MOVIE REVIEW: THE INVENTION OF LYING
The Invention of Lying
Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Screenplay: Matthew Robinson, Ricky Gervais
TRT: 100 Minutes (PG-13) For language including some sexual material and a drug reference
Cast
Ricky Gervais as Mark Bellison
Jennifer Garner as Anna McDoogles
Jonah Hill as Frank
Louis C.K. as Greg
Jeffrey Tambor as Anthony
Fionnula Flanagan as Martha Bellison
Rob Lowe as Brad Kessler
Tina Fey as Shelley
Peacock Feathers (2 1/2 out of 5)
The Invention of Lying is one of the years best films, very disappointing, and is a pretty solid film with enough laughs to make it worth your while. Well, they can’t all be true right? Two of those statements are a lie, so you’ll have to read the rest to see which it is. That is the subject matter here, a world where everyone says exactly what is on their mind, no one can tell a lie, until one man discovers what is possible.
Ricky Gervais plays Mark, a short, unsuccessful, unlucky in love sap that is one step away from losing his job, losing another girl, losing his home, losing hope. He is the type of character just about everyone can relate to in one way or another. No matter how hard you try, there are some things that simply won’t fall into place. In the Invention of Lying, we get a first hand look at what life would be like if no one lied and the days of internal monologue’s went out like myspace.
The first 20 minutes of this movie, brilliant! We get to see Mark make his way through life, coming across people talking to each other, saying the things we’ve always wanted to say, but our brains and mouth decided to keep some of it in! He gets a dream date with Anna (Jennifer Garner). She is out of his league in so many ways. He doesn’t make enough money, he is not handsome enough, he won’t be able to give her the right genetic match for children, and she, in this world of brutal honesty, has no problems telling him! The witty, snappy back and forth throughout the scenes hit all the right notes, from the 2 sitting and talking, to the hostess and waiter not holding their tongues either.
Life doesn’t get much better for Mark. At work he is writing screenplays for the dismal 1300’s, his life’s work, “The Black Plague.“ In a world where only the truth is spoken, there is not much drama to movies, just a celebrity reading the scripts. And the successful stories come from the more popular era’s and penned by Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe).
The movie starts to turn when Mark finds the courage to tell the world’s first lie, he needs money, and gets it from a bank teller who certainly has never heard a lie. When Mark wants 800 dollars even though he is not even close to having it, she believes him and hands over the cash. Sounds great right? Well, Mark won’t stop there, he wants ladies, success, love, power, and he gets most of it.
Some of the best moments come in the scenes between two really nicely cast costars. Garner and Gervais seem to have good chemistry despite their obvious differences in everything from accent to physical attributes. The story takes several interesting turns, from Mark having a touching conversation with a dying mother, to appearances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Tina Fey, Ed Norton in much smaller roles that make you perk up and pay attention.
There is one scene that I loved and hated at the same time. It’s really the big scene for the film. Mark is looked at like a saint that can see the future because he is the only one who has figured out that lying gets people’s attention if you can come up with a good enough story. He talks of “a man upstairs” that can give you plenty after you die. But he does good and bad things, gives cancer and cures cancer. It has a religious feel that I had a tough time deciding if the writing team wanted. It was really funny, yet baffling at the same time. I’d be interested to see how others felt about this scene, that actually dragged a bit towards the end too.
So back to the first line of this review, is it the best film? NO. Disappointing? NO. But there are enough laughs for a PG-13 film that make it worth your while. And remember honesty is the best policy!~ It gives guys that look like me hope that you don’t have to have the looks of Rob Lowe to get the girl!!!
MT
What did you think of The Invention of Lying or this review? Please drop me a note in the spaces below!
MT
What did you think of The Invention of Lying or this review? Please drop me a note in the spaces below!
Posted by
on 10/07 at 05:48 PM
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Comments
Wow, I can’t wait to see this movie! The way you write about it, Marcus, is just phenomenal!
Posted by Turismo Budapeste on 11/06 at 07:25 AM-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Posted by wcm123 on 02/18 at 11:18 AM-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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