The invention of lying

I have a thing for not-too-quirky independent movies! And The invention of lying is one of them. It's a comedy about an imaginary world where people cannot conceive the concept of lying. This means that people are basically seperated into two categories, the ones that are considered good looking and successful and those who are considered unattractive and losers. It also means that the art of drama does not exist, and people call 'movies' the narration of historical events. Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a not very successful editor of such movies with a crush on Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner), a beautiful, successful, high-maintenance woman. His professional and love life do not go very well.. until he discovers the possibility of lying and seizes the day.

The whole cast is good, but Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner shine the most. There are a lot of well-timed comedic moments, and Ricky Gervais's british origins show in the aesthetic and the dialogues of the film. In the end, though, the movie reminded me a lot of the classic american romantic comedy: will the outsider get the girl? or will the main characters find true love and happiness? Not that this is necessarily bad.

The film makes fun of elements of western society, such as the typical criteria of success and the influence one's appearance makes to people's judgement. Clearly religion is teased, although in my opinion not in a serious way. What seems to be critisized is the simplistic, superficial way people sometimes tend to see religion, not the overall concept of spirituality.

I 'm not sure if this film is going to stick with me, but it is witty, funny and more original than many other movies.