This is a comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied until a writer sees the opportunity for personal gain? Everyone tells the truth and they say just about anything they're thinking. Mark Bellison is a screenwriter and he is about to be fired. He's short and chunky with a flat nose, this is a genetic setup that means he won't get to first base with Anna, the woman he loves. At a bank, on the spur of the moment he blurts out a lie with eye-popping results!! Then, when his mother's on her deathbed she is frightened of the eternal void awaiting her. Mark invents a fictional story about what happens after you die. The hospital staff overhear his description of Heaven and they believe every word plus they tell other people. Soon Mark is a prophet, his first inventive screenplay makes him rich and he’s seen as basically a good guy. But will that be enough for