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INVENTION OF LYING |
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Imagine a society - a world - where everyone told the truth. Every truth. Every thought. All the time. In fact, imagine that everyone was compelled to tell the truth all the time no matter how bad the truth might be. That is the premise of
Ricky Gervais' latest farce "The Invention of Lying". The opening 30 minutes of the film will have you laughing continuously as everyone - from waiters to advertisers - tell the truth. |
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The last time we saw Gervais he was the reclusive and grumpy dentist haunted by every ghost stuck in the nether regions in
"Ghost Town". He is the perfect patsy; he just has that type of look. If I cast a movie that required a human punching bag I would cast Gervais. This time is Mark Bellison, a lonely screenwriter for Lecture Films, a movie studio that produces films that basically chronicle history. After all,
since there is no lying, there is no creativity to produce pretend stories. The talent in the films basically read off history as it occurred. Mark has the dubious task of screenwriting the
13th century which was [as the movie describes it the most boring century ever. Alas, Mark is waiting for the boss to come in and fire him. He knows this because it is common knowledge around the office. Since everyone is compelled to tell
the truth they freely acknowledge that he is either going to be fired today or tomorrow. Not only would he be getting fired he is also faced with probable eviction and the inevitable death of his mother who is residing in a "place where
people with no hope of living" reside - aka a nursing home. In the middle of all this he goes out on a date with the lovely Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner) who is "out of his league and finds
him unattractive because he is short, fat and has a pug nose." She tells him that upon meeting him - also including he had no chance of having sex with her especially since
she just completed masturbating. Mark is aware and appreciates hi lot in life for he shares it with his best friend Greg (Louis CK) and a suicidal neighbor (Jonah Hill). They fit into
the loser file of society. His co-worker and fellow screenwriter, Brad (Rob Lowe) is a member of the beautiful people clic. The one thing Mark has trouble dealing with is the fact that his mother is terrified of dying. She believes that there is nothing afterward; just an eternity of
nothingness. |
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So to comfort his mother in her closing hours, he told her something that wasn't - a lie. He told her how it was really nice to die and everyone
who died got a big mansion and rejoined everyone they loved. Death was a virtual party. The lie seemed harmless save for the fact that the attending staff heard everything he said and assumed - since it is a world where everyone tells the truth -
that it must be true. The word spreads and suddenly Mark is a somebody. Moreover, he is the only somebody who knows what happens after one dies. One thing leads to another, he draws money from his bank when he merely tells them how much he has and they believe him - he must be telling the truth and the computer
is at fault. He makes up a story about the 13th century that becomes the greatest movie every made though there isn't a shred of truth in it. More importantly, he becomes more
interesting to Anna save for the fact she still finds him genetically not appealing and Brad the perfect match for producing children. "The Invention of Lying" is a hoot. Easily one of the most original stories made in a long time (it was written and directed by Gervais). Gervais is perfect as the
sap once again. Garner perfect as the self-centered egoist, as is Lowe. Much like "The Hangover", Warner Brothers may have yet another sneaky hit on their hands. --GEOFFREY BURTON
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