Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of Pinocchio, we’re counting down our favorite movies starring a liar! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
Pick a liar, any liar! As it highlights the toxic masculinity, vulgarity, tension, corruption, and deceit of high-pressured real estate sales, Glengarry Glen Ross features liars almost exclusively. It also features men exclusively, as it fails the Bechdel Test hard, but that is by design. The pitfalls of a male-dominated field and an abundance of false bravado and machismo are illustrated throughout the film. The closest thing to an honest character is Alec Baldwin’s Blake. He’s a pompous jerk, but he’s honest about it. Baldwin steals the show in his lone scene with his dynamic sales speech, which reminds everyone to always be closing and that, “Coffee is for closers only.” When he informs the sales staff that the loser of that month’s contest will be fired, it sends them all into deceitful tailspins resulting in the office being robbed for the good leads. Even the detective is dishonest in his tactics as he leans heavily on each suspect, and Jonathan Pryce’s James Lingk lied about being able to negotiate. When six people are billed ahead of Pryce, you know it’s a great cast. Joining him and Baldwin are legendary actors Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, and Ed Harris, along with the now-disgraced Kevin Spacey. They continuously pull one over on both the potential clients and each other, and justly, they all wind up worse off for it. Sharp dialogue, brilliant acting, and strong themes make this a classic. (Jason Mack)
Are you tired of planned-out and organized crime stories? Would you prefer to follow a younger mastermind on the run and figuring himself out? Would you want that movie to be based off a true story? Well then you should watch Catch Me If You Can! Based off the real life story of Frank Abagnale Jr., it is the story of crime, deception, and fathers, as we follow Abagnale on his worldwide run from the law. It features a loaded cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner, Ellen Pompeo, and James Brolin — everywhere you turn, this movie puts a talented performer in front of you. As a successful counterfeiter and conman, Abagnale (DiCaprio) manages to stay just one step ahead of his FBI pursuers led by Carl Hanratty (Hanks). Tying in themes of distrust and father-son relationships, there is an emotional through line that keeps us invested in our characters. All of this tied together makes this my favorite movie of all time. (Sam Nichols)
What would a list of fibbers be without The Usual Suspects, the movie about, “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled?” As customs agent (Chazz Palminteri) sorts through the wreckage of a mass casualty boat explosion by interviewing the lone survivor, Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), both he and the audience have to piece together how a police lineup of five career criminals and the machinations of the mysterious mastermind Keyser Söze connects to the carnage that has just unfolded. Spacey is a standout as Kint, and the Christopher McQuarrie script is expertly woven, as Palminteri and the audience work to disentangle fact from fiction. Both Spacey and McQuarrie earned Oscar statues for their work. While the film’s legacy has become a little more complicated recently, it’s an all-time thriller for a reason and worth watching repeatedly. (Jake Bourgeois)
Who would have ever thought one scheme could lead to the deaths of so many unexpecting people? Honestly… that just might be a Coen brothers trademark at this point. The Coens know how to weave crimes, deceit, and universal awkwardness together to deliver a compelling cinematic experience. Fargo just might be the perfect example of such. William H. Macy’s Jerry decides to trick his unapproving father-in-law into ransom. How? Jerry will get his own wife kidnapped by two dangerous and bumbling criminals. All of this will certainly go 100% as planned, right? That is never the case in a Coen film, and we love them for it. The dark comedy and on-the-nose accents will put a smile on your face. The shocking violence and death will make that mouth drop open. Fargo has plenty going for it and will keep you on the edge of your seat as an enthralling crime thriller filled with twists and deceits. But luckily will have Frances McDormand’s Marge there to lead us to some moral purity. (Shane Conto)
The Departed is a movie full of liars. Police, criminals, pedestrians, you name it. The biggest liar in the film is Matt Damon’s character Colin. He lies about being a straight cop, on the up and up, to his co-workers and girlfriend. He lies about putting Frank’s (Jack Nicholson) priorities above his own. He lies to Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) about wanting to help him. He even lies to Alec Baldwin about his peep being on the fritz! Colin is an honest-to-God scumbag and a rat which is so subtlydepicted by the last scene of the movie. Sarcasm about literal rats aside, he really is awful, yet Damon is amazing as he just eats up the role in both subtle and overt ways. When he finds out that the FBI is tracking all cell phone use at the waterfront raid, I truly believed Damon quietly soiled himself on camera based on the face he made. During the rooftop scene with Leo, he is using every play in the slimy weasel handbook, and Damon sells every second. The whole cast is just outstanding, and the two-and-a-half-hour run time just flies by as you watch this crime story unfold. The biggest crime, though, is that only Mark Wahlberg was recognized by the Academy for acting awards that year. (Nick Ferro)
