The Invention Of Lying
– Three stars (out of four)
– Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference.
– Who’s going to like it: people who like intelligent, thought-provoking humor and fans of Ricky Gervais and all Ricky Gervais productions – The (BBC) Office, Extras and Ghost Town
Intelligent satirical comedy from always-entertaining Gervais
There is no reason why the name Ricky Gervais shouldn’t be known in ever American household. There are few people who do not know about the hit television series The Office, and even less who know that The Office wouldn’t exist had Gervais not teamed up with friend Stephen Merchant to write and star in the original BBC series that spawned the American version. Their unique view of mundane careers through intimate documentary-style filming is now know and imitated across the globe, which people enjoys a lot on their computer or TVs, even more now that you can get best tv stand for any size tv so you can watch it comfortably.
After The Office, Gervais and Merchant reteamed for another BBC series – later picked up for American distribution by HBO – titled Extras, focusing on Gervais’ character, a film extra trying to make his acting break. Each episode of Extras featured major celebrity cameo who played a self-centered or idiotic version of him or herself. Between The Office and Extras, Gervais has given us great, intelligent satirical comedy that focuses on and explores odd aspects of society.
Last year, Gervais broke through onto mainstream American cinema opposite Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear in his first lead role in Ghost Town, a great blend of standard American comedy and Gervais’ awkward and dry British humor. With that success, Gervais was able to make a movie that is one hundred percent Gervais, meaning it’s dry and awkward, it’s a social commentary and it’s really funny. It’s The Invention of Lying.
Co-written and co-directed by Gervais, The Invention of Lying takes place in an odd little world where people are completely incapable of telling lies. They often blurt out offensive truths in tactless manners. Because of this, there is no such thing as fiction, films or religion. There is simply truth – as painfully honest as it can be.
Gervais plays lead character Mark Bellison, a non-fiction writer whose life is sadly headed down the drain because of truth. The woman he fancies, Anna (played by Alias‘ Jennifer Garner), although she thinks he’s a very good guy, refuses to date him because he’s a “chubby little fat man with a pug nose” – and that wouldn’t be good a good genetic match if they ended up having children. Mark is about to be fired because he can’t find any good non-fiction stories to tell. And his mother is dying, knowing she’s about to cease to exist. Amidst all of this pressure, worry and depression, Mark’s brain changes and allows him to do something that nobody has ever done before – he lies. And because of his new superpower, he can do and get away with whatever he wants.
The first half of the film is about Mark discovering and using his power to benefit himself and his friends. Mark becomes successful at work as he begins writing far-fetched fictional tales that the public take as true stories. When withdrawing money from a bank, he claims there must have been a clerical error causing his account to be empty and the naïve clerks simply trust him and give whatever amount of money he asks for. The only selfish thing that Mark will not do is manipulate Anna into loving him.
In the second half of the film, Mark begins using his power for the good of others – creating hope, comfort and happiness – but not without digging himself deep into trouble and conflict. It’s at this point where the film takes an odd turn, one that some people will find blasphemous and anti-God. But if you sit it out, you’ll find that it only shows the good that comes out of religion.
But don’t take just my word on The Invention of Lying – here’s a list of major actors that obviously like Gervais’ work enough to want to be in this movie: Jonah Hill (Superbad), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Rob Lowe (Wayne’s World), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Mission: Impossible III), Louis C.K. (Parks and Recreation), Edward Norton (Fight Club), Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Christopher Guest (The Princess Bride) and Bobby Moynihan (SNL).
If you’re a not-so-easily-offended-by-religion person up for a witty, satirical comedy with lots of heart, don’t miss The Invention of Lying. It will make you think and laugh, as well as appreciate Ricky Gervais all the more.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
