The Invention of Lying
Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson
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Plot Summary
From Ricky Gervais, the award-winning creator and star of the original BBC series "The Office" and HBO's "Extras," comes a new romantic comedy. "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. 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.
Movie Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
TOMATOMETER
57%- Reviews Counted: 175
- Fresh: 99
- Rotten: 76
- Average Rating: 5.9/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: The last third of the movie is as bad as anything I've seen this year, with the laughs trailing off, and half of the supporting characters, the zestier ones, being airbrushed from the frame.
Fresh: I think the first half hour would be almost impossible to sustain because it is so inspired.
Rotten: There are cycles of inspiration and rebirth, but the barbed promise of the early going loses its way in choices aimed at sentimentality rather than, as Harvey Kurtzman memorably put it, humor in a jugular vein.
Fresh: His comedy pretends to be unthreatening, a harmless little wheeze, and then pushes the envelope to its logical conclusion.
Customer Reviews
Understanding "The Invention of Lying"
This review is a bit longer than most. I don't feel that the reviews given so far are complete in their analysis of this work, hence I've taken the liberty of typing this out. Read this for a more in-depth review.
First off, I suggest that you watch this movie with a philosophical, or otherwise "thinking" mindset. If you're looking for just a comedy, you've got the wrong movie. Go watch the Hangover instead. This movie is meant to make you think and laugh at the same time. Not just one or the other.
While this movie is, in my opinion, clever, witty, and incredibly intelligent, you have to be very affirmed in your faith (or at least able to take a joke/understand human nature) or an atheist to not find this movie offensive.
This movie does, quite intentionally, deem that religion was created by man and is, essentially, a lie. At the same time, however, bear in mind that religion was created in this film to give a person hope and to make them happy. This movie does NOT claim that religion is bad and does NOT laugh at religion. This movie shows that following a belief--ANY belief-- like a mindless sheep and not EVER thinking for yourself is what is bad. Religion is intrinsically good. It is those that follow it that tend to warp it or not fully understand what is and is not expected of them. Faith is good... but logic is good, too.
Also! Remember that this movie is not ONLY about religion. It's a love story. It starts out with the main character trying to win over a woman that doesn't really like him... and if you actually watch the movie, you'll see that even he realizes that you can't lie yourself into someone's heart.
Another thing: the comedy in this movie is repetitive-- No one can tell a lie, so you always get people saying the equivalent of "That dress makes you look fat" all the time. But the repetitiveness HAS A PURPOSE. I won't tell you what it is. Just bear in mind that there is method behind the madness.
I suggest that everyone who doesn't want to mindlessly follow something without understanding it first see this movie. The Judeo-Christian God says in the Bible that it is right for one of faith to question him because it will make your faith stronger (2Timothy 2:15). I feel that anyone who is unwilling to look at this movie and think about what it is trying to say about religion is a prime example of what this movie is trying to get across to us.
Watch this movie. Don't dismiss it just because it contradicts with your beliefs or initially offends you. This movie is offering you a chance to THINK about your beliefs. Do so. It makes you and your faith stronger and will lead you to a better overall understanding of your own personal spirituality.
To those who are, like myself, atheist: I believe this movie allows one to see that religion and God are not bad/negative, but were initially constructed as a source of good. It is people that are the problem-- not the religion-- and militant atheism isn't always the best way to go about things.
One star, yep
This movie has a great concept. Everyone tells the truth until one day a man discovers lying.
The problem is the people in this movie are more than truthful. They spout off whatever comes to
mind. There is a big difference between telling the truth and keeping your mouth shut.
And then the biggest problem I had with the movie. Atheists will love it and it probably was written
by an atheist because his "biggest lie" that neither the trailer or the movie description tells you is that he invents
the concept of god to comfort his dying Mother. It makes fun of people for believing in God as if it was all
just made up one day by some guy trying to get ahead in life.
One word: DON'T
I saw this movie with my friend. We picked this movie over several other movies . At first the movie was funny, but then the movie seemed to continue on and on and on and on. The movie kept the same point, had no sparkling moment, and was dull. I was so glad when the movie finally ended. My advice, save yourself the time and the money and DON'T watch, see the other movie you want to see. I wish I had.
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- $9.99
- Genre: Comedy
- Released: 2009
- © 2009 MRCII Distribution Company LP. All rights reserved.
