“PATENT DENIED”
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman and Rob Lowe
Directed by: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference.
Genre: Comedy
Release date: October 2009
By John Delia
I cannot tell a lie, The Invention of Lying is insipid, imitative and somewhat irreverent. Although the film may work in England with Gervais’s very dry humor, the funny stuff just doesn’t win here. And for the chemistry between the actors, well that’s another story expounded in the following paragraphs.
The movie takes place in an alternate reality (this should be told to everyone entering the theatre before the movie starts as knowing this will help the film’s ‘realism’) in which lying does not exist. In this world NO ONE is ABLE to tell a lie.
Centering on a movie scriptwriter Mark (Gervais) the film tells the story of this loser who goes on from day to day finding more and more negative things about him. From impending loss of job, not connecting with Anna (Garner), his blind date, because she thinks he is fat to disparaging remarks from friends and fellow employees’, Mark wanders on though his humdrum life. One day following a confrontation by his landlord about his rent, Mark goes into a bank to withdraw his final savings and BINGO! He comes up with an idea that will change his life, lying. What happens next, puts the poor chap in a deeper mess that has some dire consequences.
The comedy here that was written and directed by Gervais starts off kinda fun, but as it progresses the film becomes tedious with all the negativism. In some cases it pokes to hard on racism and religion and becomes a little uncomfortable. The chemistry between Gervais and Garner really doesn’t come off the screen and therefore the love story between the two is rather meaningless. This may be the result of Garner’s character being too ‘dumbed’ down and unlikable.
As for innovativeness, Gervais misses here as his ‘can’t lie’ comedy simulates Liar Liar in which Jim Carry finds himself not able to lie after his son makes a wish. Although not the exact plot, it has many of the same
judgmental jokes.
The Invention of Lying is rated PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference.
FINAL ANALYSIS: The Invention of Lying, Patent Denied. (1.5 of 5 Palm Trees)