This is an extraordinary film that uses the mask of comedy to bring up subjects that would normally never be broached with a polite audience. It does so with a simplicity and directness that really highlights the obviousness of many of the film's conclusions. I was astounded that it even got made. I'm not sure it's that funny, but I'm not sure it's supposed to be. It's nevertheless completely engaging, and it's the best "speculative fiction" movie since STRANGER THAN FICTION and ETERNAL SUNSHINE. If people are getting offended, then the film is doing its job; it's making them think. I don't want to live in the world this film presents, but I left with a lot to ponder about my own world. Easily the best use of my time in a theater since I saw THE FALL.… Expand

Everybody that rated this movie poorly is an idot. It was comedy that challenges you at ever turn. Wich is the best kind of comedy. And it also had some very touching moments. If you dont get this movie its cuz your one of the shallow dumb persons that Gervais is making fun of. Sure it has some faults but the good far exceeds the bad.

I found this movie very refreshing for not only the acting, but the overall themes. The performances were very honest, and even though most of them seemed child-like, it fit the world they were creating perfectly. Sure, many critics called the characters thin, but that makes sense for a world that can't embellish on things because lieing did not exist! Duh!

A fantastic concept that sadly runs out of steam in the first 60 minutes then degenerates into murky waters.

Woah Logan St. Cloud! Get a life!!! Seriously! "I'm not an easily offended person" / "I'm not an overly religious person". My ass!!! A NOT overly religious person who was NOT easily offended wouldn't write a novel about how religiously offensive this movie was! I'm religious myself and i still found that this movie was GOOOOOOD! Funny. Fun to watch. Different. Overall a really good movie that is only being given bad reviews by the hardcore over-religious people of America. Shame on all of you!. Yoblets.… Expand

I loved it. But Gervais should've expanded on his expose of religion and left the romantic subplot out. And just for the record, all of the offended christians saying "the movie was so offensive, we walked out" are fuckin' hypocrits. There are an absurd amount of movies which suggest that there is a God, meerly by reference to an afterlife, or even a substantial part of the plot; but atheists don't just walk out of the theatre. The truth is, the reason you find the film so offensive is because the way in which Mark Bellison created religion is just as likely to be the origin of any other religion. And fyi, if you need religion to give you morals, then you're a dick.… Expand

Protest this. Apologies all around for Carl Reiner("Oh, God!), Martin Scorsese("The Last Temptation of Christ"), and Kevin Smith("Dogma"). Their own subversive takes on the Almighty, which motivated church groups to stage boycotts at public venues exhibiting these supposedly inflammatory movies, at least acknowledged His existence. "The Invention of Lying" is a whole different animal. Somebody finally had the chutzpah to make a film that's deserving of revile from God-fearing protesters. Comedy can sometimes be ruthless, and the jokes don't get more ruthless than the scene where Mark(Ricky Gervais), the world's first prophet, uses an ephemeral object to put the finishing touch on his idealistic lies. Not only does "The Invention of Lying" showcase Mark as Moses, it also has the screenwriter(in the film's best joke, the writer is "God" on any movie production) taking on the guise of Jesus. (***SPOILER ALERT***) Since the religious doctrine gets attached to pizza boxes, disposability is intimated, as if Christianity was an idea that was meant to be thrown away. Depending on who you are, a scene where Mark preaches to the masses while still in his long hair and white robe, would have either electrified, or horrified you, had the filmmaker decided to go for the kill shot. Controversial as "The Invention of Lying" purports to be, the filmmaker does draw the line on irrevocable heresy. (Admittedly, there is SOME heresy.) To kill time, there's a monotonous romantic subplot(with a woman who seems to be pro-eugenics) and one-note extapolations of the film industry, which helps soften the attempt made by the filmmaker to assassinate your faith.… Expand

The Invention of Lying is half a good movie, which is why it get's half a good score. The first half of the movie is a smartly written and genuinely hillarious comedy, with some moments of pure brilliance you'd expect from Ricky Gervais. However, the second half of the movie is exacly the opposite. Gervais' staunch atheism makes the story take an unexpected, unfortunate and, quite frankly, completely unneccessary turn for the worse. The rest of the movie isn't only boring, it's also a bit preachy and pretentious. It goes from being one of the best comedies of the year to an excuse for Mr. Gervais to express his atheistic views. Religion jokes can be funny if they're done right. Unfortunatly, in the Invention of Lying, they're not. Not only is the second act of the film slightly offensive, it's also annoying and pretty extreme, even for Ricky Gervais. If you're an atheist you'll probably enjoy this movie a lot more than I did. But as someone who wasn't expecting atheist propaganda snuck into a funny romantic comedy, I found the movie pretty darn dissapointing. I'm a huge Ricky Gervais fan, and while I don't share his beliefs, I respect them. However with this film he took it way too far, as they simply had no place in the movie.… Expand

Truly terrible. I'm so disappointed, as I LOVE Ricky Gervais. The writing is astonishingly bad and the acting is even worse. Everybody comes off looking poorly. A shame.

