The Invention of Lying (2009) User Reviews

Good vehicle for (and by) Gervais

[delibebek · 7/10 · 11 August 2010]

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. From a simple premise as "lying doesn't exist" it develops into a thoughtful tale with a touch of satire. On the one hand it exposes early on the basic first impressions we all have of each other and of situations we find ourselves in. On the other, it touches on the importance of being honest about what we know and especially honest about what we don't know.

I could examine all the inconsistencies inherent to a concept like this. One would think that without the concept of duplicity, we should be far more advanced than we currently are. One would also think that without lying, there would be no imagination and therefore very few scientific discoveries and advances. The story requires that you don't think about that too much, just to enjoy the script as it moves along.

Gervais carries the film along as planned, in his quiet, self-effacing way. The humor won't have you rolling on the floor, but the frankness of the casual insights should make anyone snicker with self-awareness at the truth of it all.

God is an upside down fruit man

[KnowOne1988 · 7/10 · 11 December 2009]

This movie had a hard life. A lot of people walked out of theaters trash talking it. I honestly think the only reason this movie is being criticized so harshly is because it pokes at religion. It was the best allegory on religion since Cat's Craddle. This movie was interesting, and it really makes the viewer think about human values. Just because a movie mimics reality so honestly it seems absurd is not a reason to dislike something. How do you dislike the truth. I think people should watch this movie remembering it's just a movie. Friendly advice: don't get your panties all bunched up before you sit down in the dark for two hours.

The Invention of Lying, is a hilarious comedy that also offers some thought provoking truths.

A good story wasted

[pawanpunjabithewriter · 5/10 · 25 February 2019]

Started off is if it's going to be one of the best. But, maybe, it was improperly executed. No doubt, here were some good comedy moments. The concept was good but it took the wrong way. It's just a sad story with happy ending. A story which revolves around one clever man and rest all a bunch of dumb people. Could have been a lot more interesting with this super power.

On a scale of one to Casablanca, this film is a "Oh, God!" (1977

[happygoluckyduck · 7/10 · 6 February 2010]

Review:

I like comedies like this. They don't rely on big budgets or snide, lowbrow humor. They get by on wit alone. "The Invention of Lying" (2009) is about just what the title says its about. It takes place in a universe where lying simply does not exist. Everybody says what is exactly on their minds all the time. For instance, when Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) picks up Anna (Jennifer Garner) for a first date, she promptly tells Mark that he's short, unattractive, and she's not looking forward to this date.

This is a universe peopled with trusting citizens. Skepticism does not exist. Nor does naïveté, because in a world where no one lies, there is nothing to be naïve about. If you are fat and dumb you are called fat and dumb by whoever is thinking about you.

And so we follow Mark Bellison throughout his sad daily routine. He is fired from his job as a screen writer for a movie company that produces feature length films of people reciting history, because fiction is a lie of course. His secretary (Tina Fey) admits she has loathed every day she works for him. He visits his mother at a nursing home, otherwise known as "A Sad Place Where Homeless Old People Come to Die." And finally his landlord evicts him.

When Mark goes to the bank to take out the last $300 in his account sparks fly in his brain. He lies to the bank teller saying he actually has $800 in his account. She gives him the money and Mark wakes up to the power of his new discovery. He has invented lying.

In one hilarious scene, Mark tests out his new powers on his barfly friend and a bartender, claiming he invented the bicycle and a slew of other outrageous assertions. The bartender and barfly believe his every word.

The most interesting aspect of this movie is its implications for religion. When Mark's mother is dying at the "Sad place…" she confides to her son that she fears the nothingness of death. Now, capable of lying Mark tells his mother that when she dies she will be in a good place with her own mansion and everyone she ever loved. In effect, Mark creates the notion of heaven. A doctor and nurse overhear this description and believing him, they spread the word of Mark's revelation and soon he becomes an international prophet. This whole premise is hysterical and actually somewhat subversive.

But eventually the film changes gears and becomes more of a rudimentary romantic comedy with Mark trying to win the heart of Anna without having to manipulate her with lies. She, of course, doesn't want Mark because he wouldn't be a good genetic fit for her children. Anna prefers the handsome and narcissistic Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe). While this story line is still funny, I preferred the religion plot more and wish they had followed it deeper.

"The Invention of Lying" is getting at something though it doesn't state it explicitly. Instead of an analysis of the negative or positive effects of lying, it is really a study of the various layers of truth embedded in all things. Admittedly, I didn't like the romantic story, but I did appreciate Anna's realization that truth cuts deeper than superficial, initial reactions. Anna never discovers what lying is, but she does find that truth is not immutable. The truth changes as we change.

