Day Fifty-Two: The Invention of Lying

THE INVENTION OF LYING

Starring:
-Ricky Gervais
-Jennifer Garner
-Rob Lowe

Written and Directed by: Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson

MPAA Rating: PG-13


This is a neat little movie (especially if viewed with the knowledge that Gervais is a confirmed atheist) that has some very funny (truthful!) moments and overall, a good message.

Ricky Gervaise plays Mark Bellison, a screenwriter who lives in a parallel universe where all speak the truth and nothing but the truth, so help them Man in the Sky.

This movie manages to make its points without forcing them down your throat, or being overly preachy, which is a definite plus in my book. It is certainly laced with social commentary, but it’s done nicely. There is subtlety here, despite the fact that the characters are always blatantly, at times embarrassingly honest.

There are lots of good things happening in this movie, but my favorite is the romance between Mark and Anna (Garner). Anna knows that Mark is funny, sweet, gentle, and her best friend. She freely admits to loving him, but cannot bring herself to allow a romantic relationship between them for fear of having chubby kids with snub noses.

In the end, of course, Mark teaches her how to see a person’s inner beauty, and she discovers that those fat, snub-nosed children are exactly what she wants (a revelation that causes Mark to quip, “I’m your man!”).

It’s my understanding that this film marks Gervais’ directorial debut, and he certainly has reason to be proud. He somehow managed to assemble a great concept, clever writing, and a truly awesome cast. Look for cameos and bit parts from the likes of Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jason Bateman.

One thing I thought was especially neat was how no one used the word “truth” or “true”. Those words did not exist in this world. How could they? If no one (but Mark) can lie, then all must be truth, eliminating the nees for those particular vocab words. Nifty, eh?


FINAL GRADE: A-

Off in search of falsehood,

M.