The Invention of Lying

“The Invention of Lying” is a film written by Ricky Gervais and Mathew Robinson who, together, also directed the film. Starring Mr. Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jeffrey Tambor, Tina Fey and Rob Lowe, this is a movie based on one gag and tries to carry it through the entire film. It does not succeed in that endeavor. The characters in the film have little or no depth and, but for the extraordinary talents of Mr. Gervais and Ms. Garner, the film falls flat in its effort to be a surrealistic piece where everyone tells the truth. As someone aptly put it, the film “just misses the mark” and what could have been a hilarious excursion into the problems of being too candid and honest, ends up being just a sad attempt that failed. I give the film 2 and ½ stars because, like the characters in the film I “cannot tell a lie”.