and passive--but you see the sadness and anger in his eyes. When he blows up at the end it's shocking--as it should be. No great shakes but worth seeing. Not rated but it would get an R for language and some discreet lesbian sex scenes. BTW--the cover of the DVD suggests that this is a sex movie and it isn't. No nudity here at all but it comes close a few times. I give it a 7.

Unoriginal & predicatable

[shazadnawal · 3/10 · 29 May 2020]

There are several movies like this, with similar story lines and all end up the same way. Am I the only one that thinks these stories are too unrealistic and predictable? "Elena Undone" and "Below Her Mouth" are other titles in which a seemingly straight woman (either engaged, married or in a relationship) embarks on a lesbian affair behind their partners back, of course. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of movies in which the cheats are guys or the cheating is straight but there is a trend emerging now. The boyfriend, fiancee, husband etc that is being cheated on, always loses out as the cheating pair in each story, predictably end up together. It's always a case of the woman feeling bored, unhappy with their current love life or kidding themselves about their own sexuality but then not even coming clean to their partners about any of the developments. Those being cheated on are painted as ignorant, naive, weak, violent, misogynists etc. Surely, this can't always be the case. The films do not deal with the aftermath or fallout of these predicaments and if they did, they could have been more interesting. Yet we as the viewers, are meant to cheer for the ones doing the cheating and lying. I've given this a low rating as it became frustrating feeling of deja vu and uninspiring script.

Starts nowhere and goes nowhere, and apparently that doesn't matter because it's New York City

[napierslogs · 2/10 · 28 November 2010]

"The Four-Faced Liar" seems to have an interesting enough title, and it is done very well for its low budget. It also has a whole host of problems.

Where should I begin? It doesn't really matter because the film itself doesn't begin anywhere, except for of course in New York City. I'm starting to think that young film-makers have never been anywhere else. It's supposed to be about four young New Yorkers finding love and figuring out life. But there's actually five of them; one couple just moved in together, one engaged couple, and their lesbian best friend. Which one of these is the insignificant character? I have no idea, they are all insignificant to me.

"The Four-Faced Liar" doesn't give me any reasons to care about these characters, and it doesn't give me any clue to where they are going (other than nowhere, of course, "because New York City is the greatest city in the world").

Influenced by "Friends", I think it's supposed to be an edgier and indie version of the show, except minus the comedy and minus any plot or storyline. "The Four-Faced Liar" even takes their title from "Friends". The show's original title was "Central Perk", the main hangout of the gang. Even for non-fans of the show, I would just watch a couple of random episodes, there would be much more in it than this film.

Stupid Cowardly Insecure People Doing Stupid Cowardly Insecure Things

[skay_baltimore · 3/10 · 19 February 2013]

Stupid cowardly insecure people doing stupid cowardly insecure things. With stupid dialog thrown in for good measure. That's pretty much the essence of this film. (While at the same time trying to somehow make itself out to be "indie art".) Of course, in the classic Oprah "men bad women good" mode, the men are made out to be MORE stupid, despite the fact that there's really no basis for that whatsoever, given the fact that, in context, the women are just as stupid as the men.

Some of the characters cheat, some of the characters probably want to cheat -- and they ALL need to grow up. A lot. And so does the writer -- and the director. As another reviewer pointed out, this film goes nowhere. SLOWLY. VERY SLOWLY. If you enjoy predictable, sophomoric post-teenage angst, where real relationships are confused with cowardly mutual using, and wanting and loving are inexorably confused, then you'll have a blast with this film. If you're looking for something more -- ANYTHING more -- you'll be sorely disappointed. Why? Because there's little else provided -- no real character development, no discernible meaningful dialog, and even less plot. The "main" character is actually the city of New York. And given the fact that there's little shown that hasn't already BEEN shown about New York, there just isn't much to engage most viewers.

More importantly, I found little to no empathy for ANY of the characters (with the possible exception of Chloe, but even that's a stretch), and that's always a bad thing. When you don't care about the characters or what they're doing or what happens to them, you can't possibly care about the film itself. (Of course, if you're immature and sophomoric yourself, then there's probably a lot to relate to. And that definitely seems to be the target audience here.) This is one of those films that tries way too hard to be cool and hip, and ends up failing. Miserably. It's like "Friends" on PCP.

