Why Would I Lie?_
"Lies, lies, lies. What a funny way to begin a love affair."
Cletus is a compulsive liar. He prefers the term 'fabrication' to lie though. When Cletus becomes a social worker he's assigned the case of a boy called Jorge (with a 'J') who was taken from his mother. Cletus sets out to reunite Jorge with his mother, but to do so he has to fabricate many a story to keep Jorge from being adopted. In search of the mother, Cletus meets and falls in love with a women's advice councillor.
Starring
Treat Williams, Lisa Eichhorn, Gabriel Macht
Box Office
$1.2M
Updated Feb 16, 2026
WHERE TO WATCH
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Box office
Why Would I Lie? earned $1.2M against a $4.5M budget.
Year context
Why Would I Lie? was released 46 years ago in 1980.
Why Would I Lie? is a Comedy, Drama film with a runtime of 1h 45m.
CAST (20)
Treat Williams
Cletus
Lisa Eichhorn
Kay
Gabriel Macht
Jeorge
SH
Susan Heldfond
Amy
Anne Byrne Hoffman
Faith
Valerie Curtin
Mrs. Bok
Jocelyn Brando
Mrs. Crumpe
Nicolas Coster
Walter
Severn Darden
Dr. Barbour
Sonny Carl Davis
Paul
JB
Jane Burkett
Natalie
KC
Kay Cummings
Edith
MB
Mia Bendixsen
Thelma
Ilene Kristen
Waitress
HG
Harriet Gibson
Mary Kalinsky
CH
Cynthia Hoppenfeld
Opel McCarthy
Mitzi Hoag
Mrs. Hayworth
Natalie Core
Mrs. Gogle
SS
Shirley Slater
Warden
Elizabeth Kerr
Customer
BOX OFFICE
$4.5M
Budget
$1.2M
Revenue
-74%
ROI
FLOP
Verdict
DETAILS
Release
Status
Released
Runtime
105 min (1h 45m)
Country
Rating
6.0/10 (1 votes)
Budget
$4,500,000
Box Office
$1,175,855
Profit
$-3,324,145
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Why Would I Lie? about?
Cletus is a compulsive liar. He prefers the term 'fabrication' to lie though. When Cletus becomes a social worker he's assigned the case of a boy called Jorge (with a 'J') who was taken from his mother. Cletus sets out to reunite Jorge with his mother, but to do so he has to fabricate many a story to keep Jorge from being adopted. In search of the mother, Cletus meets and falls in love with a women's advice councillor.
How long is Why Would I Lie??
Why Would I Lie? has a runtime of 105 minutes (1h 45m).
Who stars in Why Would I Lie??
The cast of Why Would I Lie? includes Treat Williams, Lisa Eichhorn, Gabriel Macht, Susan Heldfond, Anne Byrne Hoffman.
How much did Why Would I Lie? make at the box office?
Why Would I Lie? earned $1,175,855 worldwide at the box office. The production budget was $4,500,000.
What is the rating of Why Would I Lie??
Why Would I Lie? has a rating of 6.0 out of 10 based on 1 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (2)
Comedy
Drama