The Invention of Lying by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson (2009)
14 July 2010I don’t know why I stayed away from this because I love all of Gervais’s British shows and his standup, and this continues along with those, being enjoyable and funny. And I can easily see why this film did not do better, because this country is too religious for such a blatant attack on religion (I mean come on, that there can be no religion without lies! THAT ROCKS!), but for me that made the movie so much funnier and so much more enjoyable! This movie is awesome and hysterical. One of the best comedies I have seen in a long long time. Really a must see. And I love all the cameos, people must have loved the script or love Gervais, because there are a ton of people in this who make the movie even funnier!
Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) live in a world where lies have not been invented and in fact everyone must tell the honest truth all the time. Making cruel statements all the time, because it is the truth. Mark works as a writer for films, but in this world the only films feature a man sitting in a chair talking about a period of history, and Mark has the dark ages in the 13th century, which does not make for interesting stories, and he is on the edge of losing his job because of it. He manages to get a blind date with a beautiful and successful woman named Anna McDoogles (a very funny Jennifer Garner, especially when we are introduced to her telling that she was just masturbating and probably will go do it again as she gets ready). Despite herself Anna actually laughs and has an enjoyable time, but it is not to be because Mark is just not genetically matched to her, he is too fat and ugly. Mark arrives at work the next day to find his very unhappy secretary Shelley (Tina Fey) celebrating that he must be fired, as well as his genetically superior nemesis Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe). And finally his both Anthony (Jeffrey Tambor) manages to build up enough courage to fire Mark. Mark returns home and his landlord gives him eviction notice unless he can come up with $800 by the next day, which without a job there is no way her can do. Mark goes to the bank, where he only has $300 dollars, and while waiting to get his money, he tells the worlds first lie, that he has $800 in his account. The computer says differently, but the teller assumes it must be a mistake, and gives Mark the money. Mark’s entire world has just changed!
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
Mark can’t even explain things to his drunken best friend Greg (Louis C.K.) as and the bartender Jim (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Marks sees a beautiful woman and tells her that if they don’t have sex the world will end, and she agrees to have sex with him, but he can’t get himself to take advantage of her.
Instead Mark writes a fictitious screenplay, saying it is true, and blows Anthony and everyone else’s minds, and gets his job back, becoming the head writer, and getting much more money.
Now that he is financially secure he goes out with Anna again, but she explains that they are not genetically compatible. At the date Mark learns his mother had a heart attack, and he rushes to the hospital to take care of her.
Mark’s Mom is in despair about dyeing and there being nothing afterwards, so Mark lies and tells her that there is an afterlife, and that it is wonderful and she will get a mansion and have all the people she loved there. The Doctor and Nurses hear this and are spellbound and tell everyone, and overnight Mark is a huge celebrity.
Anna and Greg come over and Anna convinces Mark that he must tell everyone about this man in the sky. He writes out his 10 commandments on 2 pizza boxes, telling them to the world, but his efforts to make things better, make things worse, as people thing they have 3 chances to be nasty, and now make use of those chances as much as they can.
Anna asks Mark if a good personality can make up for bad genetics, and Mark does not lie, he tells the truth and says they cannot.
And Anna starts dating Mark’s nemesis Brad Kessler as he is genetically a perfect match for her. Mark hates it, and Anna does not like Brad as well as Mark, but he is better for her, so she continues to see him, and stops seeing Mark.
Finally she goes to Mark to invite him to the wedding, and he has grown a beard, is wearing sandals and wrapped in a sheet (looking like Jesus) and tried to convince her not to Marry brad, but she won’t listen.
Greg comes over and gets Mark cleaned up and they go to the wedding. Mark objects to the wedding, and they ask him if the Man in the Sky objects to the wedding, but Mark refuses to say anything and leaves. Anna comes after him, and Mark tells her about his ability to lie, and that the man in the sky is not real. Anna can barely understand the concept, but she asks him why he didn’t say that genetics could be overcome, why didn’t he lie, and he says it wouldn’t have counted. Anna admits to loving him.
Years later Anna and Mark are married with a son who looks like Mark (Genetics really do make a difference), and now only Mark and his son can lie.
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Really a funny and sweet film! Mark could be a bastard, but overall he is not, and he tries to help people, but finds that religion only causes more problems than it helps with.
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