Rating:

On a scale of one to Casablanca, this film is a "Oh, God!" (1977).

Rationalization:

This film is more like a comedic episode of the Twilight Zone than a typical comedy. I always find it impressive when a film digs deeper than it has to, no matter how slight that extra digging may be. "The Invention of Lying" is well done, enjoyable, and funny. By the end of the film you know why there are so many notable cameo parts for so many big name actors. Everyone wants to help a comedy like this. Ricky Gervais has proved his staying power as actor, writer, director in England and now he seems to be working on America. To him, I say 'Godspeed.'

Worth Seeing in the Theater

[tesnitaylor · 7/10 · 3 October 2009]

I'm not sure whats up with people's comments on this movie. I honestly enjoyed myself. This is a very British style humor, wonderfully executed by Gervais. The concept had a different potential then people are expecting. This is not Carry/Liar, Liar humor. You have to be a bit more witty and insightful then that to enjoy this movie. The casting was great on this film. I'm glad Hill took on a serious role and did it well. I really liked Garner in this film. She was fantastic and played off of Gervais very well. I also liked the way they portrayed a world without lie; very well thought out. Overall, good concept put on screen and wonderfully played. Great job.

Extremely original and clever...but just be aware of the agenda.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 18 May 2010]

I have got to hand it to Ricky Gervais--this is an extremely clever film. His acting is quite likable and there is a lot of originality to the film. However, at the same time, I think viewers should be forewarned--the film appears to have an agenda that is bound to offend many.

The film is a lot like a modern fairy tale and it starts on some sort of place just like Earth EXCEPT that here people are always honest. And while that sounds wonderful, it isn't, as people not only tell the truth but have absolutely no filtering mechanism--if they think it, they just say it. All too often, people are very cruel and completely self-centered. In the midst of this nasty world is Gervais--a nice but less than spectacular man who is lonely and about to become unemployed. To make things worse, many of the people tell him to his face that they hate him and are happy to see him go--after all, this is a 100% truthful and highly cynical world.

Into this bizarro world comes something completely unheard of--something that no one can understand or accept at all. Gervais has hit rock bottom when an epiphany occurs--he suddenly has been given the ability to lie. While this doesn't sound great, it can be, as he gambles and the people at the casino always believe him when he says he's won (even when he didn't) and people are surprisingly easy to manipulate.

After making a fortune at the casino, he then sets about getting his job back. He had been a writer for documentary movies that consist of a narrator reading about past events--they don't understand the concept of fiction, as this is not a truth! So, Gervais concocts a work of insane fiction involving aliens and ninjas and everyone naturally believes it--and he's a huge success as a screen writer. Then, he sets about trying to win back his love interest, Jennifer Garner. This part of the film is a tad weak, as although she is pretty, she is also 100% selfish and it's hard to imagine any guy wanting her...no matter how she looks. Because of this, though you know the film is going to be about him winning her, you really have a hard time connecting with this.

In the midst of his campaign to win her back comes a major wrinkle. His mother is in the hospital dying. She's scared, as apparently in this world there is no god or afterlife as they KNOW that there is only nothingness when you die. However, Gervais is heartbroken that his mother is so scared--so he makes up a grand lie about an afterlife--one that is pretty much the Judeo-Christian idea of heaven. Then, when others hear of this, the entire planet comes to a standstill--they MUST also hear about this afterlife they've never even contemplated. Then, in a panic, Gervais embellishes what he originally said--introducing the concept of an invisible man in the sky who both rewards and torments us. This cynical view of religion is bound to ruffle MANY people's feathers (provided they have feathers) and now I understand why my good friend, an atheist, highly recommended the film in the first place--it was a good film AND would challenge me and my preconceptions. As such, I wasn't particularly offended but could see that the writers did seem to have some contempt for religion---or at least that's how it appeared to me. Still, the film DID make me think, was wildly original and the acting by Gervais was lovely. Worth seeing--just be aware that it does have an agenda.

Clever Concept That Never Fully Materializes

[Matt_Layden · 6/10 · 11 October 2009]

In a world where everyone must tell the truth, one man after being fired and almost evicted is pushed to the limits. His brain does something abnormal, he tells a lie. Not just any lie, the world's first lie. Since no one in this universe has ever heard a lie before, they take it as fact. Now this man has the world at his feet.

