The Invention of Lying

People love to say the world would be a better place if everyone were honest.

"The Invention of Lying" explores the real-world application of that statement, and whether it's indeed true.

"Lying" stars Ricky Gervais, the British actor who was behind the original version of "The Office" (and serves as Exec Produer of the American version), co-directing and co-writing the film, and starring as Mark Bellison, a screenwriter who, in a world where no one lies, writes only bone-dry history lessons that appear on television.

Mark's personal life is no more fulfilling; on his first date with the comely Anna (Jennifer Garner) who tells him through their first date that 1) it will likely be their last, 2) he has no shot at a future with her, and 3) this is because he is fat, unattractive and isn't rich enough.

Things change for Mark, though, when his mother (Fionnula Flanagan), who is in the hospital dying, tells her son she fears the nothingness that is to come with death. Mark quickly makes up a story about an afterlife, where she will see all of her friends who are dead and life will go on for all eternity in happiness.

Hospital personnel overhear his story, and with the concept of falsehoods being completely foreign to them, they take everything he says at face value, and soon everyone in the world wants to know about this new information he's obtained.

Suddenly life is much better for Mark; or is it?

Of course, this is all metaphor for religion, and Gervais succinctly and undeniably is saying all of religion is a lie, and shows how easy it is for a single imaginative person to hoodwink hordes of gullible people into completely buying into whatever silliness he wants to throw out there.

Might some consider it blasphemous? I would certainly think so. But its also meant to bring insight and lead people into looking at religion from another vantage point, and in that way "Lying" is genius.

There are also ruminations on the pitfalls of fame and, of course, whether a cynical, distrusting public is better than one that is totally oblivious to the concept of lying. After seeing this film, I can say I'm glad to have my very own BS detector.

The cast is strong, including Rob Lowe as Mark's chief rival for work and for Anna's affections (he is, in a sense, the more successful and attractive version of Mark), Louis CK, Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jonah Hill in a veritable recurring cameo.

The central gimmick that people can't lie is at times hilarious (an ad on a city bus advertises Pepsi by saying "When They Don't Have Coke"), but also, being a gimmick, falls flat at times, and the film overall, though making a pointed statement about God and man, falters a bit near the end as the premise runs its course.

DVD extras include a "prequel" called "The Dawn of Lying," deleted scenes, outtakes, a making-of, and podcasts from Gervais and Robinson.

Film Rating: 3 1/2 Yaps DVD Extras: 4 Yaps