Big Picture Big Sound

Truth Decay

"The Invention of Lying" is a movie. Ricky Gervais, co-creator of "The Office" and "Extras", is in the movie. The movie takes place in an alternate reality in which human beings have not developed the ability to lie. Mr. Gervais' character is the first human to do it. The way he uses this ability provides much of the humor in the film.

"Invention" is the very definition of a "high-concept comedy" and, in honor of its premise, the above paragraph is an example of what might be written in this alternate universe. A bit dull, eh? Well, "Invention" wears out its welcome too - it might have been better as a "Saturday Night Live" skit - but along the way there are a few laughs, cameos galore, and a wickedly sly indictment of organized religion that would make Bill Maher proud.

I suppose, when you're Ricky Gervais, you can get just about anyone to appear in your movie. The first half of "Invention" is wall-to-wall with guest stars. Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman and Jonah Hill all amp up their dry wit in sadly forgettable roles. Jennifer Garner bares the largest burden as the love interest. It turns out, having a character with a complete lack of subtext doesn't make for interesting acting. Instead, there's a lot of talk of being "out of your league" and a very unhealthy obsession with "finding proper genetic material" to procreate.

See, in this world, humans lack the ability to lie, but they also seem to completely lack consideration. As a result, most personal interactions are (or should be) deeply hurtful ("Your baby is so ugly!", "You're going to get fired today", etc). It's like a world full of Estelle Getty's character from "The Golden Girls". Oddly, people in the film take it all in stride. So either the humans in this universe are all incredibly confident or incredibly stupid.

The script, which Mr. Gervais co-wrote and co-directed with newcomer Matthew Robinson, takes time setting up its world. It opens with a cutesy meta-voice-over by Mr. Gervais that pokes fun at the film's credits. After enduring the sort of tragic events that would make Job sympathetic (eviction, job loss, etc), all while being on the receiving end of repeated insults ("loser" is the go-to), Mr. Gervais' Mark Bellison finally snaps. He finds that he can say something that...isn't (there's no word for "false" or "lie"). When he does, people believe him, because why wouldn't they? Inform the bank teller you have $800 in your account and it must be true. Tell a beautiful woman that you must have sex in order to save the world and, good grief, you'd better get started!

The film has some moderate fun with this premise - it's sort of the antithesis of Jim Carrey's "Liar Liar" - but it takes a sharp satircal turn when Mark realizes that his word is quite literally gospel. It all happens during a surprisingly moving scene at his mother's hospital bed (which Mr. Gervais nails). Before long, Mark goes from telling tall tales to telling the Greatest Story Ever Told. But like another high-concept Jim Carrey comedy, "Bruce Almighty", it soon becomes clear that a comedy about a guy with God-like powers loses steam fast.

Once Mark grows tired of his power (the audience isn't far behind), the film devolves into familiar rom-com territory, complete with lessons learned and a wedding day confrontation. It would be a lie to say that "Invention of Lying" is a classic comedy, but it's got enough heart and smarts to make you wish it were better. And that's the truth.