The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying transpires within a universe where everyone must tell the truth at all times and casts Ricky Gervais as Mark Bellison, a hapless screenwriter who stumbles upon the discovery of a lifetime after he gains the ability to lie. It’s a high-concept premise that’s initially employed to relatively patchy results, as first-time filmmaker Gervais, along with codirector Matthew Robinson, infuses the proceedings with an improvisational sort of atmosphere that inevitably ensures that certain sequences work a whole lot better than others. And while there are certainly some clever elements within the movie’s opening half hour (eg a print ad reads “Pepsi: When they don’t have Coke”), The Invention of Lying doesn’t really capture the viewer’s interest until Gervais’ character begins to stretch the truth in increasingly lucrative ways. It’s during this portion of the film that Gervais offers up what just might be one of the most daring and flat-out hilarious interludes found within a mainstream comedy in recent years, as Mark essentially invents religion after convincing his dying mother that life doesn’t end after you die. It’s an audacious 15 minute segment that instantly establishes itself as the highlight of the film and unfortunately ensures that what comes after feels awfully anti-climactic, with the eye-rollingly melodramatic and sentimental third act certainly exacerbating this feeling. (It also doesn’t help that there reaches a point at which the movie could logically end but chugs along for another 20 minutes or so.) It’s ultimately impossible to wholeheartedly recommend The Invention of Lying, although there’s little doubt that the movie is worth seeing if only for that impressively subversive stretch at its midway point.

**1/2 out of ****