L.I.E.

R

Released Sep 7, 2001

1 hr. 47 min.

Drama

List

84%

86 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

With his mother dead and his father, Marty (Bruce Altman), busy at work, Howie (Paul Franklin Dano) feels adrift in his New York suburb. He and his friend Gary (Billy Kay) spend their time burglarizing their neighbors' homes -- until they make the mistake of robbing the house of Big John (Brian Cox), a macho former Marine who is also an unrepentant pedophile. He propositions Howie, who declines, but the two eventually develop an unlikely and dangerous friendship.

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Critics Consensus

L.I.E. is a well-acted and unsettling look at a boy's relationship with a pedophile.

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Audience Member

L.I.E. wasn't as good as I was expecting, the subject material definitely won't be for everyone, it's very taboo but In my opinion a lot of it is mishandled, I have some issues with the way certain characters were written but I understand what Michael Cuesta was going for. The movie is elevated by phenomenal performance from Brian Cox and a great early performance from a very young Paul Dano.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the few films to discuss the taboo subject of pedophilia. Long Island Express is a coming of age film with a dark twist, the content is sure to disturb many.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

What may come off first as another gay movie or a disgusting pedophile flick, L.I.E actually tells a compelling and beautiful story of the human emotion and exploration of sex. It has a certain off-beat charm to it that most films only dream of touching. I was crying near the end. I was a little grossed out by the pedophilia, but it wasn't present really, and the pedophile was a very likable guy. All in all, L.I.E. is a beautiful and meaningful film that leaves you heartbroken, but you're glad you went on its ride.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

jesse o

I never thought I'd say these words when describing a film, but this movie has the nicest pedophile I have ever seen. I don't mean to say that the film makes you think that Big John's actions are ever ok, in fact, far from it. But I will get to that later. This film could certainly be seen as controversial, but I'm not even sure why it got an NC-17 rating to be perfectly honest. Maybe it's the nature of the friendship that develops between Howie, a 15-year-old who's been stuck out in limbo since his mother's death, and Big John, a very obvious 50+ year old pedophile. Maybe it's just based off of that. There's one scene where, I'm assuming, Big John shows Howie some child pornography and you get to see some of it, I mean cut off of course, you get to see part of a person's head, for example, as they're performing a blowjob. Maybe that was it, I don't know. Personally I found the film to be quite compelling and the dynamic between Howie and Big John made for a very interesting movie. Because it's obvious that there's some part of John that would very much like to have sex with Howie, but there's also a part of him that wants to take care of this kid, for whatever reason that may be and that dynamic is really what carries the film. It's also a bit fucked up in the sense that Howie, in the emotional absence of his father since his mother's death, needs a father figure in his life to look over him and the only person FOR that is a known pedophile. Howie doesn't really even care about John's perversions and in many ways he'd like for John to do what he does. This is a story about a kid finding acceptance in all the wrong places, but John really is the only one who genuinely cares for him, in a strange way. John never takes advantage of Howie when he very well could've multiple times, he's always honest and upfront with him, doesn't try to force him to do anything he doesn't want to do. Big John is an honest man, for all of his faults and his perversions. Again, that dynamic is incredibly makes for an engrossing watch. You never really know what's gonna happen or what to expect form John, or even Howie for that matter. The film, very obviously, covers issues such as sexual identity and discovery. It's clear that Howie is a homosexual and John, while in no way taking advantage of him, makes Howie realizes what he really wants. The film lacks technical prowess but more than makes up for it with its scripting and strong acting from Brian Cox and Paul Dano. Let's just say Brian Cox could've played the character as detestable as humanly possible, he's that talented, but he makes the character a little more complex than that. Again, the film doesn't try to justify his behavior, but it does somewhat humanize a character that most would want to look at as a monster. That's another thing you struggle with, as a viewing audience, Big John, while at his core he's a bad man, he's also a man with a lot of good in his heart as evidenced by his friendship with Howie and how he grows to care for him in a genuine manner. Really good movie here, not perfect, but a thought-provoking and engrossing coming-of-age story.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Agonizing to watch, it carries its own weight with such a topic you keep asking yourself, what is the outcome?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It reflects what is happening nowadays in this cruel world. Some parts are disturbing but it okay. This is a good film, I like it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

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Michael Cuesta

Director

Brian Cox

Big John Harrigan

Paul Dano

Howie Blitzer

Billy Kay

Gary Terrio

Bruce Altman

Marty Blitzer

James Costa

Kevin Cole

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Barbara Ellen

Times (UK)

Even in its least interesting moments, L.I.E should be credited for attempting to put an edgy kind of truth on camera.

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

A striking, unnerving coming-of-age film, "L.I.E." is the rare American movie that isn't afraid of ambiguity or confronting an audience's preconceptions.

Mar 31, 2008

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

An entire book could be written about Cox’s work here, such as the way Big John’s show-offy patriotism plays like a cover story but at the same time seems honestly felt.

Rated: B

Sep 3, 2022

Full Review

Erik Anderson

AwardsWatch

The performances across the board are superb, with Cox giving one of the very best of the year.

Apr 7, 2020

Full Review

Joe Lozito

Big Picture Big Sound

Rated: 3/4

Dec 27, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

With his mother dead and his father, Marty (Bruce Altman), busy at work, Howie (Paul Franklin Dano) feels adrift in his New York suburb. He and his friend Gary (Billy Kay) spend their time burglarizing their neighbors' homes -- until they make the mistake of robbing the house of Big John (Brian Cox), a macho former Marine who is also an unrepentant pedophile. He propositions Howie, who declines, but the two eventually develop an unlikely and dangerous friendship.

Director: Michael Cuesta
Screenwriter: Stephen M. Ryder, Michael Cuesta, Gerald Cuesta
Distributor: Lot 47 Films
Production Co: Alter Ego, Belladonna Productions LLC
Rating: R (Some Explicit Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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