The Invention of Lying, January 19, 2010

[jw]

The Invention of Lying Blu-ray

In an alternate reality, lying -- even the concept of a lie -- does not even exist. Everyone -- from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street -- speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and Mark begins to realize that things are getting a little out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.

Related Blu-ray News

The Invention of Lying Blu-ray Gets Dated (Update)

Warner Home Video has announced that it will release 'The Invention of Lying' on January 19, 2010. Disc details and special features haven't been revealed, although the studio promises "over one hour of more laughs" and a digital copy of this comedy, starring, co-written and co-directed by Ricky Gervais.

Special features include:

• More Laughter: Corpsing and Outtakes
• Prequel: The Dawn of Lying
• Meet Karl Pilkington
• A Truly “Honest” Making of Featurette with Ricky Gervais
• Ricky and Matt's Video Podcasts
• Deleted Scenes
• Digital Copy on Disc

[vegeta88]

Cool. I did not get a chance to see this in theaters.
Ricky Gervais is hilarious an I thougt Ghost Town was pretty decent.

[Propellarhead9]

I've been wanting to see this. They filmed it at a bar I used to go to all the time.

[ascendedcobra]

This looks funny as hell, and I really like the lead actor from the original office.

[blu-ray_girl_fan]

http://hddvdreviews.blogspot.com/201...isc-ricky.html

[Tcan21]

Originally Posted by vegeta88

Cool. I did not get a chance to see this in theaters.
Ricky Gervais is hilarious an I thougt Ghost Town was pretty decent.

+1, Im really eager to see this

[DrAndonuts]

DVD Beaver just put up their review.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRe...ng_blu-ray.htm

Honestly, the picture looks like doodoo. It almost looks like there's some interlacing. I'm still buying it because I really liked the movie, but the stills look a little disappointing. Hopefully it looks better in motion.

[DJ Manyak]

Looks like a really good and funny movie i cant wait

[42041]

Originally Posted by DrAndonuts

DVD Beaver just put up their review.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRe...ng_blu-ray.htm

Honestly, the picture looks like doodoo. It almost looks like there's some interlacing. I'm still buying it because I really liked the movie, but the stills look a little disappointing. Hopefully it looks better in motion.

Don't go by DVDbeaver caps, they routinely screw them up.

[recS-12]

I want to see but I'll probably do the 1night rental from you know who for $3.24
I hope it's good. My blu collection needs more comedies.

[solott55]

Shame the reviewer couldn't put his obvious biases aside and give this film a proper review, rather than focus on how the film offends his Christian sensibilities.

You expect a comedy to inject intellectual value to the debate about Christianity? Considering Christians haven't done so in the 20 centuries that rational people have been wondering why they believe to strongly in obvious nonsense, I think it's great that a film is treating the subject with the distain it deserves.

Bravo Ricky - looking forward to your movie - hopefully it serves to bolster my justifiably smug arrogance towards religion.

[BrowncoatJedi]

Seems like the satire went right over the reviewer's head. That's what happens when you've got religious blinders on.

[master_8ball]

The reviewer really ripped it apart, the movie was much better than I had expected, but I guess I didn't expect it to change the world or explain the appeal of religion to those who don't need an explanation...

Complain in a movie review about a comedy not showing both sides of the religion debate? If that's what the reviewer was looking for they are watching the wrong type of film.

[solott55]

Originally Posted by BrowncoatJedi

Seems like the satire went right over the reviewer's head. That's what happens when you've got religious blinders on.

Originally Posted by master_8ball

Complain in a movie review about a comedy not showing both sides of the religion debate? If that's what the reviewer was looking for they are watching the wrong type of film.

Glad to see I'm not alone on this one!

[Ken Brown]

Hey all. The intended thrust of my review is that 'The Invention of Lying' isn't an effective comedy because it gets so distracted by its own sermon. I would have given a very similar review to a Christian comedy were it to do the same.

It's a sensitive subject and any review, no matter how it was written, would have drawn ire from someone. I have no illusions of getting a hug from everyone. Just keep in mind mine is just one man's opinion. I would suggest viewing the film first though and then reading the review again. Like I said, even if you dig 'Invention's message, you'll probably agree that its preachiness, regardless of the content of its message, gets in the way of its comedy far too often to make it a very good film.

