The Invention of Lying

I loved this movie. It's sweet, and funny and really quite brilliant. It is about an imaginary world where no one can lie (and no one has ever been able to lie), and what happens to the very human, but kind-hearted man who first becomes able to. Though his intentions are mostly altruistic (remember, I also said he is very human, so he also does things to benefit himself), he inadvertently causes some big problems in his world. It's all very funny and sweet.

Yes, there are some strong references to the idea that religion is completely made-up, for the purpose of comforting people and calming their fears of death. For someone who can actually *think* about religion, instead of being a knee-jerk reactionary or dogmatic follower, it provides some terrific things to think about.

If your religious faith is so frail that it cannot stand the idea of a fictional story in which someone makes up religion in order to make the world a better place for the people they care about, then I'd have to say that you don't have much in the way of actual faith to begin with.

Wow. I was totally blown away. The last thing I actually expect Hollywood to do nowadays is make a movie that is thought provoking, tackles some truly profound issues about the human condition, and is funny to boot.

Ricky Gervais has won instant respect for me. I bet a friend before coming to Amazon (I rented the Blu-ray on Netflix) that there would be a bunch of 1 star reviews. And that none of them would actually be about the film per se or its quality but would be religious peoplem who, get offended when someone asks them to think about what they say they believe and why.

Gervais ends up examining 2 aspects of the human condition, lying and religion. What would a world be like where people simply not only did not but could not lie. You get a number of humorous situations from this. It makes you think about the role of 'social lying' in particular. Manners, in a way, for lack of a better word

Now on to religion. I think Gervais hit on 2 issues that are very germaine. One how can an 'all good God' be responsible for the good and the bad. Very hard for anyone to explain although people try with that oldie 'everything happens for a reason'. Also explores an honest reaction to a 'god' well tourting people for eternity.

Of more interest to me though was the potential consequences of becoming focused on an afterlife at the expense of this life. The character played by Jonah Hill represents an all too real condition. People who place less value on their life, this life, because everything will work out in the afterlife or that is the real life. This can create HUGE HARM to individuals, society, and the planet. If people don't treasure every day as it should be, if they don't treasure the earth as their home, if they don't treasure each and every species as their brothers and sisters, they risk missing out on exisistence, they miss out on the universe, they miss out on Life. And they do not, perhaps, treat the Earth, themselves, and each other with the depth and meaning they should. If the Earth to them is a shadow, how can it mean what it should?

This is of course IMO. I am sure many people will disagree. But kudos, HUGE kudos, to Ricky for getting this on film. One of the most meaningful and thought provoking, yet also comedic, films Hollywood has done in years.

This film plays out like a British reality TV show. It just feels a bit off, but bear with it. That is part of its charm. Around 37 minutes into it (if memory serves), "WHAM!", it follows true reality and goes completely off script. That's all I can tell you. But here's why you really need to see this movie:

It's pure genius. The whole of it has a rather laid back feel, and the pacing is more a nice leisurely stroll through the park on a warm Autumn day than a Jason Bourne movie or the latest Transformers (both of which I enjoyed, but have nothing more to do with this review). This film draws you in slowly. For some of you it may seem a bit dry and boring, even pedantic at first--stay with it! This is the evolution of personal existence. This is real life as it happens. We go through our days performing our daily rituals and fulfilling our self-imposed duties and then we see something shiny and we pick it up, and suddenly the world starts to find color. This shiny new thing could be a relationship, or a new hobby, a passion for something we did not believe we could have before--or in this case--lying.

The point of this film is (naturally) to entertain us, but just underneath is a series of layered messages and thoughts to ponder on our own lives and the society we live in. In much the same way foreign films tend to attract a certain demographic, this film, feeling a lot like a film foreign to Americans (in pace and structure) is meant to attract people who want to THINK while they are being entertained, rather than wait for glimpses of Megan Fox in a wet bikini (and who doesn't want to do that?). This is truly a film worth owning, and it is a film worth watching a few times (spaced apart by a few months). It gets under your skin and stays with you--and it will without a doubt upset more than a few knee-jerk religionists, but that is the other half of the fun.

