Film - Invention of Lying

Ricky Gervais's new comedy "Invention of Lying" makes for a perfectly enjoyable date-movie experience. It's a comedy about a world where people are incapable of lying and ignorant of their ability to speak un-truths. After setting up this amusing culture, and establishing that Gervais's character is in love with an adorable Jennifer Gardner, he goes on to dig into the concept of religion from an atheist perspective. How can people subscribe to the silly concept of a giant man living in the sky, sometimes creating messes of their lives, sometimes granting them great gifts? Because it makes them feel safe and less afraid of the afterlife.



The movie is clever and provides some laughs, but I really expected more from Gervais. The script could have benefited from more time at the editing desk. For example, is Gervais saying that in this world people are incapable of lying or are they incapable of holding-their-tongues? It's unclear. The romantic obstacles between Gardner and Gervais's character are also a little perplexing, with a lot of talk about the necessity of proper genetic matching to create perfect children that doesn't quite settle well. However, I'd say if you were looking for a movie to rent on a lazy weeknight, this one would lead to an overall positive experience.

More importantly, let's discuss how crazy it would be to see Jennifer Gardner and Hillary Swank co-star in a film together? Another "Boys Don't Cry" type ambiguous gender film would benefit from this sharp-jawed manish-yet-also-pretty duo.