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Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill ... see more see more... , Jeffrey Tambor , Fionnula Flanagan , Tina Fey , Christopher Guest , John Hodgman , Nathan Corddry , Jimmi Simpson , Jason Bateman , Martin Starr , Donna Sorbello , Ruben Santiago-Hudson , Stephanie March , Alton Fitzgerald White , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Edward Norton , Roz Ryan , Michael Patrick Gough , Arnie Burton , Ashlie Atkinson , Bobby Moynihan , Shaun Williamson , Stephen Merchant , Cole Jensen , Conner Rayburn , Lisa Paige Robinson , Matthew Stadelmann , Dreama Walker , Rachel Harker , Tate Ellington , Ken Cheeseman , David Pittu , Nada Despotovich , Joe Badalucco , Celeste Oliva , Patrick Stewart

Ricky Gervais directs himself in The Invention of Lying, a comedy in which everyone in the world tells the truth except for one misfit in the film industry, who after discovering the act of lying, mil... read more read more...ks it to become the world's most phenomenal performer. Matthew Robinson will co-direct from his own script, which he and Gervais collaborated on. Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, and Louis C.K. co-star in the Media Rights Capital production, with John Hodgman, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, and Jeffrey Tambor rounding out the rest of the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

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47% liked it

601,615 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

175 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Matthew Robinson, Ricky Gervais

Release Date: October 2, 2009

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DVD Release Date: January 19, 2010

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Jennifer Garner Rob Lowe & Sheryl Berkoff Kenny G Jennifer Garner Fionnula Flanagan The Invention Of Lying Jennifer Garner Rob Lowe Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner The Invention of Lying Ricky Gervais Jennifer Garner Ricky Gervais & Jane Fallon Jennifer Garner
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Flixster Reviews (13,691)

  • fb100000883534329
    January 7, 2012
    fb100000883534329
    A really clever well written film.
  • aquateen2
    December 20, 2011
    aquateen2
    It might not be a film that does what it says on the packet and it's premise is essentially a one trick pony. But Ricky Gervais' accidental romantic comedy is funny at times but has good intentions and is overall. A warm, light hearted movie.
  • SirPant
    September 21, 2011
    SirPant
    I'm not the biggest Ricky Gervais fan. I didn't;t like the Office, I can't stand his stand up and his laugh goes right through me. That said, I did like Extras and I'm looking forward to his new sitcom and now I can say I liked The Invention of Lying. It's not laugh out loud funn... read morey, I did laugh, titter and smile but I didn't 'lol'. To be honest, I though there was a lot more to it than it been just a comedy. It is an excellent idea. This could have been a 90 minute film full of cheap shots, Liar Liar comes to mind (no review from me of yet as I haven't been able to get past 30 mins over 3 attempts). Instead, it raises very clever questions about society, the way we think and the way we treat one another. It asks quite big questions about religion for a light-hearted Hollywood film and it questions peoples values, attacking vanity in particular. All in all, this is quite an anti-Hollywood film. That's probably what I like about it the most, it takes the piss without anyone realising. Could I be changing my mind about Gervais? As long as he keeps up doing what he did at the Golden Globs last year, probably not, but if he continues writing great stuff like this then yes, definitely. The Invention of Lying is sly, brilliantly conceived and well executed and was a very nice surprise. I think the only criticism was the 'romantic' bit. It was handled fairly well but an unhappy ending wouldn't have gone a miss. Maybe I'm just a miserable sod. Post-production annoyance though with the fact they have blatantly air-brushed Ricky Gervais's head on the poster to make him look less fat, completely contradicting the films message! Doh!
  • fb535316333
    July 23, 2011
    fb535316333
    The high concepts this movie chooses to explore deserves better. The "who gets the girl" plot fails to uphold a truly intriguing premise that barely touched the surface of its own connotations.

    Even as a nonsensical comedy it fails to deliver, what with the whole "no lying" humo... read morer completely losing it's zing after the first 15 minutes of non-stop insults.

    Just an overall disappoint from all stand points.
  • fb732260458
    May 12, 2011
    fb732260458
    A so-so comedy with a quite interesting premise that unfortunately gets placed in the passenger seat in favor of cheap Rom-Com cliches.
  • CreedsDelight
    May 4, 2011
    CreedsDelight
    "Hi, I'm Bob I'm the spokesperson for the Coca-Cola company. I'm here today to ask you to continue buying coke. Sure it's a drink you've been drinking for years, and if you still enjoy it, I'd like to remind you to buy it again sometime soon. It's basically just brown sugar water... read more, we haven't changed the ingredients much lately, so there's nothing new I can tell you about that. We changed the can around a little bit though. See, the colors here are different there, and we added a polar bear so the kids like us. Coke is very high in sugar and like any high calorie soda it can lead to obesity in children and adults who don't sustain a very healthy diet. So that's it, it's coke. It's very famous, everyone knows it. I'm Bob, I work for coke, and I'm asking you to not stop buying coke. That's all. It's a bit sweet. Thank you."

    The Invention of Lying is one of the most original films I've seen for a long time. From the brilliant mind of Ricky Gervais, comes a film set in a world where nobody lies, until a loser (Gervais) invents lying and soon becomes the most coercive and compelling man in the world. After a "little white lie" that he expresses to his mom on her death bed, the whole world is looking up to him, expecting great quality of him, and his ideas.

    The casting was very unusual, it starred Ricky Gervais as Mark Bellison, Jennifer Garner as Anna McDoogles, Louis C.K. as Greg, Rob Lowe as Brad Kessler, Jonah Hill as Frank, Jeffrey Tambor as Anthony, Fionnula Flanagan as Martha Bellison, Tina Fey as Shelley, and Christopher Guest as Nathan Goldfrappe. Even though it's a quirky cast, it was well executed.

    Normally, I wouldn't discuss the script, but I'm giving myself an exception. The script for this film was one of the funniest I've ever seen. It's not flawless, but it's good enough to keep the audience well entertained. Sure it's incredibly predictable, but who cares?

    Obviously, the acting cannot be taken seriously. As for Ricky Gervais, I don't care if he plays the same role in his films, he's downright hilarious! This is one of the most underrated films of all time. It's at least good for a one time watch.
  • fb733768972
    March 18, 2011
    fb733768972
    Ricky Gervais has never been funnier and this smart comedy had me laughing for the full 100 minutes. I severely enjoyed the concept of inventing the first lie, and how funny it can be watching everyone tell the truth while he can say literally whatever he wants and they take it s... read moreeriously. This is greatly written and wonderfully acted. The Invention of Lying, is simple, yet so very complex. I really liked it!
  • cancercapricorn2002
    February 18, 2011
    cancercapricorn2002
    Written by, directed by, and starring British comedian Ricky Gervais, this film has a simple premise, No one in the world has ever lied, until now.

    Gervais' character, Mark Bellison, apparently has a misfiring synapse when he lies for the first time, and it surprises him as much... read more as it would anybody. But once he realizes the import of what he's done, he keeps doing it, trying to use his powers for good, with some hilarious (and some disastrous) results.

    I wondered about the premise before seeing the movie. What would the "ban" on lying include? As it turns out, the authors went whole hog. When they say no one's ever lied in this world, they mean *in any way*. No fictional stories, no lies by omission, no intentional deceit, and no religion. Basically the rule on this imaginary world has always been: you can't say anything that *isn't*. No one's ever thought of doing such a thing. So, if two people tell you two different things, then one of them is mistaken.

    The story starts of hilariously, with Gervais' and Jennifer Garner's characters meeting for a date. She's hot, and he's dumpy. They waste no time telling each other this, in all honesty, including their doubts and worries about the date. Flattery doesn't exist, because it's a form of lying. Keeping silent to spare someone's feelings is also lying, and so has never been done.

    Think of all the things that wouldn't exist if no one had ever said anything that wasn't true... For instance, words like true, untrue, belief, unbelievable, fiction, lying, etc. -- none of those words can exist. There are no churches, no novels. All movies are historical or documentary. All news shows only tell the truth.

    When Bellison suddenly realizes he can say things that don't agree with reality, he quickly learns what power that holds, both for good and evil. He can walk into a bank and tell them he has quite a bit of money in his bank account -- they'll assume their computers have made a mistake.

    In the course of the story, Bellison learns how to make people feel better about themselves by telling little white lies. He invents fictional movies, and later religion. Religion came naturally, because everyone was scared of the nothingness that comes after death. He assured them that good things would follow death, at least for good people.

    Religious people are unlikely to enjoy the movie, since it gets to the heart of why most early religions were started -- to cure that fear of life and fear of the unknown after death (besides the ability to control large groups of people).

