DVDs in Review

The Invention of Lying

Title: The Invention of Lying (2009)

Release date: February 1 2010

Certificate: 12

Format: Reviewed on DVD, available on Blu-ray

DVD RRP: £19.99

Rating: 3/5

Ricky Gervais went for a good stab at transferring over from TV to film in this ambitious comedy that saw him take on writing, directing and lead acting duties.

It's a simple but original tale about Mark, a hopeless loser (played by Gervais in the same way he tackles every one of his other misunderstood, embarrassing and  strangely endearing characters) who lives in a world where nobody can lie. This results in the most brutal of verbal confrontations and honesty from perfect strangers. They don't mean to get other people down; it just comes out.

Then after a string of things going wrong, Mark somehow manages to lie and use this tool to his advantage, fooling all of the other blindly faithful citizens in his town. If he was to say that there was twice as money in his bank, who wouldn't believe him? After all, lies don't exist. There isn't even a word for them.

In one of his lies, he tells his ailing mother about his interpretation of heaven and what joyous resting places are in store for the departed. Word catches on and suddenly he's a messiah figure, trailed by everyone looking for enlightenment.

Not being the classiest guy, his knowledge isn't inscribed on stone tablets - instead they're scrawled on the back of Pizza Hut boxes.  (If you think that's a shameless spot of product placement, just wait until you see how much Budweiser crops up.)

The problem with 'The Invention of Lying' is that the invention itself is a brilliant concept, but it doesn't have a decent story to back it up. Gervais is certainly a watchable lead but he rarely changes gears, nor does his script. Rob Lowe shows up playing his love rival, but it's exactly the same overly confident sleazeball he played in 'Wayne's World'. It's this kind of storytelling laziness that makes the third act wholly predictable. 

Still, it's an enjoyable ride that feels like 'Groundhog Day' meets 'Whistle Down the Wind' which is an interesting mix if there ever was one. Gervais fans will lap it up, as will many who don't take religion all that seriously. Seasoned film buffs will predict every curve the story attempts but should still have fun on the way.