'' The Lie '' is a 2011 American drama/comedy film written and directed by Joshua Leonard with additional writing by Jeff Feuerzeig , Mark Webber , and Jess Weixler , based on the short story '' The Lie '' by T. Coraghessan Boyle , printed in '' The New Yorker '' . The film stars Joshua Leonard as Lonnie , Jess Weixler as Clover , and Mark Webber as Tank . The film is about how a man 's life is altered unexpectedly after telling a lie to get out of work . The original short story was sixteen pages long . The crew spent two and a half weeks shooting the film , and six months editing it . The film had its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
2011 Sundance Film Festival
2011 Sundance Film Festival
The Lie (2011 film)