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Directed by Ricky Gervais
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The Invention
of Lying “The Invention of
Lying” is one of those films that studios have absolutely no concept of
how to promote, or for that matter even exactly what it is. The conceit is that everyone in the
world can only tell the truth, which makes for some startling advertising
signs (Pepsi ads say: “For When They Don’t Have Coke.” a
retirement home is called “A Sad Place Where Homeless Old People Come
to Die”). It was written
and directed by Ricky Gervais and is about, well,
the invention of lying – or I should say, the invention of imagination,
which is actually a very different thing. Ricky Gervais
(Mark Bellison) is a screenwriter, and not a very
good one, at a studio called “Lecture Films,” where each writer
is given one century to write a screenplay for, sticking only to the facts,
which will be delivered by an authority sitting in a chair. Unfortunately, Mark has been given the
14th century (the black death) and he can’t seem to make it
very interesting. He’s
about to be fired, when he goes into the bank to take out his last three
hundred dollars, and then something happens: The teller tells him the computers are
down and how much money would he like.
He thinks, and then says “$800.” She gives it to him and apologises for the mistake. Now the light goes on in
Mark’s head as he realizes that he is onto something. He has a date with Jennifer Garner who
announces that he’s arrived too early and interrupted her masturbation,
and by the way he is too short and pudgy for her to be seriously interested
in him. But this new invention
has taken hold of him, and at his next visit to A Sad Place he tells his
mother that there is a man in the sky who will give her a mansion when she
dies, and she will see all of her friends there. Soon all the other patients are
energized by Mark’s invention, and are looking forward to death. Word spreads quickly and
the world beats a path to his door; he writes out a statement from The Man In
The Sky on two pizza cartons, which the world takes a gospel. By some miracle of screenwriting, Mark
does not get delusions of grandeur, but stays within his world of limited
achievements, which is a much better idea for the film. The whole thing is a delicious comment
on religion and truth, and Gervais as screenwriter
and director does a very good job. |
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