Too slow!

[Irishchatter · 1/10 · 1 November 2015]

OK so I decided to watch this film because it was based on a romantic lesbian story. But then, when I began to watch it, it just made me bore my eyes out. The storyline is pretty terrible if you ask me. I was thinking that the couple falls in love with the other couple (man/man & woman/woman) but it didn't seem to be the case at all. It was more based on cheating cheating cheating. You know, you would think to yourself, why did these chicks fall for jerks like them? It just doesn't make any sense!

The acting wasn't that great either among the actors, I thought they could improve the storyline a bit but they didn't! Alright actually, let's just say, I didn't enjoy this film!

Hugely underrated, excellent movie

[beryl_shepley-brandhorst · 10/10 · 6 July 2011]

Excellent, surprisingly underrated movie. I'm guessing the low rating has something to do with homophobic reviewers? Either way, a really fabulous movie that has more to do with finding who you are, and less to do with being gay. Certainly better than most of the shallow, name- dropping big screen releases of the day. The character development is supreme, and the dynamic between the two leading ladies is intense. Their connection is palpable, and its hard not to relate to their friendship, love, and yes, lust. The themes presented in this movie are universal, and it is clear that a lot of hard work and love went into the project on the part of the filmmakers (who are in fact the characters themselves)

Hollywood BS

[jozef-kersic · 1/10 · 5 March 2019]

Politically correct crap that should have at least PG tag, instead it's on home TV in the middle of the day... And it's not a romantic comedy at all, more like tragedy/drama.

A kicking and wicked little movie that deserves a lot of respect!

[mpringipa · 10/10 · 30 November 2010]

Consider the glut of trash, by A list actors and studios out there at the moment. Horrifying. I just want to vomit in my mouth every time a new trailer comes on with another two 'A' list actors making a paint by numbers film to clearly pay their mortgage and extravagance. (I cannot mention any names … Jdrmepff and Jpiollfia, as I have no money for people to sue me for). It's a shame that there is hardly anything of interest on the silver screen coming out of Hollywood nowadays, maybe one in 20 movies if we're lucky, so to come across a little gem like this, carried by unknown actors, with a sharp snazzy script, an incredible soundtrack, and voilà you will have knocked me over sideways with a feather. Where do I start? The acting is flawless, seamless, fluid and truly and believably genuine. Remember when actors did that? Genuine. It would be very easy to pigeon hole this into 'lesbian' movie of the year,(sadly I think this has already happened) but it is so much more than this. Deeply and beautifully observed, this is 21st century love. It's about love between friends, irrelevant of sexual preferences, it's about relationships between people without having to say 'despite this they are friends or in love' the fact that Bridget is gay is actually so insignificant that there are no rainbow banners or gongs about Bridget being gay, she just is; and you enter the story just accepting it. The other characters are straight, it's all based in their New York neighbourhood, there are no gay or lesbian bars, no big coming out parties or speeches, the pub they all drink in, could be any straight pub in Britain which probably surprised me more, living in London, I thought we were the only ones with pubs, how wrong I was! And the dynamic of the main character triad with Todd Kubrak as Trip, Emily Peck as Molly and the stunning Marja Lewis Ryan as Bridget is sweetly endearing, sharp, snappy, with wonderfully observed rhetoric on the literature been studied and dare I say, what verbose and articulate city folk talk about whatever their sexual preference when they have a common subject to dissect. ( I was flabbergasted to note at the end credits that who I felt was a secondary character had top cast billing). The relationship that will stick out more is the one between best friends and flat mates, Trip and Bridget, their morning toothpaste ritual and their fond irreverent name calling had me smiling from ear to ear. If you live in a city you may already have this wonderful homogeneity of friends, where sexual preference is no longer something anyone agonises over, where your choice of friends is based on their beliefs, their likes their dislikes, their follies, their triumphs. Even if you are not a city dweller you can easily accept the comradeship between people as just people and nothing else. This movie was a total surprise to me, so much so that I even joined IMDb to give it a good review and champion it a bit, as I felt it needed a straight little British girl to give it a two-thumbs up - now be a good sausage and give it a go... that means go watch it!

