DVD Reviews

The Invention of Lying - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 27, 2010, 12:20 GMT

From Ricky Gervais, the award-winning creator and star of the original BBC series "The Office" and HBO\'s "Extras", comes the new romantic comedy "The Invention of Lying". "The Invention of Lying" takes place 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 ...more

I’ll have to be honest with you, I enjoyed Ricky Gervais’ latest film but am sure that some will have problems with it. I wouldn’t lie to you… or would I?

Imagine a world where no one could lie. You might ask someone out on a date and instead of getting a response of them having other plans they’d tell you that they think you’re fat, ugly, have poor genetics, unsuccessful, and a low social standing. This is the blunt, honest world of screenwriter Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais).

He’s finally scored a date with his dream girl Anna (Jennifer Garner), but she’s only going out with him to satisfy her mother. Even though she has a better time than she imagined she tells Mark that another date is not going to happen. The next day Mark is fired from his screenwriting job since he was saddled with the 1300s by his rival Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe) and nobody wants to watch such a depressing time period. To make matters even worse his landlord tells him that his rent of $800 is due.

Pay or get out. Mark only has $300 in his bank account. His landlord suggests he withdraw it, rent a truck with it, and get his stuff out within 24 hours. At the bank, Mark has an epiphany when he’s told the bank computers are down and the teller just asks him how much money he has in his account. His brain fires in a way foreign to this reality and he says he has $800 in his account. The clerk believes him and gives him the $800 for his rent.

Mark now realizes that he can have anything he wants, with some helpful advice from his drunken friend Greg (Louis C.K.), and he begins to spin whoppers to get what he wants. Unfortunately, Mark is told his mother (Fionnula Flanagan) has had a heart attack and is near death. When she expresses fear on her deathbed, Mark spins a tale of a mythical “Man in the Sky,” eternal mansions, and an afterlife of love. His mother dies happy but the eavesdropping hospital staff, and soon the world, wants to know more about this revelation.

We’ve been lied to. The Invention of Lying was billed as a romantic comedy with the slow-burn comic styling of Ricky Gervais. Those stylings are present, there’s a comic romance with Jennifer Garner, but then about 50 minutes into the movie it turns into a biting satire of religion.

This still had some funny moments in it, but the swerve into Gervais morphing into Jesus Christ is sure to offend a portion of the audience. I’ve seen the Life of Brian and come out unscathed so it didn’t do me much harm, but you’ve been warned. What is hilarious is the bland, truthful world that is painted by the absence of lying. For example, the advertisement for Pepsi is “when Coke isn’t available.”

Even funnier is that the idea of movies in this world is academics reading screenplays about true historical events. Of course, Brad gets all the interesting centuries to write about and Mark is saddled with the Black Plague. This world without lies is a pretty brutal environment with truths spouted to your face. Does this dress make me look fat? Why yes it does and your stubby nose makes you even less attractive. It’s the blackest of black comedies and no I’m not drunk.

Satire is something that some of the populous will not understand and the Invention of Lying is rife with it, caveat emptor. It certainly features a star studded cameo cast, including Tiny Fey, Abraham Lincoln, Jeffrey Tambor, Liberace, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill, President Barak Obama, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, Stephen Merchant, Satan, and Christopher Guest. I could by lying though.

The Invention of Lying is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.78:1). Special features are presented in standard definition and include the 7 minute “The Dawn of Lying” prequel, the 18 minute “Meet Karl Pilkington” with Gervais’ buddy chronicling the experience, the 7 minute “A Truly Honest Making-of,” 7 minutes of additional footage, 10 minutes of podcasts, and 6 minutes of outtakes. Disc two is a digital copy for your PC or portable device.

The Invention of Lying is going to be an acquired taste. If you’re into satire and dry Brit wit then this may be for you, especially Gervais fans. If you don’t like religion being sent up then this may offend. Those expecting a rom-com were sorta lied to, but I guess that was the point of the movie.