This movie pisses me off, why is it ok for atheists and jews to make fun of us Christians but not the other way around. This movie was not funny at all and it was a dry plot throughout. Catholics and Christians need to wake up and realize that Hollywood hate us and trying to slowly brainwash and change our beliefs. I hope the ones that make fun of us burn in hell.

One of the most boring movies I've ever seen. Not at all funny. Don't waste your money or your time watching this irritating dud. DIsappointing treatment of a great premise. This COULD have been funny, but it just wasn't. I would have walked out if I'd been nearer the aisle.

This was the worst movie I've seen so far this year, which is horrible because I really like Ricky Gervais' style of humor. The whole movie relied too heavily on the gimmick of a universe without lying. I still however had a few laughs for the first half hour. The second half of the movie however was horrible, with stupid romantic comedy along with long and boring religious plot twists. The entire premise just doesn't work, if no one could lie, and mankind never had any religions, the world would be completely different. They try to get you to think about the possibilities, while the world in the movie is the same as this one except no one lies. Fact is, without religion, America probably would have never been settled, and even if they did come over, after being unable to lie to the Indians, they would have been killed. The premise just doesn't work. The movie itself just wasn't very funny, instead it was groan inducing. Horribly disappointing movie.… Expand

What happened? I really liked Ghost town - and I like Ricky Gervais, but I feel like we all paid an offering into Ricky's Church offering basket by going to see this movie.

Despite me giving one point to this movie, one should give it a 5 only on merits for trying such a hard subject. While the cinema was packed and probably with great expectations from the public after the previous funny movie

Extremely disappointing, in so many ways.

Some funny concepts and ideas but in the end it's not much more than a somewhat amusing atheist agenda movie more preachy than the very preachers he lampoons. He is capable of better. Let it go Ricky, we get it already, you hate yourself and you blame God, or shall I say, "The Man In the Sky."

Leave it to the brilliant Ricky Gervais to write, direct and star in a hilarious romantic comedy with more social punch then Bill Maher's Religulous! It's a terrific time at the movies.

A remarkable movie. It accomplishes both a sweet romantic comedy with a sharp existential critique of religion underneath. Beautiful and moving approach to dealing with mortality.

Worst movie I have seen in a long time - we walked out the theatre.

A unique idea spoiled. This original premise for a movie was wasted; the potential for comedy was exciting but turned out to be a waste of money. The redeeming qualities are few and far between but come in the execution of the movie rather than the screenplay itself.

A great premise is wasted on a script based on characters who, because they can't lie--are also idiots. The characters have no ability to govern their speech at all, and this singular gag gets replayed ad nauseum. Jennifer Garner's character is a mean-spirited nitwit, and yet Gervais tells her that she is the sweetest, most thoughtful woman he has ever met. Based on what? The only reason she won't have sex with him is because he has "fat" genes. Worse yet, the movie supposes that because no one can lie, there are no religions. You can see where that's going. The one church in the movie has a steeple and no cross, implying that Christ never lived, or that he did live and his being the messiah wasn't true and the lie was never spread. Either way, it paints all religions as being invented by liars. Pretty bold these days considering how tolerant Muslims are with people who cast doubt on their faith. End result--not nearly as funny as it could be, and fairly insulting to anyone of faith to takes the time to connect the dots and catch the atheistic implications.… Expand

Starts amusing enough but loses its way once he tells his big lie. Not nearly as funny as it thinks it is.

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. The story is unique and the brutal honesty is hilarious. Gervais is absolutely perfect like others have said. The surprising thing about this film was the touching story. From the previews you would not have guessed that is has a serious side found through humor. The bet part is still "the man in the sky" parts.

A massive disappointment. Saved from a 3 by the last 40 minutes where I did laugh a few times; for the first 30 I didn't at all. The basic premise is sound but (as the Empire review mentions) this film confuses a world where people cannot lie with one where people are speak unsolicited and blunt truths; the former could be funny but the latter is absurd and very unfunny.

