In a world where people have never developed the capacity to deceive, one man suddenly finds himself with the ability to lie. It's a world with no polite half-truths, no cheating, and no imagination. It is, in a sense, a world of caveman simplicity brought to the 21st century, with people who say whatever pops into their head, and only look for mates based on genetics, status, and wealth... but mostly genetics. Commercials offer such ringing endorsements as, "I don't know. Please keep buying our product, because... well, we want your money."
Stumbling along in this world is a pudgy, snub-nosed man named Mark (Ricky Gervais). Mark is a loser, and he has no shortage of people willing to make sure he doesn't forget it, because they don't really have much choice. When everything about his life turns about as ugly as possible, Mark discovers something very odd about himself, he can lie.
The Invention of Lying follows Mark's story, and it turns out that there's a lot about life that goes rather funny if no one can lie.
As Mark comes to terms with his newfound ability, the trickiest thing for him ultimately turns out to be the idea that no one can comprehend it. Like going back in time and trying to explain complex math, or subatomic particles to people who have barely wrapped their minds around numbers, Mark can't get anyone to come close to the concept.
This is all the more frustrating for him for two major reasons. First, everything he says leads people to want to know more about whatever yarn he's spinning at the moment. Second, there are a lot of other concepts he'd really like people to understand. Being with someone, for example, because you like them, snub-nose or no.
The movie opens with Mark going on a blind date with Anna (Jennifer Garner). He's had a crush on her for some time, but she's way out of his league. The date goes as expected, though she claims to have had a better time than she thought she would. Mark tries again once he's learned to lie, and though they become best friends, it doesn't change anything. Fat, snub-nosed babies and so forth.
While the film is an obvious entry for some funny moments, and less than subtle social commentary, it's tempered with Gervais' unique approach to humor. The honesty could easily get old after a while in less capable hands, after all, once we've heard the joke we need something more substantial than further exposition on it forty-five minutes in. But, Gervais has a lot of experience working with honesty, especially from The Office, which is essentially telling the same joke (look at this guy) for most of its run.
Human nature itself may be the standout target here, because people are jerks when it comes down to it and the similarities between worlds are even more apparent than the differences, but there is something more about ethics going on than is immediately apparent, even in a movie that witnesses the invention of religion. Not the rather bumper-sticker obvious stuff about white lies and polite untruths, and the measure of "goodness" on the scale when it's - "not saying mean things even if they're true," or whatever. No, in a world where the lack of ability to lie, imagine, come up with fiction stories, and other things besides has resulted in man's inability even to come up with the idea of his own soul, it is telling the truth itself which has lost out most on the bargain. If you can't lie, as Anna comes to understand (a bit) at the end, you may say things that are true all the time, but that's very different from telling the truth.
Rating: 
The Blu-Ray DVD is a nice release with a good number of bonuses, but fans may find themselves wishing for a commentary track.
Bonuses include -
· More Laughter: Corpsing and Outtakes
· Prequel: The Dawn of Lying
· Meet Karl Pilkington
· A Truly “Honest” Making of Featurette with Ricky Gervais
· Ricky and Matt's Video Podcasts
· Deleted Scenes
· Digital Copy on Disc
The Making Of Featurette and the Corpsing and Outtakes are practically two parts of the same feature. Corpsing, in case you haven't run across the term, is when you burst out laughing and ruin a take when filming. Gervais is apparently a world-class corpser. These two features together run through a lot of behind-the-scenes moments, such as the dreaded Nerf gun battles, and offer a lot of interview clips with the cast discussing the movie itself and their time working with Gervais.
The Podcasts and deleted scenes are nice inclusions, showcasing more of Gervais at his best, but they are what they are. You'll like having them, but they don't push things to a higher level.
The Prequel featurette looks back at the caveman version of the invention of lying. It's a bit of a laugh, but not particularly long, and is most entertaining simply by virtue of the idea that the stars went through with it.
Meet Karl Pilkington is one of the stranger features you'll run into on a disc. At something like twenty minutes long, it details the trip of one of Gervais' friends to the set to be in the film. In some sort of Punk'd for bonus features, Gervais ends up goofing on said friend for a while, and his part doesn't end up in the picture. It's a very strange, though somewhat humorous trip.
This is a solid release overall, and the behind-the-scenes time with Gervais is worthwhile, but fans of the film, or Gervais, may hope for a bit more.
Invention of Lying available on Blu-ray™, DVD and Download 1/19
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
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