The Invention of Lying - Movie Review

Rated PG-13 (language, sexual material, and a drug reference)
Comedy
Starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Louis C.K.
Directed by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Ricky Gervais kicks off his film-directing career with this high concept comedy about a world where everyone tells the truth, until one man stumbles upon the idea of telling the first lie. Gervais is perhaps best known as the star of the original BBC series "The Office", but has also appeared in smaller roles in several Hollywood films, including "Night at the Museum", as well as his own show, "Extras", on HBO.

The story begins in this alternate universe where everyone speaks what is on their mind, no matter how insulting it may sound. This is very amusing to observe, as we see Mark (Gervais) arrive at the house of his date for the evening, played by Garner, and watch poor Mark subjected to repeated insults as his date openly admits she's not attracted to him in the slightest and that the date will surely not end in any hanky panky. Mark's coworkers treat him with similar dispassion and occasional contempt. When Mark goes to the bank one day and needs more money than he has in his account, he gets the idea of lying to the teller, which works, and she hands him whatever amount of cash he requests.

Mark's lies continue to escalate until he has the townspeople believing he can talk to God and knows about the fate of all mankind. I laughed out loud many times at this film. Admittedly, I've been a Gervais fan since "The Office". I've listened to his podcast and seen most of his TV and film work. He always pushes the envelope with a humorous concept and has a slight devilish quality that combines with a childlike sense of mischief to create a very satisfying character no matter what story he's in. He often reminds me of the late, great Benny Hill in many ways, another British comic innovator who wrote and performed his own material in ways that were unique and entertaining.

If you're a Gervais fan, this film is a must. If you have not yet discovered Gervais, you might try the original BBC version of "The Office" first, or just jump headfirst into the deep end of the pool with this wonderfully imaginative film.

Grade: B+

B. Nathan enjoys Benny Hill and he also writes about Little Tikes Kitchens at http://littletikeskitchens.net/.

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