Ricky Gervais returns for a second lead role in a rom-com American mainstream film, this time, unlike Ghost Town, he co-wrote and co-directed This Side OF The Truth, renamed The Invention Of Lying, and it's truly shocking. Ghost Town had some middle of the road reviews but the film itself was a wonderful, hysterical and ultimately beautifully emotional movie that was ridiculously well made in the beginning of a shitstorm of bad films that we're still in.
But this year he brings in the full force of disappointment, With an unknown co-writer/director and a high concept idea, a World that tells no lies, which is presented in shit narration from Gervais, where he badmouths opening credits and calls them unimportant, trying to be funny but not true at the same time. The whole concept is flawed as the film goes on, yes it's a world without lies, but why do people feel the need to blurt out their inner thoughts, they must have learnt self-control and restraint over the generations. Music and poetry makes little sense in the World either, it'd not really have anything interesting, and all the technology they have/all the history humanity has is confusing, without religion there'd be few wars, and thus not so much in the way of leaps in technology, so getting to where we are now without lying doesn't work.
It's also flawed to the bone tonally, sometimes it's tying to be broad comedy, or witty comedy drama, or even emotional drama, and only succeeds in two scenes, an emotional death scene where Gervais goes all out, and a comedic flashback to his father, played by Barry from Eastenders, breaking into Stephen Merchant's house, who opens the door as he does that.
The cast is odd, Gervais is one note more than usual, Jennifer Garner is a crap as ever, and too focussed on plot-wise. Louis C.K. is a catch, he's ridiculously funny and holds his own in the film. Rob Lowe is the only other actor listed in the poster that has enough scenes to not call a cameo.
The cameos include, though: Tina Fey as Gervais' ex-assistant, dull. Jeffrey Tambour as Gervais' ex-boss at a movie studio, good but nothing interesting. Jonah Hill as a depressed man, he does fuck all. Edward Norton as a racist, violent cop, fun but unimportant. Philip Seymour Hoffman as a bartender, funny but not enough of him. Martin Starr as a waiter, too little.
The film has a Simpsons-esque feel to it with all the sign gags and visual humour, all of which fail, and this film is insanely disappointing, it's just so uninteresting, uninviting and worst of all, unfunny. Please please please Cemetery Junction, please be good.
3/10
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