Ratatouille‘s music will live in my heart and my head for the rest of my days. Its gentle tones, cheeky rhythm, and calming melody pairs perfectly with the action behind the cuisine-based film. It’s one of the defining features of the film, but there are just so many others. Regarding this week’s theme, there are many layers of lying, omission, and guarding from the truth that occurs throughout, and they result in a veritable comedy of errors. From Linguini and Remy’s alliance, to Chef Gusteau’s secret affair, there are many building blocks that we slowly see fall until the entire tower of dishonesty collapses. Yet there is still so much hope, playfulness, and just pure happiness present in every watch that is sure to capture the minds, hearts, and stomachs of any verifiable film fan. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
When I was in college, I took a film and lit class that explored film noir. I wasn’t really a huge fan of film noir, nor did I truly understand what it was.The first book and film we studied was The Maltese Falcon, and I regard this as one of the movies that helped pave the way for me to love film. You see modern films taking a lot of elements from detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and incorporating them into his story. The mystery behind The Maltese Falcon is filled with a lot of great twists and turns that modern films take from because you simply can’t do it better than this one. The book is a great read as well if you are looking for a book that is just as good as the movie, but is different enough to where you may not see what might be coming. The relationship between Brigid (Mary Astor) and Spade is a great cautionary tale, and the deception that Brigid bestows on Spade is tough to watch. She is the textbook definition of a femme fatale. Any film lover should watch The Maltese Falcon. (Mike Hilty)
Whiplash showcases the extremes people will go to for artistic achievement and the pursuit of perfection. Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is a young jazz drummer who is striving to carve his name into history and wants to be remembered for his drumming. Enter Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), the uncompromising and fear-invoking instructor of the Shaffer Conservatory Studio band. He pulls every ounce of effort and talent out of his students through intimidation and breaking them down when they don’t perform to their potential. His methodology is pure cruelty, but he pulls a lot of untapped ability out of Andrew with his constant berating. Andrew is obsessed with pursuing his dream and will let literally nothing stand in his way of seeing it through. Even when details are revealed about a former student of Fletcher’s, Andrew can’t help but continue and is determined to see his dream become a reality. While a difficult film to watch at times due to its violent intensity, Whiplash is a well paced drama that always keeps its tempo up. (Joe Vargas)
A legend from Hollywood’s so-called “Golden Age,” Joseph Mankiewicz both wrote and directed one of the quintessential tales of a sheep in wolf’s clothing with All About Eve. Bette Davis plays “aging” (and by aging, they mean just turned 40 *GASP*) Broadway star Margo Channing. Her life and career are turned upside down by the arrival of seemingly innocent superfan Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). It’s gradually revealed that the façade that Eve is putting on is covering up something quite conniving. Baxter is the picture of innocence, until required. Among the 14 nominations and five wins at the Academy Awards (including Best Picture), nearly every performance of note is nominated — including dueling Best Actress in a Leading Role nominations for Davis and Baxter. Not a shock because they are both utterly sublime. Davis is sharp and cutting — particularly as she begins to notice something rotting. The twisting web that is weaved is truly something to admire until the final frame. When Margo tells you to, “fasten your seatbelts,” it’d be in your best interest to listen. (Jake Bourgeois)
When I first watched Parasite, I was blown away about how great it was. You, at first, sort of understand why this family does what it does. They’re a poor family and they see what the rich family gets to do. The classism commentary in this is incredibly strong and is one of the best social messaging stories I’ve seen in a long time. Bong Joon-ho got a well-deserved Oscar for not only directing this masterpiece, and the film also won Best Picture. Being the first international film to win at the Academy Awards, Parasite is now a trailblazer movie that deserves a lot of credit for the doors it’s opened up. If you have not seen this one yet, you truly are missing out. (Mike Hilty)
Gone Girl
Amy (Rosamund Pike) is the biggest liar on this list because not even she really knows who she is. We first meet Amy… actually we don’t really meet Amy at all. She is missing to start the movie, and we hear only a voiceover. As the movie goes on and Amy is revealed to be alive, she reveals to us she played the role her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) wanted her to play. She is a chameleon, able to become whoever the people around her want her to be. We know that she lies about the abduction and the baby (at first), and is manipulative every step of the way. Amy is able to wrap people around her finger for the sole purpose of moving herself into a better position to finally get what she wants. Gone Girl is a story told about a liar from the liar’s accounts. How can we believe anything this liar actually has to say? (Scott Batchelor)
A History of Violence
