TIFF Movie Review: The Invention of Lying

October 2, 2009 by Liam
Filed under: Movie News, Movie Reviews

The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying stars Ricky Gervais as Mark Bellison, a man who lives in a world where people are incapable of lying. In fact, the word “lie” doesn’t even exist. One day Mark heads on a date with his dream girl Jennifer (Jennifer Garner). Things look bleak from the outset when she tells him that a relationship is unlikely based simply on his looks and his lack of financial security. Sure enough, Mark gets fired from his job and, with only $300 in the bank, is faced with eviction. He heads to the bank to take out his cash to move his belongings out of his apartment, but the bank’s computers are down. Instead he tells them he has $800 in the bank — just enough to pay the rent. Since he couldn’t possibly be lying, the teller forks over the cash and Mark realizes he’s stumbled onto something big. But, what starts out as a little white lie soon results in Mark telling the biggest lie ever told. Soon, everyone is coming to Mark looking for answers to life’s biggest questions. But all Mark wants is the girl — and she’s the one person he is incapable of lying to.

In the spirit of not lying an all, I’ll say that I really wasn’t a fan of this movie. I think in theory it was a good idea, but the execution of it just didn’t work. The movie was set in a world where lying doesn’t exist — but it felt more like a world where a social filter doesn’t exist. Take for example the opening scene of the movie. Gervais’ Mark Bellison shows up at the apartment of Jennifer (Garner) for a date. He’s early and she answers the door saying she isn’t ready because she was upstairs masturbating. Funny? Yes. An interesting mental image? For sure. Appropriate? Not really. Sure, she’s just telling the truth, but did she really need to say that? She then goes on to say, without really being asked, that she doesn’t think the date will work out because he is short, overweight and probably has no financial prospects. Again, all true, but does she really need to be so blunt about it? I guess that’s what makes the comedy, but I found it more mean-spirited than truthful. And, getting back to the masturbation, did she really need to admit that? I could understand him possibly asking “Were you masturbating?” and her being unable to lie, but to just come flat out and say it is more about lacking a social filter than not being able to lie.

In another scene, Mark shows up at work where his assistant (played by Tina Fey) tells him that she thinks he’s a fat and slobby and probably a homosexual. Is this really necessary? Just because you can’t tell a lie, does that give you the right to be so openly cruel? But also to call him a homo, or whatever the term they used was. Are we being told that if you can’t tell a lie, then it’s okay to refer to somebody in such a derogatory manner? I can’t tell a lie, so it’s okay to make fun of your sexual orientation? And worse, it was played for laughs. I actually found it rather offensive.

And the movie is filled with such inconsistencies. In another example, Mark’s father was sent to jail for breaking into somebody’s house. In a world without lies, would we really need a jail system? How can you not tell a lie, but still make a dishonest living?

Aside from my problems with the story, what else did I think about this movie? Well, I really want to like Ricky Gervais. I really do. But this is a couple of movies now he’s made (the other being last year’s Ghost Town) where I found that his brand of comedy just didn’t translate on the big screen. I like him. I think he’s funny. I just couldn’t relate to the guy or his character. Jennifer Garner was Jennifer Garner. And Rob Lowe (as Mark’s main rival in the movie) was the typical smarmy asshole we’ve come to expect him to play. On the plus side, what really stood out for me were the cameo performances, including the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Bateman and especially Edward Norton. Keep your eyes open for these guys.

I’d like to invent a lie and say that I enjoyed this movie. But I can’t. There were moments that were laugh-out-loud funny, but the laughs are overshadowed by the poorly executed story. And that’s the truth. (5 out of 10)

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Tags: 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, Jennifer Garner, Ricky Gervais, The Invention of Lying

Comments

3 Comments on TIFF Movie Review: The Invention of Lying

paradox_debaser on Mon, 28th Sep 2009 9:48 am

Interesting review. Your inability to grasp the basic concepts of this movie make you look like an idiot. Most of the time you seem to be complaining that it wasn’t a movie where people are nice to each other and nobody uses derogatory language. That doesn’t even happen in teh real world, let alone a world without lies. And, OF COURSE YOUD NEED A PRISON SYSTEM. Are you mental?
Are you the killer?
Yes I am!
Okay, you can go free, since you can’t lie about the people you’ve killed. Will you do it again?
Yes
Oh. Well, nothing we can do, becauae liam the moron decided we don’t need prisons in a world without lies.

Are you confusing this movie with a movie about people who are always nice???

dave russell on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 6:34 pm

I agree with the review, There is one thing not to be able to Lie, and another of Having to tell the truth. The way this movie plays out this fictional world is more than “NOT LYING” its better advertised as “Has to tell the truth” and some might think that if your not telling the truth then your lying, and this is not 100% accurate. Simply put If this world existed it would be quieter because people would know that the truth hurts, and they would simply not talk when asked to speak of something that the truth would hurt. I have a hard time buying that just because they cant LIE that they HAVE TO be so informative in thier conversations giving too much detail offensive or otherwise. and possibly the only way for this comedy to work was to use this method but im my opinion it plagerizes from jim carreys LIAR LIAR wich was the same comedy the only thing is that he “HAD” to tell the TRUTH, and the only reason he told “too much information” was because he was trying to speak up against the lie and his CURSE made him continue with the truth. But this same humor in this sorta “lies dont exist” world did not fit too me. They could have made a way to make it funny without the outbursts that was unecessary.

in_it_for_the_laugh on Wed, 14th Oct 2009 9:29 am

Does anyone actually care about how realisticly the film portrays a world where you can’t lie? Its a fictional commedy, not a documentry. So what if she didn’t have to say she was masturbating, it’s just funny!