MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

The Invention of Lying Rated PG-13

Directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson.  Starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner

Photo © Warner Brothers
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

I had heard on the grapevine that The Invention of Lying was a film with some controversial things to say about religion, so I put it at the top of my viewing list. 

The story takes place in an alternative world in which everyone tells the truth, regardless of how brutal it might sound.  In a world of truth there is no room for fiction (or anything that stretches the truth), so advertising is devoid of deception (a funny concept) and movies are nothing more than filmed lectures. 

Mark Bellison (Gervais) is an average middle-aged guy who strikes out dating when every woman tells him that he is average (based on first impressions, of course).  One day Mark stumbles upon the possibility of lying and he is given incredible power over everyone else.  His art of fabrication will eventually lead him to invent the concepts of God (who he calls “The Man in the Sky”) and eternal life. 

Imagine the possibilities.  Had these possibilities been developed, The Invention of Lying could have been one of the more provocative films of the year.  But writer-and-first-time-director Ricky Gervais has decided to make a sweet love story in which he is the hero.   When one person has so much control over the creative process, a film either becomes a work of genius or a vanity project. 

The Invention of Lying is neither of these, but by the last third of the movie I was praying that the film might have had sharper characters, better editing and more of an edge. 

Wait a minute!  I was praying!  There is a God!  This film lied to me! 

Pitchfork Rating:
Two halos. (A good discussion starter about religion, communication, creativity and imagination – but, alas, not a very good film.)
Three picthforks. (An above-average amount of sexual innuendo and swearing for a PG-13 film – and also the implication that God is a fiction (Add another pitchfork if you don’t appreciate religious satire).]

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