A poignant look at the hilarity of love

[jessa627 · 10/10 · 31 May 2010]

The four faced liar was smart, funny and pregnant with emotion. Opening her audience to the realities of a changed generation, Ryan tells the story of what love can truly be like for twenty-somethings everywhere. The production was fantastic and acting first rate. Each 'face' of this film is beautifully constructed and skillfully executed. The acting is fantastically truthful- the actors draw you into their lives and make it difficult to turn away. The film unfolds wonderfully leaving you excited for scene after scene. It boggles my mind how professional a film could turn out on such tight budget. It truly is a testament to the skill of the cast and crew. I look forward to future works from everyone in this production! Intellectually hysterical and stinging with passion, this film can't be missed!

A very sweat and deep comedy

[lucas-vidal · 10/10 · 26 January 2010]

I just saw the movie at the Slamdance Film Festival and was extremely surprised by its quality.

The story is very smart, the actors very truthful, and the production extremely professional.

Congratulation to all the team who did a terrific job, especially the Director of Photography and the Director who turned a very sweat and smart script to a very visual and cinematic piece.

More than anything, I thought that the music bring it to a even greater level.

This looks like a $10 million dollar movie !

Really well done

[scissorhands__emily · 8/10 · 28 March 2014]

For starters, as a lesbian themed movie, this one is excellent (not exactly hard to do considering the competition, but worth pointing out). As a movie in general, I think this is a nice character study. This movie has some great depth, and I've thought/discovered something new each time I've seen it. All of the leads do a great job. The actor who plays Greg is probably the weakest, but overall he is okay in his role.

The basic plot line is about a group of 4 people; Molly, Bridget, Trip, and Greg. Molly and Greg are a couple who have just moved to NYC together. They stumble across a bar The Four-Faced Liar one evening and meet Trip and Bridget. They become friends with them, and from there the film is basically a romantic drama. The main romantic tension is between Bridget and Molly. Bridget is an out lesbian who is basically a player. She and Molly develop a friendship, and from there something more grows. I think the film did a good job of building up this relationship. Molly did not seem immediately attracted to Bridget, but as their friendship grew her feelings did. Trip is also a great character. He is roommates and best friends with Bridget. He has a subplot with his girlfriend Chloe and develops a friendship with Greg.

Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a lesbian themed film that is actually good. It is also just a good character study. It isn't perfect, but I think for what it was working with it's pretty good. I also think the music is a plus.

What an amazing surprise

[carlobarone · 10/10 · 29 January 2010]

This is the true reason you go to film festivals. What a great discovery. Incredibly well written, very well acted, and characters you truly want to see just "Work It Out" I was just pulled into this movie wanting to see where it was going. Of course, setting it in New York was just too perfect and you had to wonder if this was almost a true story. (I have no idea) The cinematography was just amazing for such a low budget film. I was incredibly glad it went the direction it did...you'll have to see it to find out what I'm talking about. Look for this movie. Take a date, one of any gender, and enjoy yourself. Great job Slamdance 2010! I'll be thinking about this movie, this director and these actors for quite sometime. I hope they all make it

A brilliant movie to enjoy

[dortmin · 8/10 · 14 November 2010]

I Truth had not very good expectations about this movie and i just saw it today as my part of the boring Sunday mornings.

It really surprised me in a great way because the actors were honest and vulnerable.

The leads actresses just have such a wonderful chemistry and they find their lives fits step by step trough the whole movie.

It is about choices, love,heartbreak, lies, truth, and most important...finding the person perfect for us.

This is the movie to the ones who doesn't see relationship only in a particular gender, it's more than that. The feelings involve were believable in every single scene.

A must see, indeed.

clicked with it from the toilet scene.

[nazeva · 9/10 · 23 December 2010]

I liked this movie so much mainly just that i clicked with it from the toilet scene. The main character pretty much reflects my life, the wingman, the 17 year old boy mindset, wanting to screw the next clam that walks through the door of the bar (well after a stern rating with said wingman.) I really loved this movie even more when to my surprise my favorite scene had Ramalama bang bang by roisin murphy playing. sorry but, um yes. This kind of gay I find does not get represented much in movies. Any serial single gay women not looking for a relationship i'm sure would love this flick. The only thing that felt semi-disappointing to me was probably the ending it was a bit flat.