The movie is interesting, enjoyable and slow-paced enough to simultaneously allow the slow-to-catch-on to get the joke, but also allow those a bit faster on the up-take to digest the meaning of the joke while enjoying the film. Not at all a first date movie, but if you want to evaluate the relationship quality of your current romantic prospect, this is a MUST SEE. Much like Blazing Saddles, this movie will instantly tell you whether youa re dating the right person for you.

As always, thanks for reading :-)

I've enjoyed Ricky Gervais ever since I first saw him in the UK version of The Office. His performance in his next series, Extras, was even better. Now comes The Invention of Lying, the first movie he (co)directed, and it is very entertaining!

Basically what we have here is a movie set in a world where lying never evolved. As a result, lots of things are different (like a Pepsi ad that says, "Pepsi: for when you can't find Coke"). Enter Mark Bellison (Gervais). He's a short little fat man with a stubby nose (as everyone keeps reminding him), and basically a loser. He writes screenplays for Lecture Films, a company that makes movie featuring a man sitting in a chair talking about history. Fiction never evolved, you see.

Mark gets fired from his job and is at a real low point in his life. Stuck having to come up with $800 to pay his rent, he tells a teller in a bank that that's how much he has in his account. She believes him, why not, and gives him the $800 rather than the $300 actually there. Having discovered this new ability, for which he doesn't even have a work, Mark embarks on a series of life-changing events.

Now this could've just been a one-dimensional situation played for easy laughs, and there's a bit of that at first, but then he's at his mother's deathbed, in tears and she tells him she's afraid of dying, of experiencing nothing for eternity (for the record, I'm not. How can one "experience" nothing, after all?). Thinking quickly, Mark tells her all about how there's a big man in the sky who will give her a mansion to live in and a chance to be reunited with all her loved ones. She dies happy, and the hospital staff are amazed at this sudden revelation of an afterlife.

Mark has basically just invented religion.

Gervais is an outspoken atheist, and I think that's clear in this movie, where the theory is that religion can't exist without lying. It's a fascinating concept and one well-explored within the film.

There's parts of the movie that lag a little, and some concepts I would've liked to have seen explored a little more, but overall, this is a great film and one I recommend.

Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson co-write and co-direct The Invention of Lying, a film I honestly did not expect to like. I'm familiar with Gervais and have heard great things about him, but somehow his TV shows and movies have eluded me. The Invention of Lying is my introduction to him and it makes for great entertainment.

Gervais plays Mark Bellison, who lives in alternate reality where the human race has not adapted the ability to lie. It's hard to deny this is an interesting idea and the opening scenes of the film are quite funny. Mark works as a screenwriter at a film studio, where films consist of a man on screen reading a script based on an event in history. Writing a story requires a certain amount of lying, after all. On the verge of getting fired and rejected by the girl of his dreams (Jennifer Garner) because he's overweight; Mark sees his life in a downward spiral. On the eve of being evicted from his apartment, Mark tells the world's first lie and with his newfound ability a way to improve his life in every aspect.

The film has an eclectic cast including Jonah Hill (as Mark's suicidal neighbor), Jeffrey Tambor, Rob Lowe (as an esteemed screenwriter), and Tina Fey. Furthermore, there are two very funny cameos by Phillip Seymour Hoffman (as a bartender) and Edward Norton (as a cop).

The entire alternate reality is a marvelous idea and Gervais keeps it from growing old within minutes. The Coke/Pepsi gags, as well as the brutally honest business names are consistently amusing.

Obviously, The Invention of Lying is built on a gimmick. In the hands of lesser writers, this gimmick could have run out of steam very quickly, yet Gervais keeps the wit, social commentary (involving religion), and energy consistent throughout. The Invention of Lying is a strong comedy film that had me laughing very hard, but also had me thinking. If the film didn't descend into predictability towards the end (while still retaining its charm), I would say it's one of my favorite films of 2009. Alas, Gervais has fashioned a comedy that is smart, underrated, and very well-done...Definitely worth your time.

GRADE: B+

I enjoyed this movie, with the exception of the ending which felt artificially sweet. As a funny take on life through a particularly skewed lens this is a fun movie, but when it tries to be a romantic comedy it seems to veer off course a bit. I think if it had stuck with its strengths I might have rated it 5 stars. I know there are likely to be people arguing over whether the humorous assault on religion is offensive, but I won't weigh in on that. All I know is there were a lot of funny scenes through most of the movie so I liked it. Jennifer Garner was great, Gervais was pretty good too.

