The Invention of Lying (2009)

Released November 19, 2009

Jennifer Garner and Ricky Gervais are an odd couple. As he (Mark) picks her (Anna) up for their first date, she gleefully informs him "I was just masturbating". "That makes me think of your vagina," he replies. Not only do the characters in this Gervais-verse never tell a lie, they have no control over what they say and when.

Society is thus peaceful and serene. Despite the lack of the existence of "art", for that stems from lies, Gervais works for an insidiously white collar production company that produces non-fiction films. He writes scripts so that very serious old men can dryly recite historical events directly to camera.

Miraculously, he suddenly acquires the ability to lie. He uses his new found power both for good (relationship advice, helping the homeless) and evil (getting rich) and invents a myriad of stories about a "man in the sky" who controls everything on Earth. People listen, and begin to believe he is some kind of Prophet. The one thing that seems unattainable though, is Anna, who likes him but doesn't want kids who are "chubby and snub-nosed".

Gervais’ usual dry and rambling humour is unusually flat and repetitive. Jennifer Garner though, is warm as always, and the supporting cast, including Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe and Tina Fey do draw the odd laugh. But there's only a limited amount an audience can invest in protagonists who have no social skills and no comprehension of Gervais' situation.

With a clever but ill-conceived premise, malleable according to the whim of the plot, most of The Invention of Lying misfires. Still, you have to admire the audacity of a film that turns into a scathing satire of religion and paints Gervais as a Christ figure. It ends up being more of a drama than a comedy and that, perhaps, is most telling.