Ricky Gervais makes his American writing and directing debut with the help of Matthew Robinson and the results are a dramedy that doesn’t deliver the laugh a minute pace you might be expecting, but it doesn’t try to and it works fairly well.
The premise of the film is very high concept and takes place in a world where everyone tells the brutal honest truth.  They don’t hide things by just ignoring saying the things that might be inappropriate, they have no barometer for what is appropriate or not, they just say whatever is on their mind and believe everything everyone says because there are no lies.  Our focus is on Mark Bellison, an average bloke who doesn’t have much money, no romantic prospects, and is probably at risk of losing his job.  He has his eye on Anna but she is well out of his league, which she quickly will acknowledge, and is quickly becoming, more and more depressed with his existence as even his ailing mother acknowledges his lack of being much of anything.  This is all until one day, Mark, discovers the ability to say something that isn’t and the circumstances of his discovery prove fruitful at first but complicate things in not only his own life but over the entire world.
The gags and jokes that Gervais and Robinson are able to create on the surface are very clever and well done but there is a lot more to the picture than the simple, “look how rude everyone is” bit.  The writers ask a lot of questions about life, religion, and whether we are better off telling little white lies every now and then.  The world itself is borderline depressing at times as the beautiful people get the best in everything and treat everyone else like dirt.  Seeing people called out for their flaws and humiliated left and right is a little funny at first but when you think about the consequences this has on the world it makes you take notice to how mean this is in the films world and our own.  It’s a bit sad we live in this world where the successful and beautiful are so lauded and held on such a high pedestal, we are all people and we would be better to treat each other well and I think the filmmakers did a great job of making us think about this.
Another major social topic that comes under the microscope is religion and the power a promise of afterlife can take over people.  The film also addresses the silliness and contradictory nature of religion and while not openly blasting it, it asks the audience to at least step back and go, “this is a bit absurd”.
Gervais’ inspirations for the film were Woody Allen and films like Groundhog Day and knowing that going in will really help your enjoyment of the film.  I think even with my limited exposure to the ads of the film I was caught expecting more of a traditional straight forward comedy.  The film, while quite funny, has plenty of drama to it as well and I think people will even get caught up in a few of the scenes as well.
The cast is also quite good across the board with a who’s who of comedy making countless appearances in the film.  Gervais is great in the lead and shows quite the range from heartfelt to absurd while not feeling like a retread of his previous characters to boot.  Garner has a lot of fun as Anna and really throws herself into the role which requires her to be obliviously mean and silly towards just about everyone she encounters.  Rob Lowe sleazes his way along as the arch enemy of Gervais and his smugness is delightful.  Tina Fey, Jeffery Tambor, Christopher Guest, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill, and Louis C.K. also all make funny appearances as well as a couple of A-list cameo’s that will have you chuckling the whole time.
In the end, The Invention of Lying is a fine little thoughtful comedy that I think will benefit even further from future viewings.  Providing plenty of laughs from start to finish, there is also a heart to this story that catches you off guard and is unexpected if you don’t know it is coming.  With that said, I still enjoyed the film a great deal, especially another wonderful turn by Gervais and his excellent supporting cast.  Go into this film with the right expectations and I think you will find that there is a lot to enjoy and I can’t wait to see this one again under righted impressions and will shine even brighter as time goes on.  I just wish they didn’t cut Karl Pilkington!  Check it out for sure if you are a fan of Gervais and thoughtful comedies that are two part laughs, one part heart.
The Invention of Lying is a B-