The Invention of Lying

Posted on: 16 October 2009

Lamefest. Seriously. What was Ricky Gervais thinking with this film? It is rather hard to pick something about this film that I actually liked. That's how bad it was.

I like Ricky Gervais. He's a good comedian, I like some of the things he's done. But to be honest I laughed very little throughout this flick, and by the end of the film I was actually a little sick of the sight of the "short little fat man with a stub nose".

The premise for the film is pretty simple: everyone tells the truth, there's no such thing as a lie. And to be honest, that's what attracted me to the film. In theory, it seems like quite a unique and interesting idea; but in reality, it got very boring, very quickly. I like to think I'm pretty impartial when watching a film, but I found it very hard to get immersed in this film and like it in any way. And I was of that opinion not 10 minutes into the film.

The Invention of Lying was essentially an hour and a half of rigid acting, predictably repetitive jokes and no real story line. And I don't think I've seen quite so many insults thrown around in one film. It doesn't say much about us as humans if we're all hiding behind the big lie that is life is very, very depressing. Which is what the film seemed to be trying to portray.

And don't even get me started on the emotional scene behind Gervais and his onscreen mum. I had never felt so awkward and detached from what should've been a very touching moment between two characters.

If you haven't yet seen this film, my advice to you is avoid it. Like the "Black Plague". If you have seen it, I'd love to hear your opinion on it.

Rating: 2/10