Review for The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying (PG-13)

Release Date: October 2nd
Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe, Jeffrey Tambor
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Aside from the obvious humor that comes with a story about people that can’t lie, deeper themes like the fact that religion and manners cannot exist without lies come to the surface in this film.

Ricky Gervais plays Mark, an unattractive man who is disliked by co-workers and is fired from his job at a company that can only produce movies about facts and history because they are incapable of creating fiction. He lives in a world where Pepsi ads say things like “Pepsi: When They’re Out of Coke” and where hospices are called “A Sad Place Where Homeless Old People Come to Die.” Nobody in this world is capable of lying—they are not even aware that the concept of lying could possibly exist. Therefore, they have no movies with fictional stories or comedy, no religion, and everyone believes everything other people say to them.

Mark goes on a blind date with Anna, played by Jennifer Garner, and immediately upon meeting him she tells him that she doesn’t find him attractive, there is no possibility of sex, and there probably won’t be another date because he is too short and fat to be a good genetic match for her if they ever had children. Talk about bruising the ego. The funny thing is that no one gets horribly offended by anything because well, if you’re used to hearing the harsh truth all the time you probably become immune to it. About a half hour into the movie Mark discovers his newfound ability to lie when he is at the bank and lies about how much money is in his account. Of course, the banker believes him thinking there is something wrong with the computers and hands him more money than he has in his account. With this new ability he decides to test it out on his friend and a few other people to come to realize that no matter how ridiculous of a statement he makes to them about himself, they will believe him every time. He uses this ability to get his job back, score another date with Anna, and to comfort his dying mother. However, the biggest lie he tells about the afterlife in order to comfort his mother foreshadows the concept of religion. Soon he becomes a celebrity because everyone wants to know about what he ultimately describes as heaven and the “man in the sky.”

The movie has many different elements to it. It is remarkably funny, sad at some points, and it makes you realize that lying is a huge part of everyday life. Sometimes it’s abused and other times it’s used to entertain and to maintain good manners.

Being the only man with this ability, Mark can make people believe anything he wants, but he does hold back more than any normal person would. Of course he gets himself the big house and expensive things, who wouldn’t? But he holds back with Anna, and that is where the romantic part comes in. Mark seems to wrestle with the fact that although lying has gotten him things like money, a big house, and even celebrity status, it still can’t get him the girl. Sure he can make up a lie similar to one he used on a random girl he passed on the street earlier in the movie and say something like, “The world will end if we don’t get married right now.” But he doesn’t, and that is what is likable about his character—the only man on earth that can lie and he chooses to be an honest one with what he wants most.

Gervais’s witty personality was perfect for this part. He is the type of guy that is funny without even trying to be and he is enjoyable to watch. Garner also played the part of a ditzy brunette with a heart that is often hidden by her conceitedness pretty well. However, it was hard not to hate her character from the beginning all the way to the end. Makes you wonder whether or not Mark’s heartache is really worth a girl that calls him a fat guy with a snub nose about fifteen times throughout the movie.

The movie also includes very short appearances from known actors like Jason Bateman and Edward Norton which kind of made me think, “Hey I had no idea they were in this movie, oh wait, probably because they only have about a two minute on-screen appearance.” A little random but I know there are people who like to point their fingers at the screen and say things like “Hey it’s that guy..from that other movie..you know!” I would have to say this movie is worth the ten to eleven ridiculous dollars it costs to go to the theater.


Check out the trailer below: