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Rating: Country: USA Release Date: January 19, 2010 Distributor: Warner Home Video Director: · Ricky Gervais · Matthew Robinson Cast: · Ricky Gervais · Jennifer Garner · Rob Lowe · Jeffrey Tambor Related Sites: · IMDb: The Invention of Lying Grade: B-

"The Invention of Lying" is a difficult film to review, personally. On the one hand, Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson have created a unique fantasy setting in which their story can unfold: a world parallel to our own, but in which nobody has ever developed the capacity to lie; and, since no one can tell a lie, it is therefore assumed that all statements a person utters are the truth.

Mark Bellison (Gervais) is at the lowest point of his life. He's just lost his job at Lecture Pictures (film studios, with no history of fiction, film lecturers holding forth on historical facts; Bellison's work on the Black Plague wasn't a box office hit), and he's being evicted from his apartment. When he goes to the bank to withdraw his remaining three hundred dollars, the system just happens to be down... and as the teller asks Mark what his balance is, we get a Bryan Singer-esque zoom into Mark's head as evolution snaps and he tells the lady, "Eight hundred dollars." It's the first lie ever uttered on Earth, and even though the computer system just happens to come up right then, contradicting his claim, it is the computer that is believed to be in error, and Mark is given his money.

With the realization of his newfound ability, Mark sets out to make the world better for himself and, eventually, those around him, preventing a suicide, cheering up old folks, and getting a homeless man back on his feet. But it's when his ailing mother is on her deathbed, fearing the end, that a broken-down Mark -- hoping to help her face her demise without fear -- tells the biggest whopper of them all, within earshot of the incredulous doctors and nurses, who hang on his every word: Mark Bellison invents the concept of an afterlife, a Heaven, and the major crux of most religion.

And therein lies the real plot of "The Invention of Lying" -- that religion itself is a lie, a fiction, perpetrated upon the people. Soon, throngs of people demand to know more from Mark about the "invisible man in the sky," ready to kill him for making bad things happen and ready to love him for making good things happen. Mark Bellison is the prophet of a new age, and even begins to take on a Christ-like appearance after locking himself away from the world for a few months.

Beneath all this is a subplot of a love story, where Mark fights against all odds to win the heart of Anna (Jennifer Garner), who herself has an eye for the smarmy Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe), Mark's rival at Lecture Films. He could, of course, lie to her that it's the will of the man in the sky that she marry him, but that would be cheating.

If you can get past the anti-religious screed aspect of the film (which occupies nearly half of the screen time), the fictional world of "The Invention of Lying" has quite a few funny moments -- particularly when we see how marketing and advertising work. However, the whole thing could also leave a bit of a sour taste, despite exceptional performances from Gervais and Jeffrey Tambor. This one is not for the easily offended.

Bonus features on this release include a mini-movie prequel for "The Dawn of Lying" in which a caveman (Gervais) first develops the gene for telling tales to the rest of the tribe. "A Truly 'Honest' Making-of Featurette" follows that, where the stars lavish praise on Gervais (and vice-versa), but is, for the most part, a behind the scenes look with a lot of high-energy interviews from the cast members.

"Meet Karl Pilkington" follows the travails of the actor brought in by Gervais to play one of the cavemen -- it's not all glitz and glamour, apparently, and Gervais has a great time putting Pilkington through the wringer. The bonus features wrap with a collection of "Ricky and Matt's Video Podcasts," some deleted scenes, and a smattering of outtakes.