The general idea is really brillant and Rick Gervais could have pulled it off had the script been tighter and the idea development been stronger. The jokes that were to be had were really pretty much covered in the trailer; everything else was just kind of an extension of those. Even the whole foray into religion seemed to be 45 minutes dedicated to a joke that could last about 10.

Also, about 30 minutes of the movie deals with finding a partner with the right genetic code (as opposed to the one your in love with, i.e. makes you happy). This seemed out of left field in a movie which showcases how venal people really are when they stop lying.

A fair number of people have stated that they enjoyed the opening moments of "The Invention of Lying"; then thought it went downhill from there. My feelings are quite the opposite, so I thought I'd weigh in with my opinion.

The first twenty minutes or so with its crude and not terribly funny dialogue made me wince, but being a fan of Ricky Gervais I had the patience to let the story unfold at its own pace. As it did so, I was treated to some of the humor and wit that makes Gervais fun. (I also enjoyed the brief cameo featuring his writing partner, Stephen Merchant.) By the time we arrived at Gervais' character Mark explaining "The Man in the Sky" to a crowd of eagerly inquisitive people (with the help of his pizza box "tablets"), I was hooked. Honestly; how could anyone not see the humor in that scene?

For those who insist that Gervais is pushing an "agenda", I can only respond by asking "When did everyone become so paranoid"? Lighten up please; has the world been listening to too much inflammatory right wingnut radio, or WHAT? It seems extreme to flip out just because someone dares to think (refreshingly and thankfully) outside the box...in any case the story suggests that perhaps people ought to consider being "good for goodness' sake" (sorta like Santa Claus), rather than always seeking a "reward". So what is wrong with that idea?

I loved this movie 100%! Fresh idea, funny delivery. Good acting.both Jennifer Garner and Ricky Gervais where amazing...Nice to just go out and laugh and not have to see people get killed. I also learned something.
There's plenty to enjoy, from Gervais' offhanded and charming performance to the strong supporting cast, including hilarious small roles for Lowe and Fey plus terrific cameos by Jason Bateman, Christopher Guest and other Gervais stalwarts.

Gervais plays screenwriter Mark, a "chubby little loser" who knows that the lovely Anna (Jennifer Garner) is out of his league as soon as they meet. She doesn't disabuse him of the notion. His life goes from bad to worse when he is sacked and faces the possibility of eviction.

Desperation is the mother of invention, and the world's first lie is told when he convinces a bank teller that there is more money in his account than appears on her screen. He now has discovered the ability to bend a trusting world to his will.

Gervais once again appears to be using comedy as therapy to work out his personal insecurities. His screen alter ego is consistently branded a fat, underachiever but you know the purpose of the film will be to celebrate the triumph of this underdog and ensure that he wins the love of a gorgeous woman.

The obvious scenario unfolds with a ready wit and an engaging sense of playfulness. I truly loved this movie!

I loved this movie and would definitely recommend it, but I suppose it's not for everyone. The humor is often on the dark side, obviously controversial to some people based on a few of the reviews I've read, or maybe it's just too subtle for others. But therein lies the beauty of it for me.

I didn't perceive the religious twists that others have mentioned as derogatory or offensive in any way, because the whole concept is that no one had ever heard of or even thought of those things before. If someone insisted on being technical, I'd argue that the film represented many sides of the "meaning of life." It also attempted to show the emptiness that the people in the story had felt without the previous hope of something more than the "here and now," without preaching some deep, hidden message ... because it's a comedy, pure and simple.

It was intended to be a satirical scenario of how life would be if absolutely no form of untruth had never existed, everything single was taken literally, and no one had the forethought, compassion or basic ability to control what they were thinking verses what came out of their mouth. That would definitely change the world as we know it, and I for one don't want to know everything people think about me!

I love a story that has something for everyone with an open mind ... to things they may or may not agree with personally, dark and/or subtle humor with a little racy humor thrown in, romance, scenarios that you might totally relate to, and most of all a view of something you'd never thought about before (or maybe you had!).

Ricky Gervias is amazing at portraying a typical person who like almost everyone - good or bad - is a lot more than meets the eye. Ghost Town is a "must see" if you enjoyed this film.