The Invention of Lying


Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, John Hodgman, Jason Bateman, Christopher Guest, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, Michael Caine
Directed by: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In a world where even the concept of lying has not been conceived by a single human being, everyone tells the absolute truth at all times. When a down-on-his-luck, average man (Ricky Gervais) suddenly discovers the ability to lie, he uses his newfound powers to try to get the girl (Jennifer Garner) of his dreams. However, he soon discovers that lying oftentimes makes the world more difficult- not less.

Review:

Tim: The Invention of Lying is a brilliantly conceived movie. The idea of a world where there is no such thing as a lie- as fiction- or as anything but the truth- is a fascinating and hilarious one. This movie certainly mines the constant truth telling for a number of laughs, but the isn't just a high-concept comedy- there is something philosophical in imagining a world without lying. It makes you look at your own world differently, and come to terms with how often you are not truthful to others- or yourself. In this aspect, I loved the movie. I was convinced early on that Ricky Gervais has pulled off a fantastic film. However, as the movie goes on, it becomes more and more apparent that this film- although ambitious, ultimately fails to live up to its promise.

The movie's concept is fantastic, but its delivery is all over the place. The movie starts out strongly, as we are taken by this strange, very different world. It is new and exciting to explore the possibilities in this strange new world, and the writers do a good job of conveying some of the more funny aspects of this. However, the movie's story feels like it uses up all its good ideas in the first forty minutes, then just ran on fumes for the remainder of the movie. By the time Gervais starts talking about the Man in the Sky (which on paper is a hilarious idea for the movie and a funny direction to go in), the movie starts to unravel. From this point on, everything seems so silly that it stops mattering. The movie becomes increasingly silly and impossible to take seriously. The strengths of the beginning are squandered by the end.

The cast is impressive because of how extensive it is. Ricky Gervais does a great job in the lead role. He is such a funny, likeable guy. I just love his unique view as an actor and director, and I hope he sticks around Hollywood for a long, long time. I enjoyed him in this film. Jennifer Garner was fine as his love interest. I am not sure if I've ever been truly impressed with her performances. I typically just shrug my shoulders and say "She was okay," which is what I did here.

The supporting cast is good, but I wish some of these great actors stuck around longer. Jonah Hill's presence was welcome, but I wish he had more to do. Rob Lowe was a good choice for the antagonist. He was mostly called upon to look charismatic and arrogant, and he does this well. I loved seeing Tina Fey, but her few moments of screen time was not enough. I didn't care to see Jason Bateman, but I rarely ever do. I did love seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman in a very small role. He just made me laugh here. I also loved seeing Edward Norton in an unexpected by very funny role. I also guess Michael Caine was in this movie, although I didn't notice him. The supporting cast is good, but their tiny amount of screen time means none of these actors made much of a difference on the end result of the movie.

The Invention of Lying is a movie I badly wanted to like, and for much of it, I did. However, there just wasn't enough meat here to keep the movie strong for 99 minutes. It runs out of steam about halfway through, and gets weaker and weaker from that point on. I loved the idea of this movie, but I have to admit that the end result is a bit disappointing. However, I hope this doesn't deter Ricky Gervais, because I think he has some classics up his sleeves. This one just wasn't one of them.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ghost Town