Review of The Invention of Lying (2009) by Moni K — 09 Feb 2011

Even though it loses the courage of its convictions halfway through and turns into an occasionally funny riff on religion, The Invention of Lying does have something useful to say about when to be truthful and when to mask reality.

Gervais is an amiable leading man in this comedy, the loveable loser audiences usually root for. Even Garner as his love interest and Lowe as his rival exude a pureness that's almost sickening. This world doesn't know how not to tell the truth.

..which is a fine premise that never gets fully fleshed out. Forget about the religious overtones, talk about what happens when the entire world figures out how not to tell the truth. That's where the real story gold is.

The film gets sidetracked too often in the latter stages, outside of a heartfelt conversation outside a church in the finale between Gervais and Garner. That in itself is as poignant moment as the one in the hospital which leads to the entire spiral of events.