THE INVENTION OF LYING - Reviewed! Plus More!

What's up? I'm back with a midweek blast of blogtacular goodness, including a movie review of THE INVENTION OF LYING. I would, however, like to call attention to two of this past Spring's best movies, newly released on DVD ... both of which kind of fell under the radar. But, I strongly urge all of you guys to go check 'em out. For one thing, OBSERVE & REPORT is, to me, a modern comedy classic. It's from director Jody Hill, who did The Foot Fist Way and the HBO series Eastbound and Down. But while The Foot Fist Way was rough around the edges, Observe & Report is a polished movie that is ultra-dark, ultra-hilarious, and features, believe it or not, a riveting performance from Seth Rogen in the lead role. If you like uncompromising comedy, you have to check this one out as soon as possible. Also, I recommend checking out ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL. The movie is hilarious, emotional, and involving - it's a documentary about a washed-up rock band known as Anvil, who despite years of struggle and rejection, still believes that they can achieve their shot at greatness. It's one of the best movies about rock n' roll I've ever seen, and you will come away from it a fan of Anvil and the never-say-die spirit that they represent.


TV STUFF:

- After a subpar season premiere, SMALLVILLE came back with a pretty decent episode this past week. If nothing else, the ep thankfully put a quick end to the Matrix-Clark storyline and returned Clark to The Daily Planet and got him out of that lame black trenchcoat. Also, Metallo proved to be a pretty darn good villain, thanks to a strong performance from Brian Austin-Green. I would definitely welcome further appearances by the character. In any case, it was nice to have a Smallville episode that had some depth to it - some darkness, some action, some real super-villainy. Still, I guess it speaks to the lameness of the season premiere that a somewhat cookie-cutter episode was such a relief. In some ways, this one followed the tired Smallville formula to a T, complete with Lois getting kocked unconcious *just* before Clark arrives on the scene to show off his superpowers. Chloe also continued to be really annoying in this episode. But, despite its fairly typical Smallvillian flaws, this episode definitely felt watchable. It had moments of coolness. Meaning, there is still some life left in this show.

My Grade: B


- I was somewhat ready to give up on GLEE, but then Kristen Chenoweth came along and convinced me otherwise. Maybe it's just my leftover love for all things Pushing Daisies, or maybe it's just that Chenoweth is that damn good, but likely it's a little of both that made me really enjoy last week's episode. Suffice it to say, KC's awesome guest appearance kept me interested for at least a little while longer.

My Grade: B+


- GOSSIP GIRL is a show that can basically get away with anything, because it presents all of its crazy storylines with a wink and a smile. To that end, I really enjoyed Monday's ep featuring Hillary Duff and Tyra Banks. But, I also think that the NYU setting is going to need some shots of momentum if its going to continue to hold interest. I found myself at times more interested in seeing Jenny Humphrey's high school exploits. But, next week, with Rupert and Lilly's wedding, and Georgina as the potential spoiler, looks like it could be pretty amazing.

My Grade: B+


THE INVENTION OF LYING Review:

- Ricky Gervais has got to be one of the funniest people working in comedy today. Every so often, you see something new in comedy and realize that you've just seen a paradigm shift. You realize that this movie or this TV show represents a bold new voice, and that it's time to sit up and take notice. I felt that way the first time I saw the original version of THE OFFICE. From that moment on, I was a fan of Gervais and eagerly looked forward to seeing what he'd come up with next. The Invention of Lying represents Gervais' first real film that he can call his own. He co-wrote it and directed it, and he also stars. And while the movie does conform to Hollywood convention to some extent, mostly, this is a far darker and more biting social satire than you're used to seeing from a major Hollywood picture. The Invention of Lying is smart, funny, and makes you think. In short, you should run out and see it as soon as you can.

The movie has a high concept similar in scope to movies like Albert Brooks' classic Defending Your Life or Mike Judge's more recent Idiocracy. Like those movies, Lying takes an almost sci-fi premise and uses it to put our own society under the microscope. In this universe, people can't lie. They simply never developed the mental capacity to say things that aren't true. In our reality, an inability to lie would probably mean that a lot of us would simply refrain from talking. But not so here. People talk. They express themselves. And the results are often quite unflattering in their bluntness. That means a lot of awkward confrontations where people greet each other and then explain how much they hate one another. It means that dates include tragically frank discussions about just how attractive you find one another. It means that when someone asks you what you're up to, you tend to tell them exactly what you're up to, which, as you can imagine, could get a bit uncomfortable.

