“The Invention of Lying,” written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson, has an interesting premise and the ever-beautiful and engaging Jennifer Garner, but it seems more like an overly long comedy sketch rather than a cohesive movie. The setting is an alternate universe where people can only tell the truth, even if it means blurting out, ‘I loathed almost every minute that I worked for you.’ Most of the funny moments center around how much of a loser Mark Bellison (Gervais) is, but that’s humorous for about 10 minutes. Then it’s tiresome. When Bellison comforts his dying mother (Fionnula Flanagan) with tales of a glowing afterlife, complete with mansions for everyone, everyone believes him and asks for more. That’s when “The Invention of Lying” shifts into another gear with Bellison finding fame and fortune as a Moses figure, as the only one who talks to the man in the sky.
Although more than a half of the movie satirizes religious belief, specifically Christianity, the problem is, nothing is funny. Yes, Bellison presents the revelations from the man in the sky on pizza boxes. Two pizza boxes, get it? Briefly amusing. Gervais the actor seems to be working overly hard to manufacture laughs that aren’t there. But Jennifer Garner as Anna, the woman Bellison loves, is charming and a pleasure to watch. If you get roped into seeing this movie, you might want to watch for cameos from Tina Fey, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Guest, Ed Norton and Jason Bateman. Otherwise, skip this one and catch it on cable. 10/3/09
1 comment:
I put this movie in the "tooth fairy" catagory, just about as believable and just about as funny!
and what a waste of Jennifer Garner!!
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