Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner in The Invention of Lying (Universal 2009)

COUNTLESS British comedians have failed to make the leap from small screen success to big screen renown. Even the mighty Morecambe and Wise never made a really great film.

Ricky Gervais is shaping up to become the exception to that rule. Gervais has chosen wisely, rejecting lucrative cameos in blockbusters like The Da Vinci Code and Ocean’s 13, and instead finding his feet in the ensemble casts of films like For Your Consideration and choosing his scripts wisely. He has found comic gold in The Invention Of Lying, a fizzy, entertaining crowd-pleaser that marks another significant advance in his career.

The Invention Of Lying is set in a world devoid of falsehood. In every other respect it is the same as our world, except that everyone speaks the truth, no matter how harsh or crushing. The possibilities for humour are endless, and the script makes a sustained effort to exploit them to the fullest.

Gervais plays Hollywood screenwriter Mark Bellison. He is a fairly typical Geravis creation; an underdog, worried about his weight, crippled by low self-esteem and a bit of failure in the romance department. His date with the gorgeous Anna (Jennifer Garner) is destined to go nowhere because she has already told him that he just isn’t in her league.

His fragile existence crumbles even further when he is fired and looks like being evicted from his flat. In a moment of desperation, he inflates the balance in his bank account and the apologetic teller accepts that there must have been a computer error. He has told the first lie, and the world is never going to be the same again.

An original romantic comedy, The Invention Of Lying combines the freshness of Gervais television work with the production values and big emotions that we have come to expect from a mainstream Hollywood hit. It is a comfortable and entertaining match with some hilarious moments along the way, and a number of surprise A-list cameos from acting heavyweights like Ed Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

A film that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, The Invention Of Lying will only increase the level of expectations for Gervais’ British comedy film Cemetry Junction due early next year.

Nationwide release

Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, Louis C.K.
Screenwriters: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 99 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2009

© Allan Hunter, 2009

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