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The Invention of Lying
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The Invention of Lying (2009)

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Reviews Counted:169

Fresh:96

Rotten:73

Average Rating:5.8/10

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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Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for language including some sexual material and a drug reference

Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.

Genre: Comedy

Theatrical Release: Oct 2, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $18.4M

Synopsis: Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead. Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead. [More]

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, John Hodgman, Nathan Corddry, Jimmi Simpson, Jason Bateman, Martin Starr, Donna Sorbello, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Stephanie March, Alton Fitzgerald White, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, Roz Ryan, Michael Patrick Gough, Arnie Burton, Ashlie Atkinson, Bobby Moynihan, Shaun Williamson, Stephen Merchant, Cole Jensen, Conner Rayburn, Lisa Paige Robinson, Matthew Stadelmann, Dreama Walker, Rachel Harker, Tate Ellington, Ken Cheeseman, David Pittu, Nada Despotovich, Joe Badalucco, Celeste Oliva

Director: Matthew Robinson , Ricky Gervais

Director: Matthew Robinson , Ricky Gervais
Screenwriter: Ricky Gervais , Matthew Robinson
Producer: Sue baden-Powell
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

[See More Credits]

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    THE INVENTION OF LYING YOURE FIRED
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    THE INVENTION OF LYING ITS A BIRTHDAY COUPON FOR SEX
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    THE INVENTION OF LYING IS SHE YOUR SISTER
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  • THE INVENTION OF LYING ILL ALWAYS BE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN YOU
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    THE INVENTION OF LYING I WANT TO ASK YOU OUT ON ANOTHER DATE
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    THE INVENTION OF LYING ANY MESSAGES
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    THE INVENTION OF LYING UK
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REVIEWS FOR THE INVENTION OF LYING

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1 - 20 of 169 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A high-concept, laugh-free over-indulgence that blows up terribly in the face of its smug star.

Full Review Source: sbs.com.au | comment Comment
Aug 9, 2010
Simon Foster
Simon Foster
sbs.com.au

There's clear comic potential in the film's high concept, and a fair amount of it is realized.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
Jul 6, 2010
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Palo Alto Weekly

A wry case for atheism, The Invention of Lying would have sent many Americans into an uproar if anyone had bothered to see it.

Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | comment Comment
May 19, 2010
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm

Gervais has helped craft a funny but inconsistent film, yet I'd be lying if I didn't mention that I appreciate the ambition and humor put into what could have been a one-note premise.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
Jan 31, 2010
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

...its weakness is its lack of bite. It's too sweet and gentle for its own good.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment 2 Comments
Jan 14, 2010
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Mr. Gervais... has given us a static, crass Phil Connors to introduce the world to belief in the supernatural. Where are the Ghostbusters when you need them?

Full Review Source: Cinemalogue.com | comment Comment
Dec 6, 2009
Rubin Safaya
Rubin Safaya
Cinemalogue.com

Fans of Gervais from the classic TV shows Extras and The Office will enjoy the half-sentences, stop-start comic delivery and awkward pauses that have become his trademark.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
Nov 26, 2009
Jim Schembri
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)

The fatal flaw of The Invention of Lying is that the film conspires with the hero -- not against him -- in a way that's ideologically driven and humourless.

Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment 1 Comment
Nov 26, 2009
Jason Di Rosso
Jason Di Rosso
MovieTime, ABC Radio National

A high-concept comedy with a low yield of laughs, The Invention of Lying fights a losing battle with what was never a winning idea for a movie.

Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | comment Comment
Nov 26, 2009
Leigh Paatsch
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)

Ricky Gervais' new film isn't as out-and-out funny as you might have hoped, but it's still got some funny moments.

Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
Nov 26, 2009
Des Partridge
Des Partridge
Courier Mail (Australia)

Light, touching and entertaining, this comedy turns syrupy towards the end but is nonetheless sweetly affecting.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
Nov 24, 2009
Andrew Moraitis
Andrew Moraitis
FILMINK (Australia)

Ricky Gervais is a brave and creative talent and this subversive, ultimately romantic film about the value of white lies certainly has its moments.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
Nov 22, 2009
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)

There are cycles of inspiration and rebirth, but the barbed promise of the early going loses its way in choices aimed at sentimentality rather than, as Harvey Kurtzman memorably put it, humor in a jugular vein.

Full Review Source: Film.com | comment Comment
Nov 22, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The premise allows the filmmakers latitude to invent a scenario that works as irony and satire about our modern world. It shows, humorously, how impossibly confronting it would be if we really didn't lie, flatter and smooth over our social interactions

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
Nov 20, 2009
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile

A brilliant and original concept, The Invention of Lying is witty, seriously funny and utterly charming. The trick to it all is that Gervais' alternate reality, where there is no deceit, flattery or fiction, is grounded solidly in a credible way

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
Nov 20, 2009
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

...becomes dizzyingly hilarious, mixed with genuine sympathy, while an amusing and subversive element grows slowly, beginning as fascinating and then stumbling into inevitability.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
Nov 19, 2009
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

It's a shame that the air gets let out of this one so suddenly, as if The Invention of Lying's backbone gets ripped out of the film as the final act kicks into gear.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies AU | comment Comment
Nov 17, 2009
Patrick Kolan
Patrick Kolan
IGN Movies AU

The star cameos in The Invention of Lying are non-stop, distracting, and always blatantly pointed out as if this were a Cannonball Run sequel.

Full Review Source: Examiner.com | comment Comment
Nov 9, 2009
Adam Lippe
Adam Lippe
Examiner.com

It feels, in spirit, like a fable, in the mold of films like It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street. I just wish it were better.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment 1 Comment
Oct 31, 2009
Frederica Mathewes-Green
Frederica Mathewes-Green
Christianity Today

"The Invention of Lying" is like "Groundhog Day," although not in the way it intends to be. Watching the film feels like you're reliving the same lame scenes over and over, powerless to change what happens in this profoundly disappointing comedy.

Full Review Source: Suite101.com | comment Comment
Oct 27, 2009
Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers
Suite101.com
 
 
1 - 20 of 169 (sorted by date)
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