The Invention of Lying is a movie written, produced, directed and narrated by Ricky Gervais, who also stars in the film. The movie also features Jennifer Garner (Juno, Daredevil, Electra, Dude Where’s My Car), Rob Lowe (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Austin Powers: Goldmember), Tina Fey (Saturday Night Live, Baby Mama, Mean Girls), and Jonah Hill (Superbad, Knocked Up, Funny People). The movie starts out with Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais), a less than successful film writer who lives in a world where there is no lying. Due to the fact that there is no lying in this universe, Mark has trouble writing any good movies because in his world fiction doesn’t exist. One day when Mark goes to work he finds out from co-workers that he is going to be fired because his stories just aren’t interesting to the people around him. He also finds out that he is about to be evicted from his apartment because he doesn’t have enough money to pay off his rent. On his way to the bank to withdraw all of his money, which still isn’t enough to pay his rent, he discovers something strange when he goes to withdraw his money. Suddenly, as he approaches the lady at the bank he lies and tells her that he has enough money to pay his rent and withdraws it. Confused about what he did he, he begins to try to explain it to his friend by lying to numerous people around him. Soon he begins to realize that though lying he can get anything that he wants; including money, fame,and, women. This, however, begins to take its toll on him when his mother begins to get sick and is on her death bed. Scarred and confused about dying his mother asks him to comfort her. He begins to lie to her, and tells her that when she dies that she will go to a place in the sky where all of her love one’s are (in this world religion doesn’t exist). As she dies several nurses and doctor overhear him and believe that what he says is true. Mark, not considering what they are thinking, leaves. The next day however he finds out that various people are camping outside his apartment, believing him to be a messiah of sorts. Soon he has to deal with keeping the people believing that he knows more about what happens when you die, or he risks losing everything if the people figure out that what he says isn’t true.
The Invention of Lying, by my standards, is a mediocre movie. It does have some funny parts, like when Mark tries to explain lying to his friend and tells him that he’s black when he’s obviously not black, or when he tries to explain god to the people. There are also some parts in the movie that Christian people would find very offensive such as Mark listing his own version of the Ten Commandments on the back of pizza boxes, or when it depicts him as a stereotypic version of Jesus Christ. I myself found this movie mildly offensive partly because it had some good humor. However that does not mean that it is necessarily a good movie. In my personal opinion I would give this movie a five out of ten and would only encourage people who think the movie would be good on first sight to see it.
