The Invention of Lying
Rated PG-13
(language including some sexual material and a drug reference)
1 hour 40 minutes
Storyline:
A comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.
Starring:
Ricky Gervais
Jennifer Garner
Rob Lowe
Critics Grade:
D+
My Grade:
C
Well the last movie Ricky Gervais brought us was Ghost Town, which was a freaking hilarious movie that I loved! He also is the creator of the British The Office which of course inspired the American version we have today. He's a funny man. There's no denying that. However, I don't really know if his brand of comedy worked this time around.
The movie has a really cool, funny idea: what if the entire world did not know the concept of telling a lie. Not even a harmful little white lie. What if everyone said exactly what they thought and felt at that moment? It would be one messed up world right? Well the characters in this movie are shockingly honest...because that's all they know. That is where all the comedy comes from in this movie. I have to admit there were a lot of very brutal but hilarious comments said in this film. But after a while, they grew kinda tiresome. They got old real quick. The jokes lasted to long. Don't get me wrong, it was a "funny" movie, but not consistently funny. I never laughed out loud (or LOL'd to some of you text savvy people) in this movie. It just got a few hearty chuckles out of me...as well as the audience I was with. Actually there was a lot of dead silence through a handful of the "funny" moments. I don't think most people "got it". I don't think I did.
The writing was OK, but it could have been better. It had an interesting premise, but a pretty bland and unoriginal storyline. It ends up being this gimmicky romantic comedy by the conclusion of the film. It's predictable. It's actually kind of boring. Not awful, just...eh. It had some good performances though. Ricky Gervais has perfect comedic timing and I hope he does more films. I like his genre of comedy. Most of the time. For me the star of the film was Jennifer Garner (TV's Alias, Juno). I was really impressed with her work here. She was perfect for this character. She was funny. She was blunt. She was great, and I'm not normally a huge fan of her movies. This film also had a slew of cool, sometimes funny cameos or small roles: Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Louis C.K., Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Tambor and Jonah Hill. It was a good cast.
Overall, I thought the movie was kinda funny but also kinda a snoozefest. Ricky Gervais is capable of being so much better than this. I was not impressed with the overall film. However, I think some people will still enjoy it. I can't recommend that you go out and pay for it full price, but maybe see it at your dollar theater in a few months, or just wait for the DVD. That's my thought.
The movie has a really cool, funny idea: what if the entire world did not know the concept of telling a lie. Not even a harmful little white lie. What if everyone said exactly what they thought and felt at that moment? It would be one messed up world right? Well the characters in this movie are shockingly honest...because that's all they know. That is where all the comedy comes from in this movie. I have to admit there were a lot of very brutal but hilarious comments said in this film. But after a while, they grew kinda tiresome. They got old real quick. The jokes lasted to long. Don't get me wrong, it was a "funny" movie, but not consistently funny. I never laughed out loud (or LOL'd to some of you text savvy people) in this movie. It just got a few hearty chuckles out of me...as well as the audience I was with. Actually there was a lot of dead silence through a handful of the "funny" moments. I don't think most people "got it". I don't think I did.
The writing was OK, but it could have been better. It had an interesting premise, but a pretty bland and unoriginal storyline. It ends up being this gimmicky romantic comedy by the conclusion of the film. It's predictable. It's actually kind of boring. Not awful, just...eh. It had some good performances though. Ricky Gervais has perfect comedic timing and I hope he does more films. I like his genre of comedy. Most of the time. For me the star of the film was Jennifer Garner (TV's Alias, Juno). I was really impressed with her work here. She was perfect for this character. She was funny. She was blunt. She was great, and I'm not normally a huge fan of her movies. This film also had a slew of cool, sometimes funny cameos or small roles: Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Louis C.K., Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Tambor and Jonah Hill. It was a good cast.
Overall, I thought the movie was kinda funny but also kinda a snoozefest. Ricky Gervais is capable of being so much better than this. I was not impressed with the overall film. However, I think some people will still enjoy it. I can't recommend that you go out and pay for it full price, but maybe see it at your dollar theater in a few months, or just wait for the DVD. That's my thought.
It's too bad it wasn't as funny as it looked. I really wanted to see it but will now wait until it comes on cable.
ReplyDelete