Ricky Gervais‘ The Invention of Lying is a comedy that takes place in an alternate reality in which the human species has never discovered how to deceive one another. In this reality, Coca-Cola’s advertising slogan is “Please continue buying Coke–it’s very famous” and its competitor’s is ”Pepsi–when they don’t have Coke.” Films are produced, but without any capacity for invention or creativity, they merely consist of a handsome reader speaking to the camera about true historical events. Some of these events seem less probable in a world where no one can lie, of course–would the Black Plague have raged for so long if no one could spread the rumor that the cats were responsible? But what Gervais really created here is more of a satirical thought experiment (á la Idiocracy), hardly to be confused with true speculative fiction.This world may seem pretty cold and harsh in the film’s opening segments, but amidst the cruel and unflinching honesty being flung everywhere (particularly by the more attractive and successful characters), there are some lovely little moments that a lot of viewers might miss. For example, when Gervais’ character visits his mother (Fionnula Flanagan) at a retirement home (a building emblazoned with the words “A Sad Hopeless Place for Old People”) and tells her that he loves her, you know that he’s being completely honest. Love and sweetness have a hard time finding expression in this world, but they do exist. But the titular event occurs about a half an hour in, when it suddenly occurs to him to tell a lie to a bank teller and she accepts it as the truth even though her computer contradicts him. Thus he has gained a superpower that can earn him fabulous wealth and success. It enables him to befriend the woman he longs for (Jennifer Garner), though she still can’t bring herself to consider him as a mate. As a result of telling one crucial “white lie,” he ends up inventing religion.
This last plot point will surely upset some. Gervais is certainly making the case that religion depends on deception for its very existence. But as incisively subversive as this movie can get, it never seemed to me that his goal was to attack the believers among us. Rather, he’s pointing out that lies can often be the lubrication in our society that make life livable. I also think he perhaps meant to craft a subtle parable about the mechanics of Darwinian evolution and adaptation. While it seems intuitive to many that “survival of the fittest” means that the strongest or fastest are naturally the best, Darwin really meant that an organism need only have traits that allow it to flourish and survive, whatever form those traits may take. Gervais undergoes a mutation in this world and acquires a new, valuable trait. While everyone around him intuits that he is a weaker, less intelligent individual and therefore will not be selected for reproduction, this new trait in fact makes him substantially more successful in his environment, and the likelihood that will appear in the next generation is much greater.
But enough about all that stuff. I really thought this was a very funny movie, though I acknowledge that not everyone will agree with me–some may in fact be offended. I certainly found it to be the most surprisingly thought-provoking comedy I saw in 2009, one that I pondered for days after I left the theater. After all, as Gervais proved at the Golden Globes on Sunday, he has a great propensity for provocation. It just depends on whether you want to be in on his joke. – [DVD]
Comedy/Fantasy/Romance
Rated PG-13
DVD Release Date: 1/19/10
[...] THE INVENTION OF LYING [...]
Hi Will,
” Big Fan ” (poignant). Robert Siegal’s writing portrays hero worship in athletics. It reminded me how difficult (or easy) it is to embody or project my inner gold.
thanks for the tip
Jeff
The lives of others (for video station)
a large Russian possibly a Ukrainian
with a long beak like Kevin Bacon
or John Malkovich
nothing meek or pretty about this guy
but i get a kick out of him
because he’s willing to share his criticism of film and television
I give him credit for having a strong point of view
I come from a family and culture that
expresses little passion
he points out his admiration for one particular movie
which won the academy award for best foreign film
…I concur with him… in this particular movie the protagonist
is a middle level bureaucrat that is paid
to rat out creative people
while secretly listening to a conversation between composers
the protagonist begins feeling the depths of his pain about
never really connecting with his creativity
a light goes off inside and he hears music
he’s never heard before
yet is all to familiar
he hears music of his childhood
when he stood in wonder
of trees or mountains
he hears something that truly mirrors
what he is feeling and it
awakens his soul.
2008
Jeff
the Little M (for my Brother)
6 Foot Five fully alive
he paced the lobby
of the Hilton Hotel
in Downtown Chicago
It was the night before
the 5th game of the Stanley Cup
1971 Chicago Blackhawks verses Montreal Canadiens
Peter Mahovlich for the Canadian’s
was pacing the lobby of the Hilton Hotel
Center of his team
it seems he was a bit nervous
the night before the big game
and a neighbor* of mine saw
him in the hotel lobby
I idealized Mahovlich because
he was tall like the men in my family
one of Hockey’s all time great centers
with tremendous reach and grace
I paced back in forth in my own mind
because the Canadiens were so good
and I loved my Hawks
but the talk on the street
was that as good as the Hawk’s were
they couldn’t penetrate the Canadien’s defense
and Kenny Dryden’s goaltending
I’m mending old memories as I write this
Mahovlich literally looked like my Little Brother
tremendous grace he didn’t waist a stride
he didn’t abide in bull… or cr…
he tapped into something truly beautiful
and when he picked up the puck
and skated it down ice
twice I’d seen him go all the way
then set up his man
draw the goalie out just far enough
to let his wing tip it in
winning means nothing to me
unless you got guts and finesse
I could care less
2006
Jeff