Review of The Invention of Lying (2009) by Jillian L — 19 Dec 2011

One of my favorite things is when a movie is so much better than you expect it to be. This is one of them. I expected the main character to use it for simply personal gain, but this movie actually delves into deeper questions.

Is it ever right to tell a lie? How much is too much when it comes to telling the truth? And so on. Additionally, this movie isn't really about lying, per se, because lying exists in our world, and it doesn't exactly help anyone, this movie is more about what would happen if everyone believed every single word that came out of your mouth.

Ricky Gervais is spot on in this one, as is Jennifer Garner as the superficial, shallow Anna. I will say, that's the only thing that bothered me a little bit. It is really obvious that Anna is extremely shallow.

There's practically an entire scene devoted to it. So, why does Gervais' character continue to pursue her? That aside, this movie is still enjoyable. Aside from being hilariously funny in some parts, it brings up some interesting topics/questions.

A big theme being obviously being outer appearances and their effect on others. Religion is also not spared; in Mark's biggest lie he essentially makes up God, heaven and hell. On a side note, the various cameos and bit parts played by Tina Fey, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill, and Edward Norton are hilarious.

Overall, a movie that I thought was going to be fluff actually turned out to be really funny, and dare I say, thought provoking. This one is worth a watch.