B+, funny mostly, but the last act was really weak.

The setup is perfect, especially when Gervais sets up the religion aspect. The execution sadly isn't very good at all. The dialog gets old after about five minutes, the character doesn't explore enough what he can do with his gift (the religious bits could've been pushed even further) he finds out too quickly what the consequences are, and to have all these comedic talents in one film, they're given nothing to do. There are a couple of laughs scattered here and there, but not enough.

I found it to be a big disappoinment.

**

2nd movie I fall asleep at... ever...

Disappointing.

The concept in and of itself is fascinating and the film flirts with brilliance, but never gets -there-. The decision to concentrate on the romance between the characters played by Gervais and Garner was definitely foolish and dulls what should have been a razor-sharp satiric bite.

The terrific cast is a testament to Gervais' enduring popularity--not just anyone could corral Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, etc.--but most feel misused or underutilized. Hill, for example, is interesting in his scenes as a depressed neighbor, but his character never comes full circle and seems to disappear and re-appear as if by magic (perhaps because Hill had other filming commitments).

And, to be blunt, the film simply isn't as hilarious as I expected. Often I found myself "smiling" in recognition of a one-liner or a sight gag, but rarely did I laugh-out-loud. Compared to Gervais' last Hollywood outing, the delightful fantasy comedy Ghost Town, this is a let-down.

C/C+

Now I'm kind of nervous about seeing it tomorrow. I loved Ghost Town and with the good reviews I couldn't see this disappointing.

What a fun and revealing idea for a movie - - The Invention Of Lying!

Unfortunately, there's only 60 minutes of story spread out over a 99 minute running time. Luckily, I'm a sucker for Ricky Gervais, he's just so darn charming and funny. Unfortunately, he cast a man face no-talent (Jennifer Garner) as his love interest. Luckily, the spoof of religion that was the central lie that he invented was hilarious and insightful - - "Fuck the man in the sky, he's an evil bastard!".

Yep, it's a shame that this couldn't have been either edited down or written up to a great movie...


out of

Agreed with what everyone's saying. It's not like it's not funny, it just gets a bit boring, repetitive (I don't know how many times they reference fat snout-nosed little children), and predictable. Jmart's totally right, they should have indulged more in the "gimmick" and had him explore more of the possibilities. Maybe then the movie would've been more fun. I did enjoy the earlier cameos, particularly Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Bateman, and randomly Edward Norton.

It was also kinda hard to connect with any of the characters. Everyone except Gervais were like truth-blabbing robots, and then it was tough to like Gervais. He never seemed to have any real motivation for going after Garner besides bedding her or proving that she wasn't out of his league.

C+

A very funny, clever, touching, and even somewhat thought-provoking comedy. I loved it! I love Gervais and thought he was very good, but I have to say I was surprisingly most impressed by Garner.

Anyway, it's one of the year's best comedies.


I will say though that in the beginning I found it a bit repetitive, like others have mentioned. It didn't take long for the whole "not being able to lie" thing to wear off. But after awhile the movie really picked up. Unlike a lot of others, I thought the second half was the best and overall is what made me love it.


Grade: 8/10 (A-)

The Invention of Lying is a very clever film throughout though the idea that lying has now been invented, yet everyone else still tells the truth wears a bit thin at points. The religion aspect is a nice uptick later on in the film but that too also gets too be a little bit much as the film goes on. Though there are those couple of setbacks, the film is filled with plenty of laughs and a strong performance from Gervais with Garner adding in the extra support needed. The film doesn't exceed to the fullest potential but it does give 99 minutes of laughs in a fun and different light. **1/2

B- just because I like Gervais.

Overall it was a complete waste of what could have been a comedy classic.
The concept is wasted, the editing horrid and most of the movie ends up flat instead of laugh-out-loud.
Disappointing from the endless supply of wit and humour the concept provided.

INVENTION OF LYING

I rented this from netflix awhile back and I really enjoyed it. The first half of the film is a total riot. When ricky and jen meet on that date it's insane. He's pondering aloud about the silence wondering if she must be masturating. Too much.

I thought that it does slow down toward the end, but overall I thought it was a really fun comedy. Shame it didn't much at the box office.

grade - A

The Invention of Lying

It's a fantastic film. I watch it every two years or so. It's just a great idea, realised. If only Christian radicals knew that all they had to do was threaten to blow up movie theatres to get a film banned, they would have done it for this film as it demolishes the entire Christian belief system. I love it.

It also has so many stars in the film; Ricky Gervais, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Jennifer Garner, Edward Norton, Tina Fey, Shaun Williamson, Christopher Guest, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Bateman, and Stephen Merchant. Fantastic cast, and funny too. This is probably Gervais' biggest accomplishment in film. And as is usual with Gervais' projects, I got emotional when he talks to his mother on her death bed. Great scene.

B+

The movie has some funny moments, but overall it just doesn't turn out to be as funny as you'd expect. It kind of just feels like it's trying too hard to turn a funny concept, which could make a good sketch, in a hilarious film and the result is that it doesn't feel genuine or at least they just didn't make the most out of the material.
Gervais is a good at his part selling his role of the person to take advantage of lying well, but the rest of the cast is just less convincing as only-truthers, though there are plenty of fun cameos to spot.

C+