Review

Review Date: 4-October-09
Spoiler Rating: High
Juju Judgment: Juicy

The Invention of Lying (2009)

Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson deserve kudos for making a movie that does not entirely resemble anything else. Part comedy, part romance, part religious theorizing, The Invention of Lying feels like a meditative stroll through warm and ticklish fuzzies.

The premise of the movie is that no one has ever lied or contemplated the possibility of lying. This is explored in the opening scenes as hero Mark Bellison (Gervais) goes about his handsome New England town. The premise is especially funny when applied to nomenclature and advertising; for example, the retirement home where Mark's dying mother lives styles itself "a sad place for hopeless old people." Applied to personal interactions, the premise seems slightly overdone because not lying is equated with uttering every thought in one's head; strangers share news of their bowel movements with each other, and Mark's dream date (Jennifer Garner) tells him at first sight that she finds him unattractive. Still, the notion of nonstop honesty is just the jumping-off point.

Mark's adventure (abounding with famous faces in cameos) begins when he aids first himself, then his mother by telling an untruth. Both the formation of a lie and the benefitting from it are earthshaking revelations to him which unexpectedly spawn earthshaking revelations for the world. Before long he is introducing the fabricated concepts of god, heaven, and hell to a society that believes whatever is spoken. This unleashes a maelstrom of publicity and questions.

If The Invention of Lying takes a shot at traditional monotheism, neither does Charles Darwin, that noted Christian nemesis, come off scot-free. Garner's only objection to Mark as a suitor is that his physique is unexceptional so he would likely produce chubby, snub-nosed children. I guess the absence of lying has prevented the existence of blind, impractical love, for Garner, though the princess of the piece, accepts that marriages are made by genetic compatibility and promise. The movie argues against any religious, social, or biological imperative in favor of a humanistic approach to life. Mark's discovery and its aftermath suggest that people should not adhere to a rigid code (even one like absolute honesty) but rather follow the dictates of their hearts and souls. They should not believe everything they hear but decide for themselves what is right. While philosophy and romantic comedy sound like strange bedfellows, in this case both are used to root for happiness — and thereby to create an uplifting film.

Copyright © 2009 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.