Review of The Invention of Lying (2009) by Nathan C — 22 Dec 2011

An exuberantly funny and biting flick. Believe it or not, it's a genuinely humorous treat.

A loser who got fired from his job and is living a miserable life. Bad part is that he's living in a society where everyone is honest about their feelings and intentions. One day, he gets the idea to tell a lie, and thus gets the benefits of life, such as wealth, power, and fame. But will that be enough to win the affections of a woman?

Ricky Gervais' sense of humor is actually better and more clever than the dry dullness that "The Office" had, thus making it his most accessible film. It's also very satirical about the blandness of a 'perfect world', in the form of a success story by immorality. The actors work very well comedically, and many gags are effective. It also has soul, with some poignant moments. Goes by in a breeze, too, thanks to a sharp script, fun direction, and chipper scenery.

However, this film is unable to convey the strong message it wants to evoke due to its lack of consequence. Because the results for his lying weren't so harsh as they usually would, the ending just wasn't believable. Also, its passive means of storytelling is offputting to those looking for some comic tension.

Brilliant and inventive, this film is a great source of laughs. It's actually not so strange as one might expect.