    To sum up this is a well-thought out and well-executed movie. The funny parts are really funny, and the sad parts are really sad. Worth a look if your in the mood for something different.
  • hunterjt13
    December 8, 2010
    hunterjt13
    It would be an understatement to say that I wasn't expecting much out of this film. I figured I would see half-hearted gags like the one featured on the trailer in which the Gervais character convinces a woman to have sex with him based on her innate gullibility; in the full fil... read morem, Mark abandons the prospect once they get to the motel named "Motel to have sex with complete strangers." Rather, Gervais and company use the prospect of ultimate gullibility to lampoon religion, superstition, and greed, and they make a rather touching, romantic point about the necessity to be honest in love.
    I wondered, though, that the world in which there is no lying has all the trappings and technologies of our own. In our world, everybody lies. Without exception. Everybody lies. And wouldn't a world where something so innate is so radically different be substantively changed? How do you elect honest politicians? Did Kennedy die? Did the government tell the truth about it? I'm probably taking the film's premise farther than the filmmakers want me to take it, but it's an interesting reflection nonetheless.
    Overall, the film is well-made, and I had no idea that Gervais was as good a dramatic actor as he is. There are moments when he is true and emotionally effective.
  • Gx7
    September 19, 2010
    Gx7
    Lying: Def - To present false information with the intention of deceiving.

    Is lying bad? Can lying be good? I dont like people who lie to me, most especially about the small teeny weeny things, cuz if you can lie to me about those then what more about the big stuff? This movie m... read moreakes lying seem to be a good thing IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS, and then it mixes it with a light jab of an aetheists view of religion and my aunties views about partnership and marriage (Genetics, oh you know old people and their views about how things should be..).

    Twas quite enjoyable ^_^

    Most folks probably hated this cuz it does give out this message that "Oh, its okay to lie." -- Im not gonna go into the whole debate thing. Just watch it if you like the trailer, if not, then dont! :P!

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan F. Richards
November 22, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

There are cycles of inspiration and rebirth, but the barbed promise of the early going loses its way in choices aimed at sentimentality rather than, as Harvey Kurtzman memorably put it, humor in a jug... Full Review

A.O. Scott
October 5, 2009
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

It's bogged down in too many squishy romantic-comedy pieties. Full Review

Michael Phillips
October 5, 2009
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

I think the first half hour would be almost impossible to sustain because it is so inspired. Full Review

Anthony Lane
October 5, 2009
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

The last third of the movie is as bad as anything I've seen this year, with the laughs trailing off, and half of the supporting characters, the zestier ones, being airbrushed from the frame. Full Review

Dana Stevens
October 2, 2009
Dana Stevens, Slate

Despite the ambitious scope of its premise, this confounding, disappointing and, in the end, depressing movie is content to devote 80 percent of its screen time to wondering who gets to kiss the girl. Full Review

J. R. Jones
October 2, 2009
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The romantic plot, involving his unrequited loved for Garner, is soured by her character's unconcealed shallowness. Full Review

Tom Charity
October 2, 2009
Tom Charity, CNN.com

The movie never surpasses the gleeful hilarity of the first 25 minutes, when it allows us to imagine just how crushing and soulless this nakedly Darwinian universe would be. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
October 2, 2009
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

The movie is smart and silly. Full Review

Betsy Sharkey
October 2, 2009
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

[It] does have its moments -- most of them courtesy of Gervais and his very specific brand of self-deprecating, always equivocating comedy -- just not nearly enough of them. Full Review

Liam Lacey
October 2, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The result is an erratically funny but often frustrating comedy, with an interesting premise hobbled by internal inconsistencies and uneven writing. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Mark Bellison: The world is going to end unless we have sex right now.
    • Greg: If I could do anything? Anything at all? I would touch a girl's boobs.
    • Bob: Hi, I'm Bob I'm the spokesperson for the Coca-Cola company. I'm here today to ask you to continue buying coke. Sure it's a drink you've been drinking for years, and if you still enjoy it, I'd like to remind you to buy it again sometime soon. It's basically just brown sugar water, we haven't changed the ingredients much lately, so there's nothing new I can tell you about that. We changed the can around a little bit though. See, the colors here are different there, and we added a polar bear so the kids like us. Coke is very high in sugar and like any high calorie soda it can lead to obesity in children and adults who don't sustain a very healthy diet. So that's it, it's coke. It's very famous, everyone knows it. I'm Bob, I work for coke, and I'm asking you to not stop buying coke. That's all.It's a bit sweet. Thank you. Share this quote
    • Brad Kessler: We both know that one day you're going to lose your looks.
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The Invention of Lying Trivia

  • which of the following actors did not have a part to play in Ricky Gervais 'invention of lying'  Answer »
  • Which actor did a cameo in the movie The invention of Lying?  Answer »
  • What is the first lie that Mark tells in The Invention of Lying?  Answer »
  • Who cameos as the cop in The Invention of lying?  Answer »
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