Movie: "The Invention Of Lying"
Year: 2009
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Writing credits: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Reviewer: -RoG-
Posted: 1/19/2010

Plot: A man, who lives in a fictional world where everybody must tell the truth, discovers the power of telling lies.

Review: Let me preface this review by saying I'm a big fan of Ricky Gervais. I think he's a fantastic comedian who's done some brilliant work over the years. That said, this movie just wasn't one of those works.

While I do love the idea of a man living in a world where everybody believes whatever lies he tells (insert politician joke here), I just don't feel this movie took the concept far enough. It starts out strongly enough, and seeing everybody be brutally honest with each other is pretty damned hilarious. Gervais has always been one for self-deprecating humor, and he certainly doesn't spare his character from personal attacks in the film.

His main love interest, played by Jennifer Garner, constantly reminds him that he has no chance with her and that she doesn't find him attractive in any way. Again, this isn't her being rude, it's simply how everybody on the planet acts - dead honest, regardless of anybody's feelings.

Gervais eventually discovers the power of lying and starts to use it to his advantage. At first, he tests it out by telling a woman that if she doesn't sleep with him, the world is going to end. Naturally, she believes him and they rush off to a hotel room, but he gets cold feet and tells her everything's going to be ok.

And that's where the problem with the movie comes in. It's too much of a comedy-drama rather than an all out comedy. All I wanted to see was Gervais come up with a variety of crazy lies which get him into more and more trouble as time goes by. But the reality is that once he achieves fame, everybody in the world looks to his character for guidance.

There's just too much sentiment in the film and not nearly enough laughs, so unless you're a die-hard Gervais fan, I'd recommend skipping out on The Invention Of Lying. Not even the appearances by talents such as Christopher Guest, Tina Fey, Louis C.K. and others save it from being anything more than a mediocre flick with too much focus on delivering a message rather than pure laughs. A great concept for a film, just poor execution. Better luck next time, Ricky.

Overall rating:
(Scored on a 0.5 - 5 pickles rating: 0.5 being the worst and 5 being the best)