I've seen a couple of Ricky Gervais' comedy routines and I'd always thought he was a pretty funny guy. I saw the ads and trailers for this movie and I thought that it seemed like a pretty unique and original idea so I went into this movie with decent expectations. Now to be fair, I didn't read any of the reviews for it because, quite honestly I hate reading reviews beforehand and having the plot of the movie ruined, which is why I have made sure not to include them in this review. The moral of this movie is that you shouldn't judge people so quickly; which is what really aggravated me so much about it. You see, I'm not an overly religious person like a lot of the folks that have posted reviews here, but I was incredibly offended by what I saw in this movie. The movie started off with a few decent laughs but then went downhill fast. A significant portion of this movie was directed solely towards a ruthless, sacrilegious, mean-spirited attempt to sell people on atheism that added in no way to the story and served only as a cheap attack against religions. I did read the warnings that they have in the previews though and I'm not an easily offended person. I saw it mentioned that there were references to drug usage and sexual innuendo, it ended there and it really shouldn't have. If they had simply said that this is what this picture was about or that it had contained these elements, then I don't think as many people would have went to see it or have felt so upset at it. It just amazes me that in this day and age we would sooner bow down to the wishes of terrorists who are upset with seeing the words of the Koran or the image of Muhammad, rather than having even the tiniest bit of sympathy for the freedom of religion that this country was founded on. I respect the studio/producer/director/writer's rights to free speech, but if that's the primary message of the movie then you should really let people know that beforehand. Of course that would cut down on the amount of money that they would willingly take from the people they are mocking here, so I don't expect that to happen anytime soon. To those who are wanting to compare this on a religious level to movies like "The Golden Compass" and "The Chronicles of Narnia", allow me to clue you into a few things. First, the reason why "The Golden Compass" fared so badly didn't have anything to any religious connotations, it was because the movie was so incredibly BAD. I've tried watching that movie three different times and have yet to stay awake throughout the entire film. Second, "The Chronicles of Narnia" is NOW a classic in children's literature and while the same may be said on a certain level in regards to "The Golden Compass", it was nowhere NEAR as well known before the movie came out and even if there never HAD been a film of Narnia, it would probably still be more well known that that load of crap which is "The Golden Compass". BUT when Narnia was first released, it wasn't widely accepted by members of the Christian religion because they believed that rather than it being an homage to the crucifixion of Christ, it was a blasphemous portrayal of it. And to those wishing to change this from a simple reviewing of the movie itself and to a debate on the validity of atheism vs. religion as a whole, allow me to remind you of one simple thing. Beyond the questioning of faith and beliefs, and despite the atrocities that have occurred in the name of religion, without religion humanity would have taken a FAR less civilized route than the one it did. Religion was the basis of morals. Morals were the basis of laws. Without religions to set guidelines common sense dictates that we would have had no reason in which to act moral and consequently would most likely be still clubbing each other over the head, and that's if there would still even BE a human race at this point. TO ANYONE WHO'S ALREADY PAID TO SEE THIS MOVIE: YOU CAN TAKE YOUR TICKET STUB BACK TO THE THEATER TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK. PERSONALLY THOUGH, I'M TAKING THIS ONE STEP FARTHER AND FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE STUDIO ITSELF.… Expand

This movie is just fun to watch and very silly. It doesn't have any amazing special fx or lots of twists... it's just a feel good movie.

Excellent writing. The gag at the center of the film doesn't get tired - it keeps developing. The ending drags slightly, but overall this is a good movie with a big heart at the center.

Very enjoyable film and although it wasn't half as good as The Office or Extras it still managed to remain funny throughout. Gervais shows his atheist views cleverly throughout the film and this underlying meanig to a decent comedy is why it deserves 8 out of 10.

Not as great as extras, but almost. Gervais lovers will NOT be disappointed.

This movie is clever, laugh out loud funny, ironic, sweet, and has depth. It's not your typical slapstick comedy, the cast is wonderful and its surprising.

