2008 welcomed Ricky Gervais and a star-studded cast to Lowell for the film "The Invention of Lying". We hope they liked it here. For the first time in memory, Lowell did not get portrayed as a perpetually overcast city of crack dealers...(though the upcoming "The Fighter" will certainly bring that stereotype back).
In "The Invention of Lying", Gervais's character lives in a parallel universe where people only tell the raw, insulting truth. His character starts telling white lies to comfort people, and things escalate. Pretty soon he's robbed a bank, rewritten history, and invented religion.
There are some clever bits in this film. For example, what would a homeless man write on cardboard if he could only tell the truth? Or, what would advertising look like? Somehow, they actually got clearance for a fake Pepsi commercial to say "Pepsi. When they don't have any Coke."
Despite these moments, the not-lying-world gimmick loses its edge. Gervais's character never really goes to the dark side with his absolute power -- he toes the line with his Jesus send up, but can't quite commit to being offensive. The film begins to feel like an SNL skit that has gone on too long.
We do, however, appreciate how much easier this film makes "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon". You've got cameos from Oscar winners, 1980's heart throbs, British tv stars, Daily Show correspondents... Ed Norton didn't even make pg 1 of the IMDB credits! Wow, Ricky Gervais sure has a lot of friends.
Final Score = B-
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