REVIEWS YOU CAN USE: Queerty’s hit the Outfest LGBT film festival in LA to cover the latest in queer indie flicks. This time, we look at a romantic comedy where a some liquor, lies, and lesbianism go a long way.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?: While cruising women at The Four-Faced Liar — a local bar in New York’s East Village — wisecracking roommates Trip and Bridget meet Molly and Greg an engaged couple with serious intimacy issues. Greg doesn’t love Molly the way she needs, but could Bridget? The four lie to themselves and each other while Molly and Bridget down pints, become friends, and eventually flirt with the idea of a lesbian relationship.
WHO’S IN IT?: You’ve probably never heard of the actors, but the ensemble cast builds upon their real-life friendship to deliver mostly charming performances, especially in the second and third acts. Bluntly honest Bridget (Marja-Lewis Ryan) and disaffected Trip (Todd Kubrack) provide the film’s most memorable comic moments as Trip cross-dresses and performs a self-deprecating version of Swan Lake and the two trade barbs while brushing their teeth. Molly (Emily Peck) and supporting character Chloe (Liz Osborne) also deliver understated yet solid performances as two women finding their way after heartbreak.
IS IT ANY GOOD?: It’s fun. Bridget enjoys her bed du jour, hilarious Trip has a hard time keeping his pants on, and mild-mannered Molly wants someone to throw her up against the wall, but isn’t sure that she’s lesbian material. Each storyline proceeds unexpectedly and though it all wraps up a bit too neatly, Molly and Bridget’s romance really sizzles and the arguments between Bridget and Trip come off as genuine and intimate rather than scripted or fake.
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WHAT’S BAD ABOUT IT?: While the screenplay and performances start off a bit stilted, the worst part of the film is Greg, the unsympathetic closet case who eventually becomes the film’s one-dimensional villain. He’s a passive-aggressive, territorial alcoholic who lacks the complexity or likability of the other characters. And although you see his self-destruction, emotionally fragility, and sexual insecurity, you never understand why Molly ever got with him to begin with. It’s a shame because Daniel Carlisle can obviously act, he’s just been handed a slanted script.
FUN FACT: The Four-Faced Liar is an actual Irish pub in New York’s East Village and the name of a famous clock tower in Cork, Ireland. According to legend, each of the clock’s four faces displays a different and incorrect time.
RATING: Three out of five beers: The Four-Faced Liar makes a fun romantic comedy for lesbians, liars, lovers, and lushes alike.