It is a clever concept, a clever and more massive spin on Liar Liar, yet that might not be such a good thing. The premise of this film is funny, but it becomes too much of itself and is tiresome after a while. The joke goes on and on, he tells lies, people believe him. In one scene a lie gets him in too deep to dig himself back up and that's where the conflict in this film comes in. Yet one can ask themselves a simple question, why not just lie his way out of it, instead of digging deeper holes.

Gervais is at the lead again, after his feel good comedy Ghost Town, which people decided to skip. This time around he's also behind the camera, yet nothing technical about this film pops out, it plays out like an average comedy, relying on it's one concept. The one concept gets some laughs here and there, but there are never any really laugh out loud moments.

The film has some emotional scenes, that influence the rest of the film. The comedy kind of takes a second step to the theme of religion. Some people may find this irritating. Jennifer Garner plays the romantic lead, who finds Gervais fat and with a stubby nose, not a good match genetically for a marriage and children. Yet they form a friendship, one in which Gervais hopes will blossom into something more. Does it? Well, how do romantic comedies usually work out? Here the outcome doesn't seem too believable. Things happens and people react without really knowing why, this leaves little for character arc.

How do people live in a world with no lies? Well, when you want to watch a film, you go to the theatre. In that theatre you'll see a guy sitting in a chair reciting history. Since, movies are mostly fiction, no one can make one, cause it would be a lie. See where this film goes? A retirement home becomes "A place where old people go to die", so on and so on.

The film does have some really funny cameos. It's mostly the usual comedy round, but there is at least one in which I was so caught off guard that I just couldn't help but laugh. Look out for a cop. Jonah Hill and Louis C.K. play two supporting character, neither are funny.

The film is funny, but not enough to warrant a theatre viewing. This has rental written all over it. It simply cannot stand on it's concept for too long, because it becomes a bit dull. If it were a short, I could enjoy it more.

constantly funny it may not be, but clever it is

[marc_dambrosio · 8/10 · 4 October 2009]

There is a certain re-training of the mind that a film expects of us in order to fully enjoy the place it seeks to take us. This film, in the first act we are taught, in a rather funny way that the world of this film is to say the least - honest. Everyone coldly delivers, whether asked or not - exactly what is on their mind. It takes a good 1/4 of the film to fully understand exactly the world where there is no opposite to truth. And those moments are worth the price of admission alone.

As a viewer I enjoyed the random interactions that a world where truth is embedded in the framework of all social interaction. With no deviation.

By the time Gervais comes across the knowledge that an alternate way of communication exists in "saying what wasn't" we embark on a tale of a man who essentially won the "lying Lottery".

The humour is subtle, the contrast of religious themes are not so, and that may have been the weakest of elements in the film. Sadly those who think there is a single element of disrespect towards religion from within the world of the film are I believe incorrect. While religious digs may have been the impetus for the films creation, from within the film, Mark's character seems to make a clear delineation between an evil lie and a white lie. And his character never seems comfortable for too long with a lie that affects the lives of many.

The film does have a one of the more sweet and quietly powerful scenes where Mark creates an alternate afterlife for his mother. Because I don't view this film through a filter of religious expectation I found this scene to be simply powerful and poignant.

I enjoyed it, as did my partner. We talked the whole way home, and recreated some of the laughs on the way to the car. That is not a lie.

a clever critique, on par with Life of Brian - too bad about the product placement

[kyrat · 7/10 · 13 June 2011]

I was going to give it a bad rating. Anything with a product placement generally doesn't get above a 5. And despite the big name comedians I was not finding it funny. The premise of truthfulness was actually more like "unable to filter what I say" and seeing only the superficial.

And then about half way in there was the very clever critique of religion and it was so well/amusingly done, it saved the movie for me. In fact, if there hadn't been product placement I would've put it on par with "life of Brian".

So, it's not perfect, but well worth watching - I don't buy the products that were being pushed anyway.

Clever concept that never reaches its full potential

[Magic_Lantern · 5/10 · 7 October 2009]

In a world where people can only tell the truth, Ricky Gervais creates the lie. What follows this simple concept with great potential is a series of quick fire jokes made funny by the sheer bluntness of the absolute truth. The screenplay is lightly comical but rarely laugh-out-loud funny and continually relies on the same concept.

As the plot progresses, it veers from quick-fire jokes to a parody of religion. On the one hand, this offers an interesting and thought-provoking reflection; however, I found the developing plot to become mildly preachy and irritating to watch. The humour level drops and the religious overtones and romantic subplot overshadow the interesting idea.