The only thing my friends and I enjoyed about this movie were the sight gags (Pepsi ad, old folks home sign). Sorry to see Gervais pushing atheistic beliefs. Our group felt very insulted and disgusted and in disbelief at such a bold suggestion that his character "invented" Heaven and the afterlife. It was one thing when Gervais' character supposedly was told these things himself, but when the movie went further and his character declared it was all a lie, I realized the depth of the true lie - the entire movie itself.… Expand

Enjoyable film, and very touching in places. The one joke did drag for a little while, but as the story started to develop this became less tiresome. I would agree that Jennifer Garners character is not exactly likeable, she really doesnt show much kindness at all aside from her obsession about genes, which is a bit confusing,. I also have a suspision that alot of the bad reviws are from the likes of religious types. Id like to remind them that the story is set in "another world" as gervais clearly states at the beggining where people cannot lie. This doesnt mean it is set in our world, no one can lie so there is no religion because all religion is based on a story. The film is fantasy. Please grow up.… Expand

Good plot, good characters, good performances, but not funny enough from one of the funniest men on the planet.

Great premise, but the film lacks direction. it gets bogged down in the third act and never really recovers. While Gervais and Garner are good in their roles, neither is sympathetic enough to warrant enough interest with the audience.

Blasphemous and not the least funny.

Really, quite a disappointment. I would say the review by Empire is spot-on, the film isn't so much about telling the truth, but people taking the piss out of Gervais for an hour and a half. The film lacks a decent stroyline and character development. There are are occasional laughs, which are used to make the trailer. Wouldn't advise the film, but have met people who did enjoy it.

Gervais is perfect in the role. It's a lovely idea but not compelling enough to last 90 minutes.

When reading reviews here, keep in mind that ALL REVIEWS by LOGAN ST. CLOUD are IDENTICAL to others written by him. They are CUT AND PASTE COPIES, and they promote his religious views, so just keep that in mind when reading his comments. They have nothing to do with the movies themselves...take a look at his review for "Capitalism: A Love Story"...word for word the same review as this one for "The Invention of Lying". I wish there were a way to report him for abuse, but since there isn't, I am sounding the alert this way by "outing" his religious proseletizing,,I would be willing to bet that he hasn't seen any of the movies he has "reviewed" from his religious fanatic viewpoint.… Expand

I can only agree with Danlo Z.! I still gave it two points for a promising beginning, but from then on it went only down-hill. Man, am I happy I didn't pay to see this!

Extremely original! The problem many people will probably have with this movie is that it is too accurate.

Thoughtful & very funny. I guess if you don't like it you just don't get the complete absurdity of religion. The pizza box sketch summed-up the pronouncing and subsequent development / expansion of religious laws perfectly. "When you're in heaven you can eat ice cream anytime you want ... and any flavour you can think of!" "Oh no! I just thought of vanilla & skunks"

I really love this movie! It's such a great, unique concept and I think they did a lot with it in a clever, humorous way. It's a bit dark and the humor is a bit more subtle than some people's attention spans can handle, though, apparently.

I went into watching this movie with an open-mind and I was happy with it. I suppose I can see why those who are religious and also take themselves way too seriously would give it a negative review. However, this movie is best enjoyed on the top layers without trying to read into it further. Don't dig for what it might be implying with the religious references. There is no reason to be offended at all by it because none of it is done in a mean-spirited way. It is simply filling in a hilarious answer to a ridiculously unrealistic "What if..." question. As an atheist that appreciates subtle humor, I also think I really fit the profile for who this movie communicates to.

Overall, if you can laugh at yourself, society and culture without getting bent out of shape, you will enjoy this movie.… Expand

The script is the lamest thing in this movie, as well as the plot. Yes, the first 15 minutes are somewhat intriguing but it soon takes a sharp dive into the WTF category. Nobody except Ricky Gervias can play their part, and Jennifer Gardner couldn't have been worse. They have thrown the most boring ideas into one movie, and have created an ultimate disaster. It's hard for me to like a movie, but this was real easy to dislike because it makes me feel uneasy, and by the end I'm thinking: Who cares?!!… Expand

The Invention of Lying is based on a good idea, yet a relatively simple one. Due to this limitation the laughs dry up after 10 minutes and enjoyment of the rest of the film is reliant on how much the viewer enjoys watching RIcky Gervais be the same character he is in everything that he does.

It was a really interesting movie and definently worth at least checking out imo. The cast is solid but not perfect, Above average I guess. The plot was good as well. I liked it.

A film that starts out in an intelligent and entertaining way but utterly collapses into a sluggish, head-scratching albatross in the third act. Although it apparently attempts to lampoon religion and its origins (which can't be done enough, in my opinion!), the last 40 minutes felt an awful lot of preachy bullcrap to me.