The dating world is a scary place. Online dating has both made it easier, and more terrifying. But it’s hardly the deadly hellscape it used to be, and Hollywood movies warning of the Internet’s dangers didn’t make it any more pleasant. While we mostly attribute these issues to millennials, The Good Liar once you to know that your grandparents are going through the same shit, even when your grandparents look like Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.
The screen legends star in the thriller directed by Bill Condon, and it follows two older people who meet through an online dating site. Mirren plays Betty, who quickly grows close to her new man, Roy, only to learn that he’s hiding a dark secret. McKellen’s Roy is actually a con man trying to swindle away Betty’s fortune.
Behind the screenplay is Jeffrey Hatcher, who previously worked with Condon and McKellen on Mr. Holmes, in which the actor played an elderly Sherlock Holmes. Condon has scored some massive hits in his career, directing two Twilight flicks, Dreamgirls, Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, as well as co-writing The Greatest Showman. He also won an Academy Award for his Gods and Monsters screenplay in 1998. Not that anybody is expecting such lofty heights for The Good Liar, Condon’s resume does speak for itself.
Here’s the synopsis: Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
The Good Liar opens November 15th.
