Just Lie To Me: Meet-Cute, But Make It Dark, But Make It 2010s

Kelly Walker’s Just Lie To Me, written by its star Kylie Alesso, is a comedy about a bartender whose finances are just bad enough that when she is mistaken for a sex worker, she goes along with it. It is funny and sad and sharp, and utterly entertaining.

Ian McQuown stars opposite Alesso as the wealthy, recently single consultant Noah. A friend coaxes him into paying for sex. They pick the first probable option at the bar. It is what it is, as the film keeps sighing. But inoffensive and a little heartbroken, Noah is just decent enough for the viewer to expect that Brooke will likely come out of her impulsive decision alive.

To him, she is Bridgette, at least for a while. Everything else remains the same—lightly abrasive, vivacious, awkward, melancholic, and easy to anger. She finds a worthy adversary in Noah. Underneath the rubble of his Amazon-ordered lifestyle, he is also easy to provoke into verbal/emotional spars. The chemistry just flows. The more they argue and/or get along, the more they are watchable. This is a pair you can imagine as childhood friends, regular friends, fun coworkers, lovers, exes, and lifelong companions. There is that 2010s rom-com flavour to it all, and so much the better for it.

They are not Benedict and Beatrice, or for that matter, Edward and Vivian. Brooke does not exactly have the cynicism of a hustler, only the fear and sadness of someone who is still watching their life slip past them and does not really know how to change course. Noah is not cold, and it is doubtful if he has any ruthlessness in him. Instead, they are sad college graduates who have seen life turn out to be a lot grayer than they were promised, and find resonance in each other sitting in their little cocoon of golden light on a free evening.

The 16-minute runtime packs in a tight narrative of conflict, vulnerability, and connection—played out almost entirely on Noah’s couch—that is as funny as it is touching, while Noah changes his mind, and changes it again, and then changes it again. When morning comes, Brooke repeats the routine in a hilariously edited scene. This writer watched it the first time with great pleasure, and then rewatched it a few more for good measure.

It is what it is.

Watch Just Lie to Me Short Film