Does 'The Invention of Lying' honestly deliver big laughs?
Jackie DeWald
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: Opinion
Review by Jackie DeWald
I've never been one to buy a movie on impulse before renting it or at least seeing it in the theater. However, every once in a while we have exceptions to our own rules. The "Invention of Lying" was released on DVD on January 19. With an all star cast including Rob Lowe, Jeffery Tambor, Jennifer Garner and headed by the always funny Ricky Gervais. There are even cameo appearances by Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill, Edward Norton and Fionnula Flanagan.
In a world where the art of lying doesn't exist, Ricky Gervais's character Mark Bellison is constantly under attack from characters such as Shelly, his unhappy secretary, played by Tina Fey, and Brad Kessler, played by Rob Lowe. As the insults keep coming, Mark manages to get rejected by his love interest, Anna McDoogle, played by Jennifer Garner, fired from his job as a screenwriter, and evicted from his apartment all in the same day. It was these series of events which lead to the first lie ever told by a human being.
After being evicted from his apartment, Mark heads down to the bank to withdraw the $300 left in his account. To his dismay, the computers are down, which means he can't withdraw his money. This is when it dawns on him, if the computers aren't working, obviously they wouldn't be able to check to see if he was telling the truth. He then informs the teller that there was actually $800 dollars in his account. Right as she was about to hand him the money, the computers begin to work again. She checks his statement, which indeed says $300. However, since this is a world of no lying, she apologizes for the computer being incorrect and hands him the $800 dollars. Thus beginning Mark's new fascination with lying.
Through the lying, Mark gains celebrity stardom, earns money which he never dreamed of, all because people believe he is telling the truth. The one thing he still can't seem to obtain, is the love of his life Anna. This is all because in a world of no lying, you're blunt about the physical attraction, and to Anna, Mark just isn't genetically qualified to carry her offspring.
I've never been one to buy a movie on impulse before renting it or at least seeing it in the theater. However, every once in a while we have exceptions to our own rules. The "Invention of Lying" was released on DVD on January 19. With an all star cast including Rob Lowe, Jeffery Tambor, Jennifer Garner and headed by the always funny Ricky Gervais. There are even cameo appearances by Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill, Edward Norton and Fionnula Flanagan.
In a world where the art of lying doesn't exist, Ricky Gervais's character Mark Bellison is constantly under attack from characters such as Shelly, his unhappy secretary, played by Tina Fey, and Brad Kessler, played by Rob Lowe. As the insults keep coming, Mark manages to get rejected by his love interest, Anna McDoogle, played by Jennifer Garner, fired from his job as a screenwriter, and evicted from his apartment all in the same day. It was these series of events which lead to the first lie ever told by a human being.
After being evicted from his apartment, Mark heads down to the bank to withdraw the $300 left in his account. To his dismay, the computers are down, which means he can't withdraw his money. This is when it dawns on him, if the computers aren't working, obviously they wouldn't be able to check to see if he was telling the truth. He then informs the teller that there was actually $800 dollars in his account. Right as she was about to hand him the money, the computers begin to work again. She checks his statement, which indeed says $300. However, since this is a world of no lying, she apologizes for the computer being incorrect and hands him the $800 dollars. Thus beginning Mark's new fascination with lying.
Through the lying, Mark gains celebrity stardom, earns money which he never dreamed of, all because people believe he is telling the truth. The one thing he still can't seem to obtain, is the love of his life Anna. This is all because in a world of no lying, you're blunt about the physical attraction, and to Anna, Mark just isn't genetically qualified to carry her offspring.
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