L.I.E. (2001)
-
83% of critics liked it
(82 reviews) -
74% of users liked it
(7,198 ratings)
A teenaged boy in desperate need of a father figure finds one in a place no one should ever have to look in this controversial drama. Howie (Paul Franklin Dano) is a 15-year-old who has been emotionally at sea ever since the death of his mother in an auto accident several years before. Howie's… More A teenaged boy in desperate need of a father figure finds one in a place no one should ever have to look in this controversial drama. Howie (Paul Franklin Dano) is a 15-year-old who has been emotionally at sea ever since the death of his mother in an auto accident several years before. Howie's father Marty (Bruce Altman) is also having trouble dealing with the loss, and distracts himself with empty sex while avoiding authorities attempting to prosecute him for using unsafe materials in his building contracting business. Howie falls in with a group of homeless delinquents his own age, becoming especially close to streetwise Gary (Billy Kay). In time, Howie begins to wonder if his feelings for Gary go past ordinary friendship, but the issue of his sexuality is forced into a very different light after Gary persuades Howie to join him in robbing the home of middle-aged former Marine Big John Harrigan (Brian Cox). It doesn't take long for Big John to track down the culprits after Howie and Gary steal several guns from his house, but Howie learns that Big John and Gary have met before -- Gary sometimes works as a male prostitute, and Big John, whose tastes run to boys in their early teens, is a regular customer. When Gary runs away to California, Big John proposes that Howie work off their debt by having sex with him; while Howie is hardly comfortable with this arrangement, he has nowhere else to go after his father ends up in jail, and he finds an unexpected degree of emotional support in his relationship with the curiously compassionate pedophile, who comes to understand just how badly Howie needs help. L.I.E. (the title stands for "Long Island Expressway") premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Michael Cuesta
- Written By
- Stephen Ryder, Michael Cuesta, Gerald Cuesta
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
NC-17,
- In Theaters
- Sep 7, 2001 Wide
- Studio
- Lot 47 Films
Critic Reviews
-
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Cuesta never gives us the satisfaction of fulfilling our expectations; instead he gives us a movie that we can ponder long the road takes its final turn.
-
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Recoiling from L.I.E. is a very human, and frankly a very responsible, reaction.
-
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
A mature, insightful and extremely well-acted study.
-
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Difficult and flawed feature debut.
-
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Gripping, troubling, and deftly acted.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Brian Cox
as Big John Harrigan
-
Paul Dano
as Howie Blitzer
-
Billy Kay
as Gary Terrio
-
Bruce Altman
as Marty Blitzer
-
James Costa
as Kevin Cole
-
Tony Donnelly
as Brian
-
Walter Masterson
as Scott
-
Marcia de Bonis
as Guidance Counselor
-
Adam Le Fevre
as Marty's Lawyer
