In an alternate reality, lying -- even the concept of a lie -- does not even 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 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. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.
The Invention of Lying
Maxabout Review
Witty, thoughtful and different sort of comedy. ..
Friday, October 02, 2009
One of the fall's funniest films, the feature's first half-hour is "sharply fresh, clever and laugh-out-loud hilarious". A smartly-written, nicely-layered comedy.
What surprised me most about the film is that it's not really about lying at all. Sure, that's the hook, but the film is more focused as a satire of conditioning and the way we accept certain societal ideas as "true" simply because we're told to do so.
The concept is perfect for the comedic master of awkward situations and the social faux pas. Set in a world where no one has ever told a lie, Gervais plays a sad little man who invents the art of lying. He then uses this newfound skill to get fame, success, and some time with the ladies. As with all works by Gervais, he’s uncomfortable going simply for laughs and fills the movie with emotion and sentiment. This works reasonably well, but the dramatic moments to feel a little out of place in a high concept comedy such as this and worked better in his realist TV work.
The film changes direction in the last third, moving from large-scale social satire to small-scale character drama, and here's where Jennifer Garner really shines. Aside from Gervais, she does the best work in the movie, and if you don't buy her character arc, you probably won't buy the movie as a whole. I think she walks a tightrope with this character, and in the end, she manages to pull it off without ever once losing the audience's sympathy, and that is no easy trick in a film like this.
"The Invention Of Lying" is the smartest comedy of the year, and each and every laugh lands like a punch, bruising even as it entertains. "The Invention of Lying" is a funny, poignant story, with a "The Truman Show" sort of alternate-reality vibe, but a totally different concept. It's not big on hype or extremes, but let's subtlety and simple truths, ironically, carry it to likability.
Watch "The Invention of Lying" trying to catch the characters slipping up or becoming wiser than should be possible, but they don't, and that's credit to the careful structure of the dialogue and those nice little sidebar touches with props and setting. It's a different, refreshing sort of viewing experience, and could emerge as one of those word-of-mouth films that gains a loyal following.
Lying is funny rather than hilarious, thought-provoking rather than prat-falling. Like the first Gervais film comedy, Ghost Town, it takes a thin concept and hurls the acrid, sarcastic and slow-burning Gervais at it until the humor gives way to a measure of understanding and sweetness we'd never expect.
Really smart and even more importantly than that, it’s brave. The Invention of Lying dares to go where few other movies have ever dared to go, straight into the atheist brain of Ricky Gervais. The Invention of Lying is filled with many brilliant moments. It’s awkward and ungainly, but more often than not The Invention of Lying is also touching, moving, and flat out funny.
Gervais plays the central role perfectly and surrounds himself with an absurdly talented and famous cast that includes the likes of Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Rob Lowe, Christopher Guest, Edward Norton, Louis CK, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and others.
It's a great message and a clever execution, even if some of the logical underpinnings slip along the way, but Gervais isn't quite able to own the lead and exhibit the requisite emotional range.
The Invention Of Lying is hilarious from the first scene to the last, while also squeezing in some emotion and a nice little statement about making harsh judgments about people based on superficial observations. Mainstream comedy doesn’t get much better than this.
This Invention is worth seeing more for the discussion on the ride home than the many laughs. You'll love it. Trust me, it'sjust so dang creative and funny.