Visually, I found the film to be rather drab and dreary. Similarly, I didn't care for the dowdy and monotonous score and soundtrack choices. I understand that these are probably intended to represent a world without fiction, but they make the film a little tedious to watch and don't add anything to the movie. I enjoyed Jenifer Garner's performance as Gervais' love interest which she's plays with harsh yet likable realism, but Gervais' lead performance left me a little cold. In combination with lacklustre screenplay, I was left unimpressed with the utilisation of a potentially hilarious and fascinating concept.

The Invention of Lying is a quiet, simple movie on the surface, but underneath lies a more complex, thought-provoking moral allegory, albeit one that fails to deliver anything truly remarkable. It tries to be clever, but fails to deliver.

5/10.

Light Philosophy Delightfully Deceives as Romantic Comedy

[briankentjones · 9/10 · 23 October 2009]

If one were to score this movie on a category-by-category basis, some of the categories might be laughability, cinematography, acting performance, direction, originality, script writing and social impact.

Weighting each equally would lead me to give a much lower rating for "The Invention of Lying." 7 for laughability, 4 for cinematography, 5 for acting, mostly for the performances by Gervais and Fey. Some of the other performances including Garner's seemed lacking, but I'm not sure if this was the fault of the actors, the director, the script or all three. Some of the problem with the acting performances might have been an attempt to make the characters purposefully boring and one-dimensional as a result of the environment in which they live.

There were some good laughs, but not nearly the funniest movie I've seen. Although the cinematography was about a 5, it isn't the type of movie that demands extraordinary feats in this department.

9 for originality. Most movies that deal with lying take the opposite approach as in "Liar, Liar." It was the originality of the concept that made me go see the movie. Certainly, the plot of the movie took an approach that caught a lot of the reviewers off guard.

But to me, the parts of the script that dealt with the philosophical ramifications of lying made up for all the weaker aspects of this film. It seemed clear to me that this was the focal point of the movie. Ironically, the trailers don't even hint at this, thus deceiving us into watching a philosophical movie in romantic comedy dressing.

As an atheist, I often am confronted with the argument that even if religion is a lie, the benefits it provides outweigh the negative consequences. I disagree, but understand there is an element of truth to this argument. Gervais explores this aspect more directly than any mainstream treatment I've seen if not in great depth.

To me, the strength of the philosophical treatment is the questions it poses, not the answers it provides. The movie doesn't really provide a lot of answers. When Bellison (Gervais) lies to his mother to give her comfort when she is dying, he has the best of intentions and ends up having to tell huge lies to cover his initial small lie. He attempts to use the utmost care in telling these new lies -- spending so much time concentrating on the exact wording that he grows a beard while doing so. Even so, when he reveals the ten revelations he receives from the "invisible man in the sky," the masses immediately start scrutinizing the rules and reveal weaknesses in them.

Having thought about these issues quite a bit, there was nothing groundbreaking here for me, but it tickles me pink to think this movie might be watched by those who have yet to journey down that path. This alone accounts for 2-3 of my 9 stars.

one of the best screenplays of the year... for at least most of its running time

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 4 October 2009]

The Invention of Lying has a first half that works fantastically. It's a premise with a touch of the Twilight Zone, only filtered through a comedian like Ricky Gervais. It's about how the whole world cannot tell a lie since they don't know anything else aside from the truth. This means people just say exactly what they mean to say or what they think of someone else or off the top of their head at a moment's notice, and it basically makes everybody's sense of perception based on what's on the surface without looking at any deeper truth (i.e. Gervais' character is a 'chubby guy with a snub nose' for his date, Jennifer Garner). But one day Gervais is at the bank and about to take out money and literally a flash of lightning comes to him and he comes up with the first lie ever. From there on in he uses this to his advantage, spinning a crazy story to get his job back at the screen writing office (where he writes scripts on history that are read boringly by a person sitting in a chair facing the audience), to get another date with Garner's character, and even help out a few folks.

The spin happens when he comes up with a lie to his mother when she's on her deathbed - he basically comes up with the concept of the afterlife just to ease her fear of entering an eternity of nothingness. But word spreads about this place "where you meet your friends and live in a mansion", and he's suddenly a voice to (as George Carlin would've once said), "the Man Who Lives in the Clouds" for all the world. It's a very funny concept that is executed to some very funny scenes, some even brilliant. Gervais makes for a likable lead character (a shame he's only started starring in his own movies), and the actors he surrounds himself with are all very good - sometimes with some surprise walk-ons such as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Edward Norton (the latter is kind of an in-joke lie unto itself). And for at least the first half it's simply a fantastic script that hits right note after right note.

