I’m not lying about this great review of Ricky Gervais’ second major film.
Artwork by Rebecca Holt
What would you do if, in a world where everyone always told the truth, you discovered the ability to tell a lie? That is the question answered in Ricky Gervais’ (Ghost Town) new movie, The Invention of Lying, where he is that person.
Set in an alternate reality before people discovered lying, Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) seems to be disliked by everyone, as they all insult him. Going on a blind date with a woman named Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past), Mark is told that his financial status, and looks, are both below her expectations. Jennifer Gardner did some great acting, especially when she told Mark he was fat and had a pudgy nose. The next morning, Mark, who works at a movie production studio (whose “films” are nothing more than people lecturing about history), is told he is fired, as no one is interested in his films about the black plague. While Mark’s workplace seemed very boring, a cameo by Tina Fey (Baby Mama) as Mark’s secretary (who also insulted him) was the perfect solution to make that part of the movie more fun.
Shortly after he is fired, Mark finds out he is evicted from his apartment, as he cannot afford the month’s rent. Desperate for money, Mark decides to go into the local bank where he has a savings of $300. Their computer system being down, Mark unknowingly does something no one has ever done: lie. When he responds with the amount of $800, the teller, thinking the computer was wrong and Mark was right, gives him the $800.
Shortly after discovering his newfound ability, Mark goes to the bar, hoping to show off what he just did to his best friend Greg, (Louis C.K, I Think I Love My Wife) and the bartender who is another great cameo role played by Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt). However, whenever Mark lies to them by saying such things as, “I invented the bicycle,” they think he is telling the truth and respond with, “Oh, really? That’s awesome.” Whenever Mark would lie in the bar, some of his lies were so far fetched, I thought for sure his friends would eventually not believe him.
After getting a call from his mother’s doctor, (Jason Bateman, Juno), Mark decides to visit her. His mother (Finial Flanagan, Yes Man), worried she may die soon, starts to feel depressed. Mark, wanting to cheer her up, decides to tell his mother about what happens after one dies. “When you die, you will be young again. Also, you will live in a mansion and be able to have whatever you want,” is some of what Mark said. I found this scene to get pretty sad and emotional because although Mark was trying to cheer his mother up, I could not help but feel sorry for her.
The hospital staff, overhearing what Mark said, soon wanted to know more and before he knows it, the whole town is crowded around Mark’s apartment, thinking he is all knowing. Waiting for Mark to appear, the crowd soon gets their wish, as Mark comes out of his apartment, telling everyone what he knows, including how a man in the sky controls everything. When Mark came out of his apartment with his “knowledge” written on pizza boxes, I found it to be a hilarious parallel of Moses and the Ten Commandments. Before Moses was sent the Ten Commandments, society did not have much order and people could get away with a lot of things. The Invention of Lying turned out to be very similar: Before Mark could lie, his life was rather chaotic. Once he discovered a newfound ability however, Mark was able to change all of society’s opinions including Anna’s.
When I first heard about The Invention of Lying, I thought it would be just another bland comedy, as the advertisements did not seem to make it really stand out. After seeing it, however, I highly recommend it. It has great cameos by not only Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but also Jonah Hill (Superbad) as Mark’s suicidal apartment neighbor, and Edward Norton (The Incredible Hulk) as a cop who suspects Mark’s friend, Greg, of drunk driving. I was also a bit surprised when the story started to get biblical, because since religion is such a broad and touchy subject, few movies even try to incorporate it. The Invention of Lying, however, was able to do it perfectly without insulting any aspect of religion.
After a summer full of comedies (The Hangover, The Proposal, Year One, etc.), by fall, most people are probably only paying attention to movies that have the Oscar-buzz. Do not let The Invention of Lying fool you, as it is not just another comedy; it is a funny and original movie that reminds us all why it is sometimes important to lie.
Rating: ★★★★★
