This is a 90-minute long Saturday Night Live skit. Literally, back in 1986 SNL guest host Joe Montana performed in a skit called Sincere Guy Stu. The premise? Sincere Stu always says what's on his mind. He says a whole bunch of odd stuff to his roommate and his roommate's date. The skit ends with Stu walking upstairs stating "Oh, you won't disturb me. I'll be in my room masturbating." Back in 1986, this was quick a striking line for a respected football star to say on national television. That was 25 years ago. Now, we're lucky if news broadcasters can refrain from calling average citizens "teabaggers".

Co-writers/co-directors Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson drag this premise out and then beat it to death with all of the finesse of Andre the Giant threading a needle. They even begin their film by having Mark Bellison (Gervais) arriving at Anna McDoogles' (Jennifer Garner) apartment for a date. She opens the door and quickly expresses her distaste for his physical appearance and her doubts that the two will copulate anytime soon. You see, its a world where everyone tells the truth - get it? Anna lets Mark in and he takes a seat on the couch. She explains she needs to finish getting ready for the date and this will include her, what? - that's right - masturbating upstairs while he waits. Oh, how edgy and unique.

Even though it is simple, Gervais and Robinson are incapable of remaining committed to their stated premise. What they show isn't a world that can't lie. They're in a world where people simply say what's on their mind. Everywhere Mark goes in the film, people casually distribute insults to him. Unprompted, he is told he is less than attractive, that people despise him, that no enjoys him. If this was written as its sold, it is far more likely the people would simply avoid subjects rather than blurt out socially unacceptable put-downs.

As it turns out, the other characters in the film are right to loathe Mark. He is a bad guy with no redeeming values at all. As the title states, he invents lying. Once he learns he can manipulate people by lying to them he then begins to serve his self with his new skill. He steals, attempts a rape (lying to someone to force them into sex is a form of rape, sorry) and generally acts like an ass. Here is a tip - make your hero likable. He doesn't have to be a saint but he really needs to have at least one approachable quality. It makes things so much more engaging for the audience.

To make matters worse Gervais and Robinson allow themselves to be misled by their lack of script development two-thirds of the way through. Since there isn't any real villain and therefore very little tension or conflict, the writing duo are forced to scrounge up a conflict. Marks' mother is on her deathbed and he "lies" to her about there being a Heaven and God. She dies with a smile on her face but Mark is overheard. At this point he becomes a prophet and is burdened with having to make-up religion.

The remainder of the film gives itself over to the conceit that all religion is made-up and are lies people are told to keep them from wallowing in existential misery. This is, of course, bunk and how the subject is presented proves it.

The fake religion Mark devises presents God in vague, childish terms. Gervais and Robinson make a theological straw-man by having Mark describe God with all of the depth of a Sunday School drop-out. Presenting God in the most simplistic terms possible, God is a conflicted old man in the clouds kind of theology, Gervais and Robinson make it easy for themselves to lampoon the ideas being expressed. They avoid actual theology, not out of respect, but because they are more interested in kicking faith in the shin than actually arguing the point.

The whole "religion is a lie" overtakes the final third of the film. It changes the tone and saps the comedy from a script that is already desperate for laughs. Again, this all a reaction by Gervais and Robinson because they have no other road to travel. Their script mishandles the premise and the characters and the two paint themselves into a corner. To close their script they're forced to pull this Deus ex machina (ironically enough).

What they should have done is present the world where no one lies. You then have Mark invent lying. He begins with small ones but they beget larger ones. He then tries to put the genie back in the bottle - thus creating conflict.

or

What they should have done is present the world where no one lies. You then have Mark invent lying. This start out okay but then his lies catch up to him and he is found out by society. This makes him an outcast. When he tries to warn people of something, we are given a modern retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

Both of these ideas would also do something Gervais and Robinson failed to do in their sophomoric script - it would present lying as a moral wrong.

To sum things up, skip this one. A comedy without laughs is a hideous thing.



Related Reviews:
Rickey Gervais movies
Ghost Town (2008)
For Your Consideration (2006)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
USAToday
DarkMatters

Labels: comedy, film, Jeffrey Tambor, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis CK, movie review, Ricky Gervais, Rob Lowe