The Invention of Lying (2009): And Here You Thought Honesty Was The Best Policy
Written: Oct 02 '09 (Updated Oct 03 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: An original point of view.
Cons: The problem(s) are bigger than can be dealt with in the film.
The Bottom Line: The Invention of Lying is, for many, the beginning of the study of truth.
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| Ed.Williamson's Full Review: The Invention of Lying |
The Invention of Lying is the kind of movie that a nerdy guy should take the pretty A-girl to on a date, if he should be so lucky as to get her to say "yes." You know the dumpy, bespeckled guy who plays the part of the "PC" as over against young, handsome "Mac" in Apple's very effective TV commercials? Well, he's not the hero in this highly original little cinematic fable, but he (PC) does have a bit part, and in a way he is another symbolic reminder that dumpy, nerdy, can't-get-no-respect guys in this world need love too. And in the film one guy succeeds at that in spades.
Note: I don't want to give away too much about this film. If you haven't seen it you are denying yourself a special surprise if you read the reviews and get too much of an idea about it, and especially if you read a spoiler and learn all about it. My review is probably vague enough and short enough that you won't learn too much, but I suggest that you you just say no and wait..'til you've seen the movie. If you love movies, you'll respect yourself in the morning. Anyway...
The world of The Invention of Lying is a fantasyland, surreal, other-dimension-of-the-universe sort of place where people are compulsive truth-tellers; as a matter of fact they always tell the truth even if it hurts like a paper cut in a jar of alcohol. I went to see this film with fellow epinionator Mike Holmes, who is a lawyer, and when I quipped to him that lawyers could probably not exist in a world where everyone (including attorneys) had to tell the truth every time they spoke any utterance, he laughed and agreed with me, so you can believe it is pretty funny if it can make a lawyer laugh like that at the craziness that goes on in "our world."
One of the most interesting effects of observing such a world, where the unvarnished truth is always and without fail spoken as a normal course of action, is that we begin to see, as Jack Nicholson once reminded us, that not only "You can't handle the truth," but that we can't really handle lies very well, either, even when a lie makes us happier than the truth.
Into this world one day a man breaks through the truth barrier and, in an act of supposed benevolence, lies like a rug to his dying mother. She dies peacefully, with a smile on her face. People who hear the lie are so enchanted by it that they, and soon thousands of others, begin to deify him. Through his chain of untruths, many more people are helped in the world than by all the bald-faced truths and honesty that an idealistic society can bring. And eventually the man, whose life, including his love-life, begins to improve. In a kind of upside-down way, in this world dishonesty becomes the best policy. That is, until the chickens come home to roost.
The story is very original indeed, and while there are moments of absolute classic brilliance within it, the film has its silly moments as well, and when it begins to dabble in religion, it begins to lose momentum and the credibility veers downward to nosedive. Even so, the originality and the flashes of brilliance keep everything, overall, above-board. This may even become a minor classic or a cult film or both.
I'm telling you the truth. (Heh, heh.)
The Invention of Lying stars Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, and many other fine actors.
Four Stars/ ****
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Script
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Ed.Williamson
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Member: Ed Williamson
Location: Way Out West, USA
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