Everyone talks about David Cronenberg’s prowess in making body horror — and for good reason — but this is the type of Cronenberg I prefer. A History of Violence asks whether we can ever truly change, for the better, and it asks that question in an often brutally violent way. Viggo Mortensen gives one of his best performances as Tom Stall (or is it Joey Cusack?), a man running a small-town diner who is liked by seemingly everyone in the community. When a man comes into the diner and alleges that Tom isn’t who he says he is, Tom’s life is turned upside down. I’ve always appreciated the emotional truths this film gets at, because it goes about them in brutally honest ways. (Robert Bouffard)
The Talented Mr. Ripley
I’ve always loved how Matt Damon isn’t scared to play shifty, or even downright scummy, characters. The Departed would be an example of the latter, and The Talented Mr. Ripley, along with a long list of his other credits, would be an example of the former, which slowly morphs into the latter. Tom Ripley (Damon) is sent to Italy by the wealthy parents of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) to retrieve Dicky and bring him home from a life they don’t approve of. Through a series of dark shenanigans, Tom ends up assuming the identity of Dickie because he can’t get enough of the lavish lifestyle of laying on the beach and singing in Italian nightclubs. Ripley is a dark movie with lots to say about identity and wealth. (Robert Bouffard)
Promising Young Woman
Promising Young Woman can be called many things, but boring isn’t one. I was so happy to see the attention it was getting during the 2021 Oscar ceremony due to the simple fact — the attention was so deserved. This film is riveting, chilling, and uncomfortable to watch, yet it is so well made you never feel like you are being talked down to, at least I didn’t feel like that. And in the core of it all was Carey Mulligan, with her powerhouse performance. I was happy to see Frances McDormand winning her Oscar for Nomadland, don’t get me wrong, but I was rooting for Mulligan to get that award, as her performance is layered, exciting, and, at times, unexpected. I don’t think I have ever seen her in this kind of role, and I wish she would take on more “edgy” roles like this one because she is one of our most talented actresses. I can’t promise you you will have a great time watching this film, but I can guarantee you won’t forget it any time soon. If you have never seen or heard of this film (somehow), you better watch it. (Luke Burian)
Insomnia
Though Insomnia may not be one of the first of Christopher Nolan’s films that comes to mind, I think it might be a little underrated. The story follows two Los Angeles homicide detectives (Al Pacino and Martin Donovan) who are dispatched to a north Alaskan town where the sun doesn’t set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen. During the course of the investigation, tragedy strikes, which Pacino believes necessitates a cover up. When paired with the 24-hour sunlight and the titular insomnia, the investigation wreaks havoc on Pacino’s character’s mind. The premise, which is based off a Norwegian film of the same name from five years earlier, is unique and thrillingly told. That telling is boosted by not only Pacino, not giving one of the over-the-top, screamy performances that are all too common today, but Hilary Swank as the local cop, and Robin Williams giving one of his least prototypical performances. The latter plays the villain with such an unnerving, terrifying calmness. If this film sits unwatched among Nolan’s canon, it’s worth a watch for the uniqueness of the Williams performance alone. (Jake Bourgeois)
School of Rock
School of Rock came out in October of 2003, a time in my life that was a blur. I had just moved to Philadelphia for college, and my dad died. Yeah. You weren’t expecting this kind of turn on a SiftPop post, were you? Well buckle up. This was the first movie I remember seeing after Dad died. I was still in this numbness that I can only explain as an emotional coma. Maybe it’s why I’m so attached to this movie. It was the first thing that made me laugh. It also made me think about my own father, memories I had with him. I remember when dad came home with Sister Act on VHS (it’s like a DVD, but more of a rectangular cuboid), and this movie reminded me a lot of him. A person (Dewey, played by (Jack Black) finds himself in a school teaching youngsters about music, while going through some classic hits in music, leading up to a concert for the kids where everything comes out in the open. Okay, it’s kind of the same movie just Mike White-washed (the writer) and directed by the great Richard Linklater. Still great. This is a movie that will always hold a special place in my heart. It touched me, and I hope that I touched you too. (Frank Kemp)
The Last Duel
The Last Duel isn’t your typical story of two truths and a lie. It’s more about who’s telling the truth. The film follows Jean de Carrouge (Matt Damon) challenging former friend and squire, Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) to a duel after Le Gris is accused of sexually assaulting Jean’s wife Marguerite (Jodie Comer). Three stories, three different perspectives, but who’s telling the truth? Is it de Carrouge, who stood up for his wife and challenged his friend, or was it Le Gris, the man claiming his innocence of everything he did was consensual, or was it Marguerite who tells the real story? The Last Duel was one of the best films of 2021, and definitely a hit for Ridley Scott. Damon and Driver were on their A-game, along with the peek-a-boo, over-the-top appearance from Ben Affleck, as the boorish Count Pierre d’Alençon. But the standout was Comer, a woman who stood in her truth and never backed down. It’s one of those performances that should’ve been locked down in award season. Definitely a loss. (Chantal Ashford)
Game Night