Thanks as always for posting! One of the great things about the site is that the forums and the user reviews are an excellent way to offer opposing opinions on divisive titles like this one. I really appreciate the time you guys put into making Blu-ray.com a bustling community.

[solott55]

Hey Ken,

Big fan of your reviews in general and though I have a feeling you may be missing the mark on this one (in my opinion, based mostly on friends' opinions), it actually might serve a good purpose - turn away a group of people like yourself that won't appreciate the message (or may even be offended by it), and attract people such as myself who find it refreshing when a film doesn't pull punches or pander to that aforementioned group.

Understand that many of us are in a choir that rarely gets preached to by anyone in the mainstream media, so we're quite starved for that kind of sermon.

That being said, I should probably see the movie before I completely pass judgment on it or your review (lest I be judged)!

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by solott55

Hey Ken,

Big fan of your reviews in general and though I have a feeling you may be missing the mark on this one (in my opinion, based mostly on friends' opinions), it actually might serve a good purpose - turn away a group of people like yourself that won't appreciate the message (or may even be offended by it), and attract people such as myself who find it refreshing when a film doesn't pull punches or pander to that aforementioned group.

Understand that many of us are in a choir that rarely gets preached to by anyone in the mainstream media, so we're quite starved for that kind of sermon.

That being said, I should probably see the movie before I completely pass judgment on it or your review (lest I be judged)!

Good point. I guess for me -- and this is an invitation for an explanation, because I'm genuinely curious and not at all interested in arguing -- I just don't understand what that message is. Admittedly, I may not even be equipped to understand. With a religious film, regardless of whether I agree with the doctrine it's presenting or not, I see the barebones message being: "there is something out there and here's what that means for your life." Or something along those lines. With 'The Invention of Lying,' the message struck me as: "there is nothing out there. End of message." I was left thinking, "Okay, now what? What am I supposed to think now? Feel? Do?" It has all the trappings of a message comedy, without offering an actual message. It feels incomplete, and worse, it feels as if Gervais has sacrificed humor simply to make an incomplete point (or simply takes cheap jabs at an easy target, in which case he gets too distracted by his beliefs to properly sell them).

I think 'The Life of Brian' -- a brilliant film, sharp satire, and hilarious comedy -- is a perfect counterpoint in that it has a message, even though it's one many might find offensive, and it manages to balance that message with smart observations, absurdist comedy, likable characters, a cohesive story... basically everything I felt 'Invention' lacked. Like 'The DaVinci Code,' my "beef," so to speak, is with the quality of the film. Sure, I might disagree with the message, but I hope my corresponding review, while addressing said message, quickly turns to what matters to everyone: the flick itself. I do try to insert warnings for those who will be offended or upset by such material, but then I work to turn the spotlight on the film, attempting as best I can to evaluate the way different audiences will react to it.

Anyway, I hope that helps clarify where I was coming from. I have no interest in offending anyone, nor do I want to stoke a fire that doesn't need to burn in the first place. I just hope those who do enjoy the film take the time to review it accordingly in our user reviews section (without bashing me too harshly ). Again, thanks for posting. I always find other opinions fascinating and I love how movies can mean entirely different things to entirely different people. Have a good one!

[rocks off]

I agree with Ken. I love Gervais (including his atheist humor). I loved Ghost Town. I'm not a Christian, but I hated this movie. It fails at properly mashing comedy and drama, and for a movie that's only about an hour and a half long, the entire second half just drags on and on.

[greatfoxmusic]

Originally Posted by solott55

Hey Ken,

Understand that many of us are in a choir that rarely gets preached to by anyone in the mainstream media, so we're quite starved for that kind of sermon.

Really, you're starved? You must not go to church much then.

(My point being that church IS mainstream media.)

[solott55]

Originally Posted by greatfoxmusic

Really, you're starved? You must not go to church much then.

(My point being that church IS mainstream media.)

I think you missed what side of the fence I'm on here. I certainly don't go to church. I don't have much respect for Christianity or religion in general - I see it as an instrument of control wielded by the few over the many. That point of view rarely sees the light of day on mainstream media for fear of backlash from the religious community.