It's surprising to admit that the British comedian, known far and wide for his willingness to take risks, plays it safe in The Invention of Lying - a fault from which the movie never truly recovers.
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
This topsy-turvy flick is fitfully funny, but more often it's just odd, like the first draft of a "Twilight Zone" episode that's missing its moral.
Once the sharp, clever satire gives way to what feels like a special must-see-TV episode, the movie’s promise slowly deflates.
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The romantic plot, involving his unrequited loved for Garner, is soured by her character's unconcealed shallowness: she won't have him because his genes aren't up to snuff.
30
Village Voice
Village Voice
Lying brushes more big ideas than commonplace comedies, but hasn't taken those ideas through enough drafts to work out their implications or--harder still--make them killingly funny.
20
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)
Proof that when you aim for the stars, sometimes you find a black hole. Hopefully just an anomaly for the usually wonderful Gervais.