The Campus

Invention of Lying takes place in an alternate world where everyone can only tell the truth, and the notion of lying is nonexistent. In this utopia (or dystopia, your choice) we meet Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais), the narrator of the story who is frequently referred to as a loser, and rightfully so.

Bellison is a forty-year-old man with a dead-end job and no prospects to find love and happiness. His life reaches an all time low when he is rejected by a beautiful woman, fired from his job and evicted from his apartment. Desperate, he stumbles across the act of lying, but is unable to explain the phenomenon to others since it had not yet been invented.

He preys upon the world as the only liar in it. The discovery quickly makes him rich and famous, but he eventually realizes the consequences of lying. The repercussions of telling lies to the whole world as they take them as universal truths are dire. All the while, Mark's concept of true love prevents him from lying to get the girl of his dreams, Anna (Jennifer Garner).

The film is original and full of light-hearted humor all of which are contributed by the vulgarity and brutal honesty of the people. It takes "keeping it real" and "telling it like it is" to unimaginable heights. There are moments when you will get the sudden urge to bellow in laughter or roll over laughing. Give in to those urges-resisting may be fatal.

A senior center is called "a sad place for old people," where nurses are quite frank about the length of time left for each elderly. They even have a death poll, a popular poll on who's kicking the can next. A shoddy motel on the far side of town is more commonly known as "place where people have sex with near strangers." Following this reasoning, consider what Wall Street would be called.

Expect funny and not much more. There are more holes in the plot than Swiss cheese. The global ramifications of a world nonexistant of lies are left mostly unexplored. The city where the story is set-one that represents a microcosm of the "truth telling" world at large-is a poor depiction. It provokes more questions than it answers. It is, however, not devoid of philosophical considerations. The absurdities of absolute truth reveal how much people today rely on lying in everyday life.

The final verdict: It is a good comedy with a great cast. Ricky Gervais is witty and charming, but by no means sexy and Jennnifer Garner is a doll in every sense of the word. It is definitely worth watching if you have time for some laughs.

Invention of Lying is directed by Ricky Gavais and Mattew Robinson, and is rated PG-13. Opened on October 2, 2009.

Article Tools