So why not a total success? Frankly, despite the intelligence in the material throughout, and the competent (if not imaginative) direction, the love story that develops isn't believable. Even as Garner's character works within her parameters, it does not make sense after a while why Gervais' Mark would still be going after her. To be fair, it does provide for an amusing sight gag later in the film as he starts to look like Moses (hence the Ten Commandments on the back of pizza boxes), but it just comes off too conventionally compared to the more subversive ideas in the material. To put it another way, it's nowhere near a hit-out-of-the-park story of subversion, but rather a mind, light-hearted romp through the human condition, if that makes sense. It's about what happens when only one person can tell between what is and what isn't, and all of its laughs and sharp points can't make up for its dull (and annoying) third act.

Oh dear! A classic case of a good concept in search of a good story

[motta80-2 · 5/10 · 1 October 2009]

Oh dear! I had high hopes for this Ricky Gervais comedy. He's never proved himself on film, but here he was writing, directing, producing. He had come up with a great, funny concept. This was his chance to shine.

Unfortunately the light at the end of this tunnel is the train coming to run us down.

Like so many "high concept" comedies this is a concept in desperate, futile search of a plot... and some funnier lines.

It's no disaster. There are some funny bits. It starts well (or at least does after a hideously misguided voice-over explanation of the basic plot set-up) but the joke that everyone not only can't lie (lying doesn't exist you see, hence the title - obvious, right? So why the voice over explanation Ricky, why, oh, why!) but volunteers the truth, no matter how harsh, at every occasion quickly wears thin. He gets about 20 minutes out of it and some people handle it better than others. Curiously it is often the straight actors (like Jennifer Garner) that play it better and the comedians (like Tina Fey) who sound too much like they are delivering calculated lines to get a laugh - and therefore don't. I love Fey but every line of hers fell flat for me here while Garner sold the hell out of it. Perhaps it's the less comedic actors lose themselves more in the character and world and aren't trying for the gag, the laugh, just trusting in the script, etc. I don't know but it's noticeable time and again here.

A risky (for some American audiences) plot element involving his inadvertent creation of religion and the spiralling outcome of this is also amusing, but again it's funnier as an idea than in execution. Out-staying its welcome.

There are also some dynamite cameos, including two that had my laughing simply by their presence. A bar tender that joins Gervais and the excellent Louis C.K. in a scene is both funny by presence and in his dynamite delivery. I'm not going to say who plays it because if you're going to watch the film it was one of the highlights for me.

As was another cameo by a usually fairly serious actor (although he has shown a comedic side on occasion) as a traffic cop. Again just his presence is funny from the moment he walks on screen and the voice (cause you won't instantly recognise him) gives him away.

A scene with two Extras regulars is fun but feels out of place in the film, almost playing like an afterthought put in for faithful fans.

Amongst the other leads Garner triumphs, giving it her all and Louis C.K. is very funny, but Jonah Hill is underused and never hits the high notes he achieved in Funny People, while Tina Fey doesn't bring it (and i so wanted her to) and Rob Lowe really fails in an update of his Wayne's World character.

But ultimately this descends into sentiment and lacks resolve or real drama. It often feels like a string of stand-up one-liners extended into plot devices (as there is no lying movies are a guy -nice touch cameo from Christopher Guest as one such - reading a book on camera) that work once but then are repeated over and over, beating the gag into submission. Ideas like the use of lying to make people feel better are similarly used once to affecting and comedic effect but then overplayed.

And before you know it you're bogged down in a film about perception of others and looking beyond the surface that could have been reached by any number of devices, making the lying thing irrelevant!

Like Bruce Almighty the concept can only get the film so far before you notice you have almost no interest in the characters, there is no discernible plot and we're going to descend into sentimentality without passing through palpable drama or achieving any resolve.

Disappointing is the only appropriate word.

Good idea, an average movie

[Bored_Dragon · 7/10 · 3 November 2016]

IMDb says comedy/fantasy/romance... it has elements of all three, that's a fact, but it is not what determines this movie. I would say entertaining and occasionally funny satire of humanity, that hits some painful spots and makes you think about the world we live in. It is not a real comedy and definitely isn't a real love movie. You cannot say it is a romance movie only because there are some people who fall in love in it. Still, like many times before, I think this is one fantastic idea wasted on a mediocre movie. It could've been done much much better and I hope someone will try to make an improved remake, cause it would be a shame if this idea remains in this movie only. As much as I am amazed by the essence of the story, because of lousy realization I'll rate it

7/10

Long Winded

[JeffersonKim · 6/10 · 4 October 2009]

OK, OK. He's a guy stuck in a world that tells the truth, and he's the only one who knows how to lie.

