Invention of Lying, The
	Rating
	Type	Video On Demand
	Audience Rating	PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
	Release Date	2010-01-19
	Actor	Ricky Gervais; Jonah Hill; Jeffrey Tambor; Jennifer Garner; Fionnula Flanagan;
	Director	Ricky Gervais; Matthew Robinson;
	Length	100 minutes
	Special Price
	Lowest New Price	$3.99
Categories
Romantic Comedies  Warner Bros.
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Description
From Ricky Gervais, the prize-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 situate 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 together with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark (Gervais) suddenly develops the capability to lie, he locates this dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where each word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark effortlessly lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and Mark begins to realize this things are getting a little out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. Together with the entire world now hanging on his each word, there is only one thing Mark has not been effective to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.
Customer Reviews
makes fun of religion and God   2010-03-20
By Olson (USA)
This movie made it out to sound like religion and God and the afterlife are all a joke and a complete lie. Very disturbing and insulting.
I'd by LYING if I said I didn't like this movie   2010-03-18
By D. J. Nardi (Washington, DC)
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that is as funny as it is thought-provoking. I've always thought of The Truman Show as one such film. The Invention of Lying is another. I wasn't sure what to expect given that most modern comedies are worthless garbage, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The Invention of Lying features an alternate reality in which humans are incapable of lying or distorting the truth. Everybody simply states whatever is on their mind, no matter how rude or disrespectful. That is, until Ricky Gervais tells one lie and realizes the awesome power of lying. In the movie, the lack of lying doesn't just mean people aren't deceitful. The Invention of Lying takes this concept into more interesting directions, such as showing a lack of originality in movies without an ability to stretch the truth (all films are simply narrations of historical events). Another odd development is the introduction of empathy and kindness with as Gervais learns how to tell "white lies" and solve people's problems. Of course, the biggest (and most controversial) change is the invention of religion. As Gervais' character begins to lie, he also tells half-truths to comfort people. When his mother is near death, he invents a wonderful image of heaven to allow her to pass in peace. As word gets out, he soon begins preaching about "the man in the sky" in an attempt to convince people to choose right over wrong. However, the plan backfires as people start neglecting reality and simply pine for heaven. At some moments, The Invention of Lying goes too far (Jennifer Garner's first line was "I was masturbating"). I don't think the humor trashes religion too much. In fact, it doesn't "trash" religion at all and never really makes inappropriate comments about religion. As long as you're open-minded, I think it'll be possible to watch the movie and laugh. The larger problem for me is that the movie seems schizophrenic at times and loses sight of the theme (a world without lying). The first half of the movie features Ricky Gervais and his conversion to compulsive lying. However, as his relationship with Jennifer Garner's character gets more serious, there's a lot more discussion about class and genetics (being honest, she rejects his romantic advances because he's short and has a stubby nose). In fact, a few times I thought I was watching a rerun of Gattaca. While I think it's definitely time for another sci-fi movie about society and genetics, The Invention of Lying isn't that movie. The directors should have stuck closer to the original premise. Or better yet, they could have created a different Ricky Gervais comedy with a plot revolving around genetics. Overall, it should have been two movies, not one. That said, it's still a solid 4.5 stars.
Read the bad reviews they are funny.   2010-03-17
By Who might you be (The home of comedy..UK)
I have just watched this film and I loved it, however I can see how it really polarises opinion; you really love it or hate it. If you are a theist then you will most likely hate it, it is very difficult to like something if you totally disagree with the message. If you are atheist then you will most likely love it and you should read the bad reviews too as they are funny. For me the bad reviews are positive because of the sort of people who have written them, they get upset because the film contradicts their views on religion, and they betray themselves with their ranting. I have seen many films with a religious message and enjoyed them so why can't they laugh a little when some one pokes fun at them? Many critical reviews indicate that the film starts well but runs out of steam. Would that be about the time when the main joke of the film kicks in and it's on you? Don't be put off by the negative reviews. A very funny clever, thought provoking, deceptively satirical film. It takes a somewhat over used fantasy idea and builds the comedy over and above what anyone else has done. Then half way through slaps a large section of the unsuspecting audience in the face with a large wet fish. "A sad place for hopless old people" - sign outside old peoples home. "A great place for sleeping with people who you've just met" - a sign outside a Motel "A quiet place to think about the man in the sky" - Church
Athiest Entertainment   2010-03-17
By Mud Pyramid (Omaha, Nebraska USA)
The gist of this movie is that the greatest lie ever told to man is the existence of God. The fictional movie also exists in a world where everyone always tells the truth, no matter how bold or harsh. No one, in this movie, even knows what a lie is-hence the name of the movie. The Gervais' character discovers the idea of lying in another scene, and he realizes that it makes life much easier for him in some ways. In another scene, his mother is dying, and she is fearful and desperate. She believes that she will face an eternity of nothingness following her death. In a desperate attempt to soothe her, Gervais' character invents a place of mansions and happiness (heaven). The doctor and nurses overhear this, and they are intrigued. Word gets out that Gervais' character has received information of an after-life. He is pursued for this information, and he invents a man in the sky (God). The people are irrationally soothed by Gervais' character's ideas. There are no counterpoints to Gervais' character's claims in the movie, and there is no counterpoint of enlightenment. The character merely claims at the end that he invented the whole thing. I feel it's my duty to inform you that this is not a chick flick, and it's average. It is not as good as Gervais' other movie Ghost Town, and it's not as good as his shows Extras or The Office. The aspect about the `lie of God's existence' is not listed on the back jacket of the movie, and it's not in any of the promos I saw. It caught me off guard. Now that you know, feel free to rent, buy, or download if this is your thing. As to the counterpoint, it would've been nice to see some commentary about the other side. Example: While some believe in the existence of a man in the sky, others believe the sky is falling (i.e. Global Warming). While some believe that a bum on the streets is always a victim of circumstance, others believe they are there as a result of some form of self-indulgence. While some believe in the mythical assistance men in the leadership roles of government can provide to humanity, others believe that the key to success and happiness in life is through self-sufficiency. It may have been difficult to fit such counterpoints into the plot, but Gervais could've done it. He could've seen Americans indulging themselves in a love of the principles of Capitalism, and he could've invented a lie such as, "there's a man in Washington who lost in a run for president, and he decided he needed a legacy, so he latched onto an idea that stated that our indulgence is causing a catastrophe of epic proportions." He could've then had certain people of the world irrationally worship that man, give him a Nobel Peace Prize, and Gervais could've had this man avoid any dissent and debate with some wild declaration along the lines of "all the science is in. This catastrophe is happening." He could've had irrational exuberance occurring on both sides, but I'm sure he didn't want to offend anyone.
Ricky Gervais   2010-03-15
By Wendy Moffitt
Although this movie had a good ending and was not bloody or violent it was not as funny as I was expecting.. I liked the cast but the movie was only so so.. moved very slow.