The Invention of Lying

[Bourne101]

http://s11.bdbphotos.com/images/orig/w/h/whz5izyaf9mom9y.jpg

Directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson

Written by Rick Gervais and Matthew Robinson

Genre: Comedy

Plot Outline: In an alternate reality, lying -- even the concept of a lie -- does not even exist. Everyone -- from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street -- speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and Mark begins to realize that things are getting a little out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor

Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference.

Runtime: 100 minutes

Concept is brilliant, talent involved is brilliant. The only thing will be if it can live up to the concept. I've heard from some that is does, and from others that it doesn't quite but it's still a solid comedy. So either way, I think we're in for a good time.

[ilovemovies]

It looks hilarious and I love the cast. I'm definitely there!

[Smiert Spionam]

Gervais is a comedic genius and Louis C.K. is one of my favorite comics working.
I'm down...

[ericdraven]

wait. why is this PG-13? Ghost Town was PG-13 and look what happend to that movie. Also, Jennifer garner? jeez.

[ilovemovies]

Also, Jennifer garner? jeez.

#1 reason to see it.

[ericdraven]

#1 reason to see it.


not really. I feel bad for her kid, born into a medicore family

[ilovemovies]

I feel bad for her kid too. It probably sucks to have such a hot mom.

Of course, in terms of talent, that kid has two awesome parents.

[jolanar]

The premise sounds great but I have a terrible feeling it's going to be horribly managed and end up turning into some awfully cheesy romance story with very little comedy involved.

[BakeTheMooCow]

If it wasn't for I Hate Valentine's Day, this would be the clunkiest movie of the year. And that's the word that kept running through my head as I watched this disastrous movie. Every scene is just *CREEEEAAAKKK* *KERRR-THUNK*.

I already knew the premise because of the title and trailer and the fact that Ricky - who I'm a fan of - has been on every TV show in the US and UK promoting it and saying the same thing over and over. So I was completely ready to go with the flow and accept this alternate universe in which people haven't evolved the gene for lying. But the film goes about it all wrong with people's reactions and mannerisms being way way way off from what they should be.

People blurt out truths when they could say nothing. Just because they can't lie doesn't mean they can't keep their mouth shut. There are issues about emotion that the film never really addresses and it makes the premise feel plain clumsy and badly set up and it never gels right. There's only one point where Jennifer Garner's character is told two contradictory things and says "You're confusing me..." At other times, Mark tells his bar buddies that his name is Doug and that he's black and they buy it right away, so there's a lot of inconsistency in the reactions and emotions of the characters.

In addition, Ricky Gervais' acting is so ham-fisted and cheesy and he stutters and does double takes and stares like Oliver Hardy, but it's really telegraphed and obvious and painful to watch. Jennifer Garner is cute and makes an effort, but the line readings (for all the characters) are so.. awful that they just put me off. There's a great supporting cast and some cool cameos, but you hardly get to see Jason Bateman or Tina Fey for a couple of minutes at the most.

There are also bad rom-com montages set to music and you never get a sense of how much time has passed or actual reverberations and impacts of Mark's discovery of lying. It's like a CBS sitcom really, with Mark walking down the street and seeing a homeless person, a raving madman and an argumentative couple who are strategically placed along his route and he stares at them in amazement even though he's a 40-something year old man who should be used to people talking like this to one another.

And I know Ricky's views on religion from the XFM shows and podcasts, and I agree with him on a lot of it, but the way he incorporates that into the script is so heavy handed and condescending that it was mortifying to watch. That's what separates it from typical romantic comedies? Not at all, really. It is not only a very predictable and by-the-numbers romantic comedy, but any smart ideas it has evaporate mere seconds into its mangled, cloying, embarrassing execution.

3/10

[Moviefan02000]

I'm seeing this later today, I'm actually very excited. It looks really cute.

[anakinsrise]

Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson's The Invention of Lying is interesting and funny for the most part until it enters sitcom mode
Imagine a world in which no one can lie but one person.Enter Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais)
a screenwriter heading out for a date with Anna McDoogles(Jennifer Garner)
In this world without lies ,everyone is brutally honest,so people give away there true feelings,Mcdoogles reveals how she's not attracted to Mark several times,waiters admit to eating portions of guests food, and so on.This works for the most part and was quite
funny but at times the actors come off robotic and "Stepford" like when they deliver their lines when displaying their honest feelings
I liked how Gervais and Robinson displayed how drab the world would be without lies,especially when it comes to filmmaking.I also thought their parody of religion was semi funny but then it almost becomes the main focus of the film.
The chemistry between Gervais and Garner is tepid at best,but i did enjoy their banter in several scenes,especially in a scene in which there's much ado about a birthday card and its meaning I also liked the cameos of some big name stars.
The climax of the film is very lackluster and basic and doesnt match up to the high wit of the first half of the film
Scale of 1-10 a 7

[Bourne101]

The Invention of Lying - 6/10

I quite enjoyed this one. It's not as funny as it had potential to be, and it wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was an entertaining, funny and well-acted comedy with some really interesting concepts and some really moving moments. Going in I expected the first half to be better and funnier than the second half, and while it was funnier, I much preferred the second half. The first half is a tad shaky, and you don't really know where it is going to go, but once the second half kicks in, a really interesting and kind of heavy concept is introduced that I thought worked very well. The scene in which that concept is introduced is devastatingly moving and heartbreaking as well. Ricky Gervais is hilarious here and continues to show what a comic genius he is. Jonah Hill and Louis C.K. are also hilarious. Jennifer Garner's character is kind of weird, but I warmed up to her as the film progressed. So overall, not quite what I was expecting, but a fine film nonetheless.

[Ender]

Obviously there's comic potential in the idea of unvarnished, brutal honesty and candor. Not only can people in THE INVENTION OF LYING not tell a lie, they can't even dissemble, exagerrate, or withhold the truth. No doubt about it, it's funny, as is the deadpan credulity of the people around Gervais who swallow his whoppers because the notion of an untruth is literally impossible for them to even concieve of. The honest adverisements were particularly amusing, although I'm confused and dissapointed as to why they didn't bother to showcase the ramifications of truly honest politics.

That said, this movie goes to some weird places and I'm not really sure why. For reasons that are never explained, the bald-faced honesty of this film's world results in a kind of weird, emotional vaccuum where characters operate off of cold, emotionless logic (or at least, are expected to). Many of the actors, particularly Garner, totally blow their performances, coming off not as honest or candid but as people who have some sort of learning disability. Watching Gervais interact with them is like watching someone talk to a child. It's impossible to take most of these characters seriously.

I mean, I liked Rob Lowe's smarmy prick character, Jeffrey Tambor's unequivocal dissembler, and even Tina Fey's total bitch assistant, but while the movie does a good job of showing what these sorts of people would be like if they lacked the power to shade the truth or hide their basic nature, it doesn't address why they are popular, powerful, and succesful in spite of their painfully obvious character flaws.

Garner definitely comes out the worst, but it's not entirely her fault. Her character is so clearly shallow, vapid, and self-centered, it's hard to care about her and even harder to root for the romance. Sure, the point is that her character grows and gains new depth and integrity throughout the film, but while this painfully slow process plays out we're left to wonder why Gervais is investing so much time in someone so unpleasent. Resultantly, he seems rather pathetic, and our rapport with him is hurt.

I should say again that THE INVENTION OF LYING is quite funny, and clever, and, like it's characters, shockingly honest and brazen about the lies we take for granted in everyday life. But if I seem overly distracted by the intricacies of its emotional subplot over the more obviosu (and succesful) comic elements, that's probably because the movie is too.