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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Audience Member

Goofy lil movie. dont knock it till you try it 70/100

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

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Drewpac M

this was so good! the storyline was solid and when his mother dies made me think better when i die and and the bit where he says "WE HAVE TO HAVE SEX OR THE WORLD IS GONNA END," was funny! you must see this + at the end where the girl says "i wanna have kids who are fat and have snubby noses," is the best way to end a movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

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Paweł K

A great movie by Ricky Gervais. It seems that most people don't understand his humor, but I think its great . The movie was better than I expected. The story was surprisingly good considering the simple concept.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/05/25

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Wendel L

Direção: Ok Atuação: Ok Roteiro: Bom Caracterização: Ok Soundtrack: Bom

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/05/24

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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

Full Review

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Ricky Gervais

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Matthew Robinson

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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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