director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
writer: Ricky Gervais
starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, C.K. Louis, Jonah Hill
genre: Comedy, Romance
Now here's a original idea and applied to the most unoriginal genre of romantic comedies. Ricky Gervais is the man behind the hit British TV shows the Office and Extras and now co-directs, writes and stars in a very funny film that teaches us the valuable lesson that being truthful and honest doesn't get you anywhere.
The film is set on a fictional Earth that has everything identical to our world except the fact that it's been a world without lying. Nobody can lie, nobody is able to lie and nobody understands or knows what a lie even is. Nobody can stop themselves from saying the ugly truth. In a horrible but truthful world we follow Mark (Ricky Gervais). Mark is a reader screenwriter (writes films about history due to no lying) and his life couldn't get any worse. He is one of the worst reader screenwriters and he cant find a woman to have a relationship with. But his luck will change when he is the first person to able to lie and understand the concept. From then on he will take the chances that are given to him for love and fame. But he will realize even being at that advantage its not easy to get everything you want.
Now you don't have to be a Ricky Gervais fan to like this film. Most people I believe will enjoy the film for its very original idea. Now the idea has been used in various fashions but the whole film feels like a Twilight Zone episode but instead of the thriller suspense aspects there comedy and romance. Many jokes come form the reactions and conversations of people and their very truthful manner of speaking. This world is truly sad as it shows how easy it is to get in trouble if your not able to lie.
Even though the idea is a good one and the jokes are also good the film falls a little flat is in its romance. For the most part due to the way that people cant lie the film doesn't feel romantic. Most of romance is just arguments of honesty for Mark to win his love. Not that I'm asking for a love chase sequence in the film but when every scene between Mark and Anna is solely on arguments and honesty it feels a little stale by the end.
There has been too much crap in the romantic comedy genre these past years. It's satisfactory that people with good ideas still try to spice up the genre with oddball films that don't always work but are a happy change from the usual. So if you have the time enter the world of honesty and see the Invention of Lying!
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