But these little social oddities aren't all that The Invention of Lying is about, although it is certainly where a lot of the humor comes from (and Ricky Gervais, already the master of awkward comedy, is right at home with all that stuff). But the movie also goes much deeper (and this is where it probably differs from the typical Adam Sandler high concept comedy, or whatever). It looks at how the lack of lying affects the media - at how advertising becomes hilariously literal, and how movies are merely history lessons, and how religion, well, religion doesn't even exist.

The turning point of the movie is when the down-on-his luck character played by Gervais somehow overcomes his world's mental block and gains the ability to make things up. From there, as you can imagine, hilarity ensues. But as mentioned above, there is also a somewhat profound message behind the madness. The movie accomplishes a somewhat remarkable feat in this way - not only does it break down many of the everyday lies that comprise our day to day social interactions, but it tackles the very roots of religion, politics, etc. I don't think it does it in a mean-spirited way either. Gervais has that unique ability to be very dark and very cutting, yet still create moments of real warmth, and characters with real heart. Think The Office, think Extras. That same sensibility is on display here. A real intelligence and subtlety to the humor, but also a surprising amount of emotional connection.

It helps that the cast is up to the very difficult task of selling us on this oddball alterna-reality. Gervais is in fine form. Very funny, with some classic moments of David Brent-style befuddlement. But good lord, the man is actually a pretty amazing actor when he wants to be. There were hints of that on The Office and Extras, but here, there are some genuinely affecting scenes of sadness, scenes where you feel for him and scenes where you root for him. Jennifer Garner is also crazy-good in this movie. It's another one of those roles for her where it doesn't immediately stand out as anything amazing, but then you stop and wonder how many other actresses could actually pull off such a difficult role. The one problem with Garner is that, even in this quirky fairytale romance, let's face it, it's stretching it a bit to imagine her ending up with Gervais. You wonder if the movie might have worked slightly better if the object of Gervais' affections was someone without Garner's movie-star good looks. But again, she really does do a nice job with the material, so I give her a lot of credit.

Rob Lowe is great here as an obnoxious rival to Gervais. Louis C.K. is hilarious as his dimwitted sidekick. And man, the movie is practically overflowing with talented and/or hilarious actors in smaller roles. I mean, was there any better choice to play Gervais' bumbling boss than Arrested Development's Jeffrey Tambor? Tambor is great, and so is Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Martin Starr, Christopher Guest, and even Edward Norton. Yeah, those are some pretty heavy hitters right there. It's amazing to think about the talent that Gervais has assembled for this film. Office fans can even look forward to a funny cameo from co-creator (and Extras regular) Stephen Merchant.

The Invention of Lying really won me over. I think the one place where it falters is that, at times, it ignores all the funny and fascinating social commentary in order to become a somewhat by-the-numbers romantic comedy. And at it's core, this is a romantic comedy, which might be surprising or even disappointing for some. But while some of the Hollywood cliche moments might have been crippling for another movie, what separates this one from the pack is how smartly it plays off of and directly addresses many typical genre conventions. I mean, I am not a fan of the forced sentimentality of the usual rom-com, but I think that this movie genuinely earns most of its "awwww-shucks" moments. There is that deeper subtext here, and there is that somewhat profound statement working in the background. Because this isn't just a world where everyone tells the truth - it's a world where everything is based on facts and logic and truth. There are no fictions, no flights of imagination, no ideals. Therefore, the fact that love can exist in this world is truly a miracle in and of itself. It might sound cheesy, but the movie addresses these things with wit and cleverness. And aside from that, there are those looks at religion, media, etc. that produce some classic bits of satire.

So sure, this movie doesn't have quite the gloss or polish of some other big movies out right now. But it has some fascinating ideas at its core. And its often very, very funny. If you like The Office, Extras, or the humor of Ricky Gervais, make it a point to check this one out.

My Grade: A-


- Alright, I'm out. Later!