The Invention of Lying

Stuck in an alternate reality in which everyone tells the absolute truth, the characters in this rambling film converse amongst each other with no deceit, flattery, or fiction. So when chubby, down-on-his-luck Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) arrives to pick up his beautiful blind date, Anna (Jennifer Garner), she guilelessly tells her mother on the phone that Mark's not very attractive and there's no chance she'll sleep with him. More humiliation is inevitable when Mark's boss, Anthony (Jeffrey Tambor), fires him as a historical screenwriter at Lecture Films—much to the satisfaction of his secretary, Shelley (Tina Fey), and fellow scribe Brad (Rob Lowe). But Mark's life changes abruptly when he visits his dying mother and—grasping at anything to give her some hope—assures her that there is an afterlife, a “Man in the Sky,” and that she will have a joyous eternity. Word spreads quickly—as does Mark's fame—and soon he must explain exactly what he meant. Towards that end, Mark decides to write down 10 rules for living, using Pizza Hut boxes as tablets. Of course, Mark's celebrity puts him in a different light insofar as Anna is concerned: while she'd really like to make beautiful babies with handsome Brad, she finds something indefinably appealing about Mark. Written and directed by Gervais and first-timer Matthew Robinson, The Invention of Lying is built wholly on a satirical concept that is very funny for about 20 minutes before growing tiresome, despite cameos by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, Christopher Guest, and Jason Bateman. An optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Meet Karl Pilkington” featurette on the best buddy/collaborator of director-star Ricky Gervais (18 min.), “Ricky and Matt's Video Podcasts” with star Gervais and co-director Matthew Robinson (10 min.), a “Prequel: The Dawn of Lying” bonus scene (7 min.), a “making-of” featurette (7 min.), additional scenes (7 min.), outtakes (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)