Review of The Invention of Lying (2009) by Will E — 11 Apr 2011

Ricky Gervais remains as sweet and charming as he always is, but this time he is let down by overworked dialogue, an annoying supporting cast and a premise that can only go so far. The biggest issue lies with the later, as while the idea of the human race without lying is intriguing, it is perhaps to implausible to be viewed without disdain. Similarly, the characters here seem to not only be incapable of untruths, but incapable of keeping their mouths shut, having to voice their opinion on each and every matter every time the want. This comes of as more like a movie about what would happen if the entire human race had a social disorder.

This brings me to the characters; while Ricky Gervais retains his British quirk and wit, the other characters remain somewhat stilted and unbelievable. The love interest is irritating throughout, even though she's apparently the sweetest person Gervais has ever met. Go figure. In an acting sense, she seems a bit flustered and frequently overacts in the more emotional scenes. This makes her standout against the most of the other actors, who choose to handle the condition with a certain unemotional, indifferent mood - which is not necessarily a bad thing.

The plot quickly diverges in utter stupidity, choosing to use religion - specifically Christianity - as a joke, but in such a careful, tiptoe-y way as to make discerning between mockery and flattery difficult. Once all the blatant religious parallels began, this movie lost me. That is not say it isn't funny - the first two thirds contain quite a few laughs, which is in essence what this film is aiming to do. Yes, the premise to taken to far in some cases, but for some of them, like Tina Fey's character, the lack of respect and social grace actually worked. Nonetheless, it is an interesting film, with quite a few good laughs but unfortunately lacking in a believable plot or supporting cast it is pretty hard to relate to, and by the conclusion the entire experience was particularly tiresome.

My Rating: 40%.

Standardised: 30%.