The Invention of Lying
| The Invention of Lying | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Narrated by | Ricky Gervais |
| Music by | Tim Atack |
| Cinematography | Tim Surhstedt |
| Edited by | Chris Gill |
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100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18.5 million |
| Box office | $32.7 million |
The Invention of Lying is a 2009 American fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson (in their directorial debuts). The film stars Gervais as the first human with the ability to lie in a world where people can only tell the truth. The supporting cast features Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe and Tina Fey. The film was released in the United States on October 2, 2009.
The film is set in an alternative reality in which lying does not exist. As a consequence of this premise, religion does not exist.
Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a screenwriter, in a film industry limited to historical readings because there is no fiction. One night he has a date with the beautiful and wealthy Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner). She tells Mark she is not attracted to him, because of his looks and failing financial situation, but is going out with him as a favour to his best friend Greg Kleinschmidt (Louis C.K.).
The next day Mark is fired from his job because of the lack of interest in his films, and his landlord threatens to evict him for not paying his rent. Crestfallen, he goes to the bank to close his account. The teller informs him that the computers are down, and asks him how much money he has in his account. Mark has an epiphany that enables him to tell the world's first lie, to the effect that he has $800 — the amount he owed his landlord — in his account. He then lies in a variety of other circumstances, such as preventing a police officer (Edward Norton) from arresting Greg for drunk driving and stopping his depressive neighbour Frank Fawcett (Jonah Hill) from committing suicide. He realises that lying can be used for helping others rather than personal gain, and writes a screenplay about the world being invaded by aliens in the 14th century, in which it is claimed that everyone's memories were erased. He becomes wealthy from the film's success.
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Wikipedia