The Invention of Lying (2009)

A comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.

Directors:

Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Writers:

Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Stars:

Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ricky Gervais	...	Mark Bellison
Jennifer Garner	...	Anna McDoogles
Jonah Hill	...	Frank
Louis C.K.	...	Greg
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Anthony
Fionnula Flanagan	...	Martha Bellison
Rob Lowe	...	Brad Kessler
Tina Fey	...	Shelley
Donna Sorbello	...	Anna's Mother
Stephanie March	...	Blonde
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Landlord
John Hodgman	...	Wedding Overseer
Nate Corddry	...	News Reporter
Jimmi Simpson	...	Bob
Martin Starr	...	Waiter #1

Storyline

It's a world where everyone tells the truth - and just about anything they're thinking. Mark Bellison is a screenwriter, about to be fired. He's short and chunky with a flat nose - a genetic setup that means he won't get to first base with Anna, the woman he loves. At a bank, on the spur of the moment he blurts out a fib, with eye-popping results. Then, when his mother's on her deathbed, frightened of the eternal void awaiting her, Mark invents fiction. The hospital staff overhear his description of Heaven, believe every word, and tell others. Soon Mark is a prophet, his first inventive screenplay makes him rich, and he's basically a good guy. But will that be enough for Anna?

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Plot Keywords:

homosexual | truth | lie | screenwriter | heaven | 

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Taglines:

In a world where everyone can only tell the truth... ...this guy can lie.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Ricky Gervais - Blog

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

This Side of the Truth

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,027,472, 4 October 2009

Gross USA:

$18,451,251

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$32,406,507

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Radar Pictures, Media Rights Capital (MRC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director, writer and actor Ricky Gervais sponsored an online Photoshop contest related to the movie theme by asking contestants to edit known movie posters as if those posters were usually lying to the audience.

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Goofs

When the policeman pulls Greg out of the car, you can see that the car is equipped with automatic seat belts, and at no point can you see that the lap belt is buckled. Therefore Greg could be easily pulled out of the car as the shoulder belt retracts, which is shown when the door opens.

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Quotes

Richard Bellison: [surprised by the homeowner during a burglary] What are you doing here? It's Monday at noon. You're not supposed to be home now!
Man at the Door: If you must know, I'm incredibly stressed at work, I've come home early, I'm having a bit of me-time. More importantly, what are you doing?
Richard Bellison: Well, I was gonna rob your house.
Man at the Door: I don't like that idea. Not a fan of that at all.
Richard Bellison: I'm not gonna do it now, because you're in.
Man at the Door: Do you know what's gonna happen? I'm gonna call the police, you're gonna be arrested.
Richard Bellison: Well, I'm just ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Book of Eli/The Spy Next Door/Fish Tank (2010)

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Soundtracks

Sitting
(1972)
Written by Cat Stevens (as Yusuf Islam)
Performed by Elvis Costello

User Reviews

Clever concept that never reaches its full potential

In a world where people can only tell the truth, Ricky Gervais creates the lie. What follows this simple concept with great potential is a series of quick fire jokes made funny by the sheer bluntness of the absolute truth. The screenplay is lightly comical but rarely laugh-out-loud funny and continually relies on the same concept.

As the plot progresses, it veers from quick-fire jokes to a parody of religion. On the one hand, this offers an interesting and thought-provoking reflection; however, I found the developing plot to become mildly preachy and irritating to watch. The humour level drops and the religious overtones and romantic subplot overshadow the interesting idea.

Visually, I found the film to be rather drab and dreary. Similarly, I didn't care for the dowdy and monotonous score and soundtrack choices. I understand that these are probably intended to represent a world without fiction, but they make the film a little tedious to watch and don't add anything to the movie. I enjoyed Jenifer Garner's performance as Gervais' love interest which she's plays with harsh yet likable realism, but Gervais' lead performance left me a little cold. In combination with lacklustre screenplay, I was left unimpressed with the utilisation of a potentially hilarious and fascinating concept.

The Invention of Lying is a quiet, simple movie on the surface, but underneath lies a more complex, thought-provoking moral allegory, albeit one that fails to deliver anything truly remarkable. It tries to be clever, but fails to deliver.

5/10.