The Invention of Lying – Movie Review

Rating: PG 13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Louis C.K.

Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Plot: From Ricky Gervais, the award-winning creator and star of the original BBC series “The Office” and HBO’s “Extras,” comes the new romantic comedy “The Invention of Lying.” “The Invention of Lying” takes place in an alternate reality in which lying–even the concept of a lie–does not 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 (Gervais) 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.

Running time: 1 hr. 40 min.

Kate says: 3 stars I should just tell you from the start here ,that I like Ricky Gervais.  I find his offbeat sense of comedy to be witty and engaging, plus I love his accent.  The movie is full of surprising cameos and provides plenty of sly observations about life.  When the story veers into religion, it gets a little shaky, but then it edges around this topic and ends up happily ever after.

Ebert says: 3 1/2 stars “In its amiable, quiet, PG-13 way, “The Invention of Lying” is a remarkably radical comedy. It opens with a series of funny, relentlessly logical episodes in a world where everyone always tells the truth, and then slips in the implication that religion is possible only in a world that has the ability to lie. Then it wraps all of this into a sweet love story.”

Reelviews says:  2 1/2 stars “The Invention of Lying could have been – and probably should have been – at least a very good motion picture, but it can barely achieve the level of mediocrity associated with throwaway entertainment. Still, those who enjoyed Ghost Town will probably appreciate Gervais’ latest effort, even if the best it can be labeled is “forgettable.”

Rotten Tomatoes says: 57% “Consensus: It doesn’t quite follow through on its promise, and relies too heavily on shopworn romantic comedy tropes, but The Invention of Lying is uncommonly sly and funny.”