The Invention of Lying (2009)

In the alternate universe of The Invention of Lying, the concept of lying is unknown, resulting in a very different kind of culture from our own. There's no fiction because no one has imagination- no one can think of something that isn't exactly the way it already is. There's also no religion. Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a self-proclaimed loser who works as a screenwriter for a film company that only makes movies about history, with one person reading an account of an event. His losery situation worsens when he's fired for his boring scripts (he's stuck with the 13th century), is rejected by a beautiful blind date Anna (Jennifer Garner), and on the verge of eviction from his apartment.

When he goes to the bank to empty his already-dwindling account, the system's down and the teller can't access the account information. With the spark of desperation, Mark tells her there is $800 stored there, and she (of course) believes him. He is astonished with this newfound ability to "say something that isn't", and he uses it to gamble, write a creative and successful new script, and eventually accidentally invent religion. Even after becoming rich and famous, he still has to convince Anna that they're right for one another.

This movie has a really interesting premise, and is able to do some very funny things with it. I dug a lot of the little details inserted to give the world fuller realization, from the periodical titled "The Newspaper" to the nursing home called "A Sad Place for Hopeless Old People". I really like Ricky Gervais and it's nice to see him starring in a film (I missed Ghost Town). His self-deprecation and wonderful ability to be flabbergasted really carry most of the comedic weight here. Garner is kind of annoying and her character is very flat, and Rob Lowe's role is pretty small but he nails the "pompous asshole" well enough. There's a large number of enjoyable cameos peppered throughout from the likes of Edward Norton, Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hodgman, and (!) Stephen Merchant.

Aside from some good performances and bits of cleverness, in general The Invention of Lying misses the mark. It's funny at parts, certainly, but not a very funny movie overall. While some aspects of the premise are handled well, others don't make any sense. In a world without lying, everyone must also say everything they're thinking at any point? Also, there's a weird Brave New World-esque concept of copulating only with a "suitable mate"? I liked that to the writers, a world without imagination or lies means a world without religion, but then that topic wasn't really breached fully- it's a good idea, but it felt out of place in a romantic comedy.

This is watchable for fans of Gervais or anyone who's a sucker for comedic alternate timelines, but nothing special otherwise.

3/5