For once, the movie is much better than the trailer. Here is a movie with a premise so inventive, I was almost certain that the filmmakers would not have the guts to follow through. But The Invention of Lying does indeed follow through, and actually surpassed my expectations. Yes, it is a very funny comedy (probably my favorite of the year so far), but it is also thoughtful, daring, and goes to places you wouldn't expect in a Hollywood movie, let alone a romantic comedy. This is the rare inventive movie where the last half is just as surprising as the first.

Ricky Gervais stars, produced, co-wrote, and co-directed this movie, but it's far from an ego project. He stars as Mark Bellison, a loser who lives in an alternate reality where everyone is forced to be brutally honest, says whatever is on their mind at any time, and physical appearance means absolutely everything to everyone. Mark is short, overweight, and doesn't stand out all that much, so his prospects for survival are not good. A man who lives in his apartment building under similar circumstances (Jonah Hill) constantly makes small talk on the elevator about how he's always looking up ways to kill himself, since everyone in the world constantly reminds him he's not good enough for them, because of his physical faults. As for Mark, he's a screenwriter at Lecture Film Studios. Because there's no such thing as fiction in this world, movies consist solely of an old man in a chair, talking about historical events. Mark has had a string of bad luck at work, writing films about the Black Plague, which have not been box office hits, while rival and much more physically attractive screenwriter, Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe), gets all the good writing jobs.

Mark is fired from his job, told off by just about everyone, and his elderly mom has been sent away to the "Place Where Sick and Depressed Old People Go to Die". The movie has a lot of fun with the whole idea of a world built on blunt honesty. Commercials for Coke consist of a man talking about how it will cause obesity, while ads for Pepsi simply state "Pepsi - For when they don't have Coke". The only bright spot in Mark's life is that he may have a chance to become romantically involved with a beautiful young woman named Anna (Jennifer Garner), but even this seems unlikely, as she fears he's not genetically right for her, and if they had children, they would end up fat and have pug noses. Just when Mark thinks life has beaten him, he stumbles upon the notion of not telling the truth. He goes to the bank to get money to help pay his rent, finds out their computers are down, and tells the woman there that he has $800, even though he knows he only has $300. The woman naturally believes him, gives him the money, and this sets off a series of events where Mark learns he can actually get ahead in life and get everything he ever wanted by not telling the truth.

He doesn't do this to get back at the world, or to get revenge on anyone. He simply wants to make himself and his mother happy in life. It goes on to give him unimaginable power. His mother is on her deathbed, and she's afraid of going into oblivion. Mark, wanting to make her feel better, tells her of a better life waiting for her after she dies, where everyone is surrounded by loved ones and live in dream mansion homes. The doctors overhear him telling her this, and before he knows it, Mark has become the world's first religious prophet. His talk of a "Man in the Sky" who controls everything and watches over people makes Mark into an overnight celebrity. The scene where he tries to explain the ways of all-seeing Man on "tablets" that consist of discarded pizza boxes is one of the film's funniest moments in a movie filled with a large number of funny moments. While the film takes some obvious satirical jabs at the ideas and notion of religion, it is not mean-spirited. The movie simply wants to create debate on our personal beliefs, and should lead to more than a few interesting conversations amongst those who see it.

The movie is also a charming and effective romantic comedy. The girl he's interested in, Anna, starts the film as a rather shallow individual who, like everyone else in the world, is not interested in anyone except those she feels can create the best possible life for her. (Good steady job, attractive looks, strong genetic code to create the most attractive and healthy children.) But, as she warms up to Mark and begins to see the beauty of him personally, she begins to long for more out of life. The movie goes a little bit deeper here than we'd expect. The characters actually have some interesting philosophical discussions about human nature, and what we find attractive in other people. The Invention of Lying made me laugh and care about the characters, but more than that, it made me think a little bit differently. We get the standard romantic comedy cliches where Mark tries to stop Anna from going off with the wrong guy, but it's played out in a different way than we expect, and it's much more intelligent than the norm.

This easily could have been a one-joke movie, but writers and directors Gervais and Matthew Robinson make it into so much more. It's a movie that's actually about something and has something to say, but just so happens to have some of the biggest laughs in any movie I can think of this year. There's a talented cast on display, as well. Gervais and Garner make an unlikely but likable couple, who bring enough sweetness to their characters that we do want to see them get together. There are a number of notable actors in small roles such as Tina Fey as Mark's secretary at work (who is not afraid to admit she hates working for him), Philip Seymour Hoffman as an all-too trusting bartender, and Edward Norton as a cop who is not afraid to spout off his views on racial issues. The movie is constantly finding clever ways to take its own premise, and is always surprising.
I admit, I was taken off guard. The trailers passed it off as being a cute, and maybe fun little time waster, but I think this is one of the smartest comedies I've seen in a while. For an unassuming little comedy, The Invention of Lying sure does have an awful lot to offer an audience who is willing to listen. I detect the makings of a cult classic here.

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