Daily Dialogue — December 13, 2017

Mark at the bank attempting to withdraw badly need cash, but the computer system is down. Asked how much he’d like to withdraw, Mark blurts out…

Mark: Eight hundred dollars.
Bank Teller: Pardon me.
Mark: I have eight hundred dollars in my account.
Bank Teller (on computer): Oh. The system just came back up. Just a second while I access your account. You said you’re withdrawing eight hundred, right? Wait a second. It says here you only have three hundred dollars in your account, but you said you wanted to withdraw eight hundred.

Mark looks pained, about to get busted.

Mark: Yeah, I… uh…
Bank Teller: I apologize, it appears our system has made a mistake. Let’s get you your eight hundred dollars.

— The Invention of Lying (2009), written by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Lie.

Trivia: When trying to secure Philip Seymour Hoffman for his cameo his agent claimed he was too busy so Ricky Gervais requested his email address and sent him the following: “Dear Philip, will you please appear in my new film? There is very little money involved as I spent the budget on testicular implants, but don’t look upon them as my testicles, look at them as our testicles.” Phillip Seymour Hoffman couldn’t refuse after that.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The central conceit of the movie is a world where no one has ever lied, until Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) seizes the opportunity for personal gain. The line above is the first lie… of many.