Invention of Lying (Rhoades)

“Invention of Lying” Is Truthfully Funny
Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

I find it hard to image a world where there’s no lying. My second cousin was a notorious liar. My first wife didn’t always stick to the truth. A couple of my business competitors spoke with forked tongues. And didn’t Rep. Joe Wilson recently shout, “You lie!” at the President of the United States?

The new Ricky Gervais comedy deals with the subject of prevarication. “The Invention of Lying” is currently playing at the Tropic Cinema. Honest.

Trust me when I tell you the plot’s the reverse of that 1997 Jim Carrey film, “Liar Liar.”
In “Liar Liar,” a lawyer cannot lie for 24 hours due to his son’s birthday wish, while in “The Invention of Lying” a writer tells the world’s very first fib.

You guess it: “The Invention of Lying” takes place in an alternate universe. And British comedian Ricky Gervais portrays this original fibber. In a world where politicians and advertising agencies speak truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth, he discovers that it’s easy to get ahead when you have the ability to lie. With the entire populace hanging onto your every whopper, you can have anything you want. Except the woman you love (in this case, Jennifer Garner).

Written and directed by Gervais, he finds lying funny. But ol’ Ricky can afford to be philosophic about it. He has a degree in philosophy.

“This is the greatest movie ever made,” he says. I’m sure he’s telling the truth.

Actually, his favorite film is Christopher Guest’s classic mockumentary “This Is spinal Tap.” And – what do you know! – Guest plays a role in this silly film. You’ll also find cameos by Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Ed Norton. Patrick Stewart serves as the film’s stentorian narrator.

Gervais himself would never lie – much. “I’m a lot taller than I look on television and younger … I wear a fat suit under my shirt and trousers. Really I’m about 25 and about 6’ 1” tall. So that’s probably why you don’t recognize me in the street,” he says.

Sure, that must explain it.

Tickets to “The Invention of Lying” are free. Popcorn too. Okay, you caught me; I’m lying about the free tickets and popcorn.

srhoades@aol.com
[from Solares Hill]