The Invention of Lying - Louis Brennan

The Invention of Lying
We all know what this film is about. Ricky Gervais character Mark lives in a world where everybody only tells the truth, and for some completely unexplained reason he is the only person who can lie. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty damn good idea for a film. A lot better than a film about a man who can’t be faithful to his wife because he’s addicted to travelling through time. Who wouldn’t be?
This premise is what ensures the film remains watchable throughout. There are thousands of conversations we have all had that if played out truthfully would sound rather different, and I reckon the writers have got this spot on. A number of these will make at least one member of the audience turn to their friend and say “Oooh I can sooo relate to that! That is just so true!”
So what of Ricky Gervais performance? It’s a mixed bag. On the positive side he finally tries to play a character that isn’t just David Brent. In fact, this is probably Gervais’ most serious, straight-forward character to date, and he delivers emotional and thought-provoking scenes more authentically than would be expected. However, this is not that much of a compliment. Anything Ricky Gervais has said in the past has usually been followed by a drawn out, uncomfortable silence, and this expectation occasionally still turns what could have been genuinely brilliant scenes into a possible advert for Extras in America. Ricky and Jennifer together... are you ‘avin a laugh?
Therefore, much like Extras, it is up to a host of celebrity cameos to provide us with the memorable moments. Jason Bateman’s thirty seconds are amusing, Edward Norton’s five minutes are funny, and Rob Lowe is simply hysterical throughout. Stephen Merchant and BarryFromEastenders’ contribution is also quite a bit funnier than Gervais’ (also very similar to Extras...do I see a pattern emerging?). Jennifer Garner on the other hand is entirely pointless for the duration of the film. Never before has an actress been cast so obviously as pure eye candy.
The annoying this is, The Invention of Lying could have been brilliant. Maybe even a cult classic. When you see the film however you will know exactly what I mean when I say that there just isn’t enough depth. There just isn’t enough oomph. I still recommend seeing it, but coming out of the cinema you will think, “Yeah, that was funny. Anyway...”.