MOVIE REVIEW: The Invention of Lying (12A)

Despite being branded ‘the short fat man with the big ego’ by one of his piers, there’s no doubting Ricky Gervais is one of Britain’s biggest cinema exports of the past few years. His foray into Hollywood has up until last year been limited to small roles, but his first starring role in ‘Ghost Town’ was a reasonable success. He now doubles his work load, co-directing high concept comedy ‘The Invention of Lying’.

The film is set in a world where the concept of lying has not been thought of, and everyone must be truthful, no matter how blunt or painful. This makes life hard for Mark (Gervais), one of life’s losers who fails time and again to woo the attractive but unattainable Anna (Jennifer Garner). Then, a bolt of inspiration leads him to tell the world’s first lie, a concept that opens up a whole new world to him. He becomes more successful at his job, enraging smug rival Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe), is able to cheer up his suicidal neighbour (Jonah Hill) and generally make life better for himself. However, as Mark gets more carried away, the lies start to spin out of control, putting him in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and further away from Anna than ever before.

It’s a very simple story, what if no one could lie but you? This makes for a great opening, as Mark and Anna go on a hilariously honest first date, but as the plot goes on it reveals more about the writers than it does humanity. Gervais and co-writer Stephen Merchant seem to think ‘honest’ means ‘nasty’, leading to a lot of horrible characters that are very hard to like. The story also doesn’t really know where to go once it’s got over this initial concept. Also, a very poorly conceived religious sub plot means the audience tend to be as mystified as the people in the movie.

Apart from an ‘incredible’ cameo from an Oscar nominee, the many guest appearances in the film are very distracting and it feels like a celebrity love-in at times. Tina Fey pops up as Mark’s secretary, as does improv god Christopher Guest. What Gervais doesn’t realise is that no one was ever funny by proxy, and so by appearing alongside these goliaths he becomes the weak link in his own film. It’s just the same old routine (the stuttering, the awkwardness, the jokes about his weight), but at the core of Gervais’ performance is the inability to be at all likeable. Oddly enough in ‘Ghost Town’ he was likeable because his character was difficult and rude, but had room to improve. Here, we’re just asked to feel sorry for him, and it doesn’t really work, as sincerity is something Gervais doesn’t have in his acting arsenal. Elsewhere, Garner is passable as Anna, but the lack of spark between the two means she’s little more than a prize for Mark to win. A high point is Lowe, who’s brilliantly obnoxious and has a brilliant deadpan ability, and Hill, who gives the film’s only real serious performance.

It’s funny in areas, and people who can’t get enough of what Gervais does will think this is great. But comedians who turn to film usually encounter some sort of change or growth, and that doesn’t appear to have happened to the artist formerly (or forever?) known as David Brent.