The Invention of Lying

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The Invention of Lying

PG-13

Released Oct 2, 2009

1h 39m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

56%

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186 Reviews

39%

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250,000+ Ratings

Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a down-on-his-luck writer who lives in world where falsehoods are completely unknown. When Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, the notion that "honesty is the best policy" goes out the window, and he uses his newfound skill for personal gain.

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Critics Consensus

It doesn't quite follow through on its promise, and relies too heavily on shopworn romantic comedy tropes, but The Invention of Lying is uncommonly sly and funny.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Not funny or surreal enough to distract you from its shortcomings and not subversive enough, if at all, to actually have something to say.

Aug 30, 2018

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Giles Hardie

Sydney Morning Herald

Somewhere between a great concept and an awful script The Invention of Lying got lost in its own truth gimmick. But the truth is, it starts bad and just gets worse.

Rated: 1/5

Feb 6, 2018

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

I kid you not when I say I sat there wondering is there nothing more to this film? Am I overlooking something? I don't think so, and I couldn't wait for the lights to go up.

Jan 17, 2018

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

[An] instantly original and at times ingenious for purporting moral and social discourse, as through the guise of a typical rom-com it confronts the audience with the very core of their beliefs and behaviors.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 30, 2023

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Jason Best

Movie Talk

The Invention of Lying has some good gags... But the flat direction becomes wearisome and the story runs out of steam before it even reaches a romcom ending that is more sentimental than subversive.

Nov 27, 2020

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Megan Basham

WORLD

The Invention of Lying, which Gervais wrote, directed, and stars in, is only a comedy for about 20 minutes. The rest is an atheistic treatise mocking anyone who believes there is a God and that He imposed a moral order on the world.

Dec 14, 2018

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Daniel W

I’m a Ricky Gervais fan so I understand and like his humor. Judging by the audience reviews, people didn’t understand the concept of the movie. With that being said, I’ve seen this movie a couple of times and it’s funny and worth the time to watch,

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

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Jace E

On the surface, this movie could have been brilliant. Take a world where no one can lie and have a man discover the power of fibbing. In the first act, the premise actually works. There are some funny "full-truth" moments and some interesting manipulation. The movie starts to go downhill when Gervais' atheist views trickle into the script and create some sacrilegious moments. From the "Man in the Sky" talk to the pizza box commandments, the film just crossed the line a little too often. The love story is actually pretty sweet and seeing the development of Jennifer Gardner's character is one of the strongest elements of the script. Unfortunately, the movie's ending is poor and half-baked. The potential was there, but the movie just ventured too hard into mockery. Best Character: Anna Best Quote: "'It's basically just brown sugar water, we haven't changed the ingredients much lately, so there's nothing new I can tell you about that." - Bob Best Scene: Discovering the Ability to Lie

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/16/24

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Nicolas P

Not funny or interesting. The characters and story line weren't interesting enough to keep my attention.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/14/24

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두식 김

Dinner with someone who likes to be cynical but doesn’t have enough contents in his brain to make it work, is quite painful. And it’s even more painful when it’s a whole movie instead.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/19/24

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Chris O

This is an underrated and profound movie. Maybe a little on the nose at times. I think a lot of the negative reviews are people who are sensitive about films that poke fun at religion.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

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Ariana J

Such a brilliant, beautiful dark comedy. Ricky Gervais at his best, it's moving and so very funny.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

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Ricky Gervais

Director

Matthew Robinson

Director

Ricky Gervais

Mark Bellison

Jennifer Garner

Anna McDoogles

Jonah Hill

Frank

Louis C.K.

Greg

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Synopsis

Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a down-on-his-luck writer who lives in world where falsehoods are completely unknown. When Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, the notion that "honesty is the best policy" goes out the window, and he uses his newfound skill for personal gain.

Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Producer: Lynda Obst, Oliver Obst, Ricky Gervais, Dan Lin
Screenwriter: Ricky Gervais
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Radar Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Language|A Drug Reference|Some Sexual Material)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 2, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.4M
Runtime: 1h 39m

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