THE INVENTION OF LYING (Rated PG-13)
The concept of fabricating alternate realities may have conceivably originated with politicians and lawyers, both usually interchangeable. I say this only because these two professions appear to predate advertising and public relations.
And getting back to the original notion, it seems such a reasonably easy case to make these days about shady political leaders, if you are paying the slightest bit of attention. Thus, it is a revelation to find that dishonesty has, in fact, been created by some loser working in a dead-end job as a documentary filmmaker.
Well, that’s the premise behind “The Invention of Lying,” where British comedian Ricky Gervais, the original egotistical office manager in the BBC series “The Office,” is going through the motions of being the same likable oaf he played most recently in “Ghost Town.”
Here, Gervais’ Mark Bellison labors at Lecture Films as a screenwriter for historical documentaries. His chosen field is the 14th century, and he’s incapable of making the Black Plague anything but depressing. Mark inhabits a world where the concept of lying is unknown (obviously a make-believe place). No one is capable of telling a lie, even a small white one that could avert hurt feelings. In fact, people blurt out all sorts of insulting opinions.
Mark is about to be fired from his job, except that his boss (Jeffrey Tambor) has to screw up the courage to tell him. Meanwhile, his mean-spirited, acerbic secretary (Tina Fey) has no hesitation in expressing her extreme distaste for Mark, as she gleefully anticipates his departure.
Making matters worse is that Mark’s rival, personally and professionally, the obnoxious Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe), is the perfect physical specimen who will interfere with any chance for Mark to find romance with Anna (Jennifer Garner).
In an unlikely blind date, Mark finds himself arriving to pick up the pretty Anna, only to find out that she expresses great doubt how the evening will turn out. At dinner, she frankly tells Mark that he is out of her league, and even the waiter chimes in to agree with her. Anna believes her future is with the tall, handsome type who will be the perfect genetic match to fulfill her child-bearing desires. Apparently, truth in this alternate world leads to a lot of superficial thinking.
Losing his job and facing eviction from his apartment, Mark hits upon the idea of lying in order to solve his problems. At the bank, he insists that he has more money in his account than the computer shows. Armed with a fistful of money because the teller believes him, Mark starts to turn his life around by fibbing his way to fame and fortune. He gains acclaim as a screenwriter by concocting a fanciful documentary about aliens invading the earth during the 14th century. He convinces his depressed neighbor (Jonah Hill) that everything will be OK and to forget suicide.
“The Invention of Lying” works best at originating its comedy when spoofing a world without guile or deception. Even advertising works with certain catchphrases, such as the ad for Pepsi that reads “When They Don’t Have Coke.” A motel bills itself as “a cheap place to have sex with strangers.”
Hitting closer to home for Mark is that his dying mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is at a retirement home which is called “A Sad Place for Homeless Old People.” The story takes a big turn when Mark tells his mother in her waning moments that she is going to a better place where she will live in a mansion.
To soothe his mother’s fear, Mark tells her about the Man in the Sky and the afterlife. Word spreads quickly that Mark is a prophet, and soon he is forced to emerge from his apartment with a set of commandments written on pizza boxes.
All along, the storyline is attempting to work in a romantic angle between Mark and Anna, which is mostly sabotaged by Anna’s insistence on a mate who’s not pudgy and snub-nosed. On the other hand, it veers off into a spoof of organized religion, since Mark is pressed by anxious mobs to explain faith in a higher being.
If you take what you find on YouTube at face value, Ricky Gervais claims to be an atheist, and since he’s half of the writing and directing force behind “The Invention of Lying,” one could assume that his own beliefs (or lack thereof) factor into the movie’s underlying theme.
In any event, this is a comedy that starts strong, mainly because fertile laughs are mined from the inevitable fallout from strict adherence to the truth, regardless of feelings or good sense. But it runs out of gas and peters out to a weak finish. Maybe I should have checked out “Zombieland.”
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Whenever you mention Murphy’s Law, it usually refers to something that goes wrong. But for the BBC TV series “Murphy’s Law,” now being released on DVD for its first season, everything goes right, particularly for delivering an undercover cop drama starring the award-winning actor James Nesbitt, who became a household name in Britain for his roles in “Waking Ned Devine” and “Cold Feet.”
Nesbitt brings his considerable Irish charm to the role of hardheaded, hard-drinking undercover cop Tommy Murphy.
The tough maverick Irish cop takes on the London crime world, accepting the most dangerous assignments that include drugs, blackmail and murder.
“Murphy’s Law” offers Nesbitt to be as interesting a character to watch as Helen Mirren in “Prime Suspect” or Robbie Coltrane in “Cracker.” Here’s hoping the Brits will keep turning out compelling crime dramas.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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