Game Night is the complete package: laughs, an excellent emotional character arc, a central drama that’s the key to that arc, pop culture references, and twists on top of twists. The basic template of the story is a typical crime drama — a group of regular people are thrown into a life-or-death situation against their will, and it becomes more intense as the night goes on. What makes this work as a comedy is the framing device of it starting as a game. When Max Davis’ (Jason Bateman) brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) is kidnapped, he, his wife Annie (Rachel McAdams), and the friends they are with, believe it’s all an act for the game Brooks has set up. Around the end of the first act, they discover the kidnapping was real. Later, it turns out a lot of it was an act set up by Max and Annie’s neighbor Gary Kingsbury (Jesse Plemons). Then they discover that there really are criminals after Brooks. It’s the kind of perplexing set of twists that can only work in a comedy: fake, real, fake again, then real again. There is even a phony twist at the end where they pretend it was fake. Plemons is the standout performance for me. His character is introduced as slightly creepy, which is helped by Plemons having an acting history of playing horrible people. I love the sibling rivalry of Max and Brooks, which is shown by the end to be sibling love deep down. (John Tillyard)
Easy A
Easy A is built around a lie about the shudder-inducing and clichéd, however totally false account of how Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) lost her virginity to a guy at a community college. She’s a self-assured, clever, attractive girl rendered completely anonymous at her school until the aforementioned lie becomes even more inflated after a bullied gay student asks her to fake having sex with him so that the other students will believe he’s straight. It’s a smart movie with commentary on the nature of reputation in the digital age, and how easier access to information hasn’t made it any easier to get to the truth, which resonates with even greater emphasis today, 12 years after its release. Stone earned the role as Olive in part because she auditioned online, which proved to be perfect because so many scenes in the film feature her speaking directly to her audience through a webcam. Stone could effortlessly carry this movie on her own — her comic timing and facial expressions will make you fall in love — but she’s supported by a fantastic cast, primarily Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson who play Olive’s parents, Dill and Rosemary (everyone in the family is named after food, even younger brother, Chip). Tucci and Clarkson steal absolutely every scene they’re in, but they never overshadow their daughter. So many popular teen comedies don’t really hold up under the modern lens, but as the vehicle that propelled Emma Stone to superstardom, Easy A still makes the grade. (Jonathan Fedee)
Mean Girls
Every generation has that comedy that comes along and defines it, and for my generation that movie was Mean Girls. It tells the story of Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a homeschooled girl who goes to high school for the first time and struggles to make friends. There, her new friends, Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damien (Daniel Franzese), convince Cady to infiltrate the Plastics, the queen bee girl group led by Regina George (Rachel McAdams), and to tear them down from the inside. Tina Fey perfectly adapts this story for the screen from Rosalind Wiseman’s book, Queen Bees and Wanabes, and director Mark Waters brings the best out of his actors in this wild ride of a movie. Cady is not used to being a liar, and Lohan plays the role perfectly — it’s one of the best of her career. Lohan and McAdams play incredibly well with and off each other as frenemies; it makes the movie that much better. The incredibly stacked comedic cast along with Fey, Jonathan Bennett, Amy Poehler, Tim Meadows, Lacey Chabert, Neil Flynn, and Amanda Seyfried makes this a one-of-a-kind comedy. If you are one of the few people who hasn’t experienced the wonder that is Mean Girls, then go watch it. You won’t be disappointed. Just remember: on Wednesdays, we wear pink. (Austen Terry)
Liar Liar
When I first saw this week’s topic, Liar Liar immediately sprang to my mind. This film stars Jim Carrey as a deceitful father who loses the ability to lie for a full day, an event that was a direct result of his clear over-dependence on lying to make his life easier and more successful. Everything about this movie is outstanding. Carrey’s performance is otherworldly, Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur’s script is electric, and the laughs are absolutely endless. The premise perfectly tees up plenty of hilarious bits and moments that are chock full of quotable one-liners. Moreover, the concept allows the film to deliver some beautiful themes about parenting and honesty that will resonate with families across the world. Carrey is a powerhouse of a comedian. Widely, and rightfully, considered one of the greats. And I strongly believe this film deserves a spot at the top of his illustrious filmography. (Jack Grimme)
A Simple Favor
Chances are you’ve seen any number of movies that feature a character developing a friendship with somebody they consider to be completely out of their wheelhouse, only to be betrayed by this person they’ve come to think of as their friend. A Simple Favor isn’t going to blow your mind in that respect, and maybe it’s not really meant to do that to begin with. One thing movies do best is present you with a familiar premise and put a new spin on it, put a few good performances in front of you, and provide you with a night’s entertainment. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively do just that, and alongside their charismatic presence, it’s also a reminder that Paul Feig is actually a competent director when he’s not filling his time making lowest-common-denominator comedies. (Chris Bakker)