Think about this people: you can picture SNL doing a sketch comedy on this. But an entire movie?!!! Unfortunately, the trailer well summarizes the comedic sections. Everything else is incredibly Cliché, drawn out, and not original.

I found myself wanting to throw up because of the lack of story development past the novelty of the concept of one man lying and the rest of the world believing him.

This would had been much better at perhaps 30 to 60 minutes long.

Definitely a movie worth seeing

[LinusTrovalds · 7/10 · 25 December 2009]

This is one of the most unique movies I've ever seen(Not the actual movie , but the Idea). It's a brilliant idea put in a not so brilliant way. The first half of the movie was great. There were a lot of laughs and beautiful moments. But as the movie went forward, it kept becoming less funnier and kinda cheesy. Towards the end I felt the movie was becoming desperate for a plot and wanted to somehow end it (The "Happily Ever After" way). It was also getting very repetitive, they kept saying the same dialogs over and over. But in spite of all these flaws, its definitely a movie worth seeing. It explorers a whole different dimension of life.

Delightfully Irreverent

[Cedric_Catsuits · 7/10 · 2 October 2013]

A somewhat tame, by Gervais' standards, swipe at all things religious, let down only by a weak masking plot that I guess was necessary in order not to offend the US audience. Nevertheless the parody is damning if a little naive, and the shameless and satirical product placement is amusing.

Gervais is at least playing to his strengths here and not trying to act - we all know he can't - and there are some great cameos from the likes of Hoffman and Norton. Good too to see Barry from Eastenders getting a role. However I'm puzzled by the casting of Garner who lacks charm and dare I say femininity. She makes a good superhero but not a good love interest, especially not for short fat men with snub noses.

Could have been harder hitting but credit for effort.

Better Than I Expected

[saintseminole · 8/10 · 3 October 2009]

Written by, directed by, and starring British comedian Ricky Gervais, this film has a simple premise, as detailed in the previews: No one in the world has ever lied, until now.

Gervais' character, Mark Bellison, apparently has a misfiring synapse when he lies for the first time, and it surprises him as much as it would anybody. But once he realizes the import of what he's done, he keeps doing it, trying to use his powers for good, with some hilarious (and some disastrous) results.

I wondered about the premise before seeing the movie. What would the "ban" on lying include? As it turns out, the authors went whole hog. When they say no one's ever lied in this world, they mean *in any way*. No fictional stories, no lies by omission, no intentional deceit, and no religion. Basically the rule on this imaginary world has always been: you can't say anything that *isn't*. No one's ever thought of doing such a thing. So, if two people tell you two different things, then one of them is mistaken.

The story starts of hilariously, with Gervais' and Jennifer Garner's characters meeting for a date. She's hot, and he's dumpy. They waste no time telling each other this, in all honesty, including their doubts and worries about the date. Flattery doesn't exist, because it's a form of lying. Keeping silent to spare someone's feelings is also lying, and so has never been done.

Think of all the things that wouldn't exist if no one had ever said anything that wasn't true... For instance, words like true, untrue, belief, unbelievable, fiction, lying, etc. -- none of those words can exist. There are no churches, no novels. All movies are historical or documentary. All news shows only tell the truth.

When Bellison suddenly realizes he can say things that don't agree with reality, he quickly learns what power that holds, both for good and evil. He can walk into a bank and tell them he has quite a bit of money in his bank account -- they'll assume their computers have made a mistake.

In the course of the story, Bellison learns how to make people feel better about themselves by telling little white lies. He invents fictional movies, and later religion. Religion came naturally, because everyone was scared of the nothingness that comes after death. He assured them that good things would follow death, at least for good people.

Religious people are unlikely to enjoy the movie, since it gets to the heart of why most early religions were started -- to cure that fear of life and fear of the unknown after death (besides the ability to control large groups of people).

But it's well-thought out and well-executed in this movie. The funny parts are really funny, and the sad parts are really sad. There's really no great cinematography though, no reason to see it on the big screen. Wait for it on DVD.

Pretty thin, but entertaining nonetheless

[zetes · 7/10 · 24 January 2010]

Ricky Gervais writes, directs and stars in this high concept romantic comedy about a schlub living a sad life in a universe where no person can tell a lie. He becomes the first man to say something that isn't true, and thus is able to become rich and powerful. He can even finally come close to attracting Jennifer Garner, a woman he's had a crush on for a long time. Things go awry, though, when he makes up a story about an omnipotent man in the sky and a happy afterlife to comfort his dying mother. The premise is interesting, but pretty thin. The world created is so unbelievable and the characters so far away from what we know as human that, especially in its final act when it tries to get dramatic, you can't come close to investing in it emotionally. However, the gags are often hilarious, and the cast is quite good (besides its stars, it also has Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Louis CK, Jonah Hill and Jeffrey Tambor, with some really fun cameos by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Bateman and Edward Norton). This isn't anywhere close to the previous year's Gervais vehicle, Ghost Town, which I think deserves to be something of a minor classic in the romantic comedy genre, but it's well worth a rental.

Great idea but bad execution

[daniel886 · 4/10 · 3 October 2009]

Almost everything Ricky Gervais has touched over the years has turned to gold. The Office, Extras, Ghost Town, everything that Gervais has had a direct hand in has been successful and carries a great deal of intelligent humour. Until now.

This is made even more surprising given that the concept of the film is original and has the potential to ensue laughter around a cinema throughout the film. In a world where people can only tell the truth Mark Bellison (Gervais) suddenly discovers that he can lie and uses this now found gift to turn his loser life around to become rich, famous and try to receive the love of his childhood sweetheart Anna (Garner). Because of the nature of the plot there are some parts of the film that are inevitably funny for example the pathetic coca cola advert and through the first half an hour, this carries the comedy throughout the film.

However, it's when the script tries to get move on from the main concept that it starts to fall down. After "lying" to his dying mother about life after death, Bellison discovers that he has inadvertently created religion causing all the world to hang on his every world as he is the only one who can say what the "man in the sky" is saying. Yet this doesn't really develop and should be the main focus of the film but instead it deals with Bellison trying to capture the heart of his beloved Anna (made all the more difficult because he can't bring himself to lie to her.) Because of the undeveloped aspect of the religious side of the story, one wonders what it's actually doing there as it doesn't seem to have changed the world as much as it should have done.

Even though Gervais has potentially missed the main plot of the movie it still could have been salvaged. However due to the final parts of the film being repetitive and more predictable then Gordon Ramsey swearing in a restaurant the originality that brought the laughs earlier in the film dry up and the whole film remains undeveloped and empty. On the plus side the acting in the film is good with Gervais and Garner performing their lead roles well and there is also good back up from Louis C.K and Rob Lowe but they are doing the best they can with a poor script and ultimately this costs the film deer.

This had massive potential to be the best comedy of 2009 but missed opportunities and bad execution coupled with clichéd conclusions and dilemmas about romance means that Gervais' film falls way below expectations.

A Ricky Gervais Movie.

[morpheusatloppers · 10/10 · 15 February 2011]

I have given this a ten/ten - not because it is the best movie ever made - but because it is DIFFERENT. ORIGINAL. Two words that rarely grace write-ups of today's movies.

The premise is absurd (if it's an alternate world, how come Napoleon still invaded Russia in 1812?) so you will need to suspend disbelief.

As the late, great Don LaFontaine would have said, "in a world where..." - in this case, the filters between people's brains and their mouths are MISSING, so people constantly blurt out the first thing that comes into their heads, without any consideration for their fellow-humans' feelings.

It is thus a BLEAK world (which is cleverly in direct contrast to the beautiful locations the movie was filmed in).

However, along comes Ricky - who discovers fame and fortune when he begins to buck this trend. But it cannot win him what he ultimately wants - a pretty but self-obsessed American woman.

Oh, he could win her by lying - but he has too much integrity for that.

And although this writer has ticked the "spoiler" box - he is saying no more. You'll have to SEE the movie.

It is peppered with cameos and small roles being played by famous actors. They obviously wanted to come along on THIS ride - because they wanted to take part in something that was DIFFERENT. ORIGINAL.

Which is where this writer came in...

"It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit!"

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 23 December 2019]

A remarkable film to emerge from the United States, since it logically leads to the vexed issue of the relationship of truth to religious belief; which it inevitably shies away from.

'The Invention of Lying' suffers from the same problem as 'Fahrenheit 451'; just as you need electronics manuals and medical journals to run an advanced society - Bradbury's dystopia would probably have worked if just the reading of fiction were banned - so honesty is not just blurting out the first thing that comes into your head as if you have Asberger's. It's perfectly possible to be both dishonest and a tactless boor; and I'm sure you know such people (Shakespeare evidently did, consider Iago.)

One of my parents' greatest successes was in relentlessly and disingenuously drumming into me that you must never ever ever ever ever Tell a Lie; yet people who always tell the truth in the adult world are routinely treated as if they're autistic or simple.

In the real world telling the truth will sometimes get you into terrible trouble, so I still occasionally tie myself in knots trying to avoid giving offence without actually lying.

It can be done.

Kinda stupid.

[mail-19035 · 5/10 · 28 March 2019]

Why is it called "The Invention of Lying" when it should be called "Compelled to say anything that pops in to my mind at any time".

I mean, if you don't like saying something that might be embarrassing then just don't say anything or that you don't wanna talkt about it, you aren't lying.

Way overanalysing this, the movie was ok if you shut of your brain for a while.

The Invention of Lying

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 7 October 2009]

Liar Liar took the concept of telling truth and lies and made a great comedy out of it, this one does the same and goes the other direction. It also gives Ricky Gervais the opportunity to not only star in his second leading role, after Ghost Town, but write and co-direct the film. Basically it is set in the present, but the world has not developed the ability to lie, so everyone is completely honest to each other, and loser film scriptwriter Mark Bellison (Gervais) is stuck in this world. He is insulted by co-workers Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe) and Shelley (30 Rock's Tina Fey), his mother Martha (Fionnula Flanagan), and out of his league crush Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner), oh, and he gets fired by boss Anthony (Jeffrey Tambor). Then one day when it looks like he will be jobless and homeless, Mark goes to a bank, and he finally invents the world's first lie to get more money than he was originally going to ask for. Mark tries to show Greg (Louis C.K.) and Jim the Bartender (Philip Seymour Hoffman) his new found ability, and they suggest what he could do with it, having sex didn't work like he'd hoped, so he gets rich lying in a casino, with everyone believing everything he says. Mark decides he needs to help others with his ability, so passing many people with problems he lies to make them feel better, and he also tries to win the affection of Anna. When Mark finds out his mother is dying, in her last moments of life he tells her a lie to make her feel better, about a land of beauty and stuff. Unfortunately this is the lie that everyone wants to hear the rest of, so Mark reads a list of ten lies he made up about a "Man in the Sky" and this paradise after death, pasted on pizza boxes to look like Moses-style tablets, and everyone buys it. He may be impressing, and on occasion upsetting people, with this world changing life, but Anna still can't see herself being with Mark, even though she feels very strongly about him, but don't worry, in the end, she makes the right decision. I will admit the ending is a little different to what I had hoped, Mark is still the only person in the world who can lie, well, and his new son, but I thought everyone else would develop the ability too, but never mind. Also starring Superbad's Jonah Hill as Frank, Jason Bateman as Doctor, Christopher Guest as Nathan Goldfrappe, EastEnders' Shaun Williamson as Richard Bellison and Extras' Stephen Merchant as Man at the Door. Gervais has created a very funny film with filled with truthful verbal diarrhoea, and also some very clever satire, e.g. advertising, religious beliefs. He excels as the appealing lead character we can all empathise with, and carries the film with a well-done direction, maybe not on the same level as The Office or Extras, but an enjoyable comedy. Good!

The remarkably vapid and unromantic romance basically kills the potential

[fredrikgunerius · 6/10 · 19 October 2023]

Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is an unsuccessful, lonely screenwriter living in a parallel world which is very similar to ours except for one thing: the concept of lying does not exist. And so people go around naïvely believing everything they hear while constantly hurting each other with blunt comments. Now, in addition to not being able to say anything untruthful, these people are also - for some reason - compelled to say exactly what they're thinking, which makes the world presented here resemble a day-care centre more than it resembles a refined realm of higher ethical standards, but what the heck.

Of course, it's exactly this which makes the comedy tick, and writer/director Gervais is in a frenzy trying to milk his concept in the film's first half. The fresh angle and an array of great jokes makes this part of the film surprisingly effective. And when Gervais' character suddenly, as the first person in the world, discovers that it's possible to say things which aren't true, he embarks on a rampage in order to con his way to some money, his old job back, and - hopefully - the girl of his dreams who has recently rejected him for not living up to her genetic standards.

Gervais the actor keeps his likable persona busy, and as usual he is worth a look, even when the script begins to wobble. Because when the novelty and fun of the film's undoubtedly creative concept begins to wane, The Invention of Lying hasn't got much of a script to fall back on. Gervais, and his partner in crime behind the camera, Matthew Robinson, resort to a remarkably vapid and unromantic romance between Gervais and Jennifer Garner plus a handful of fun cameos from some of Hollywood's finest performers. The latter is fun enough, the former basically kills whatever zest the film had left. And once it becomes clear that the mildly amusing and well-directed satire on religion is overshadowed by the fact that the people in this world are more stupid, shallow and inconsiderate than they are unable to lie, the film's thematic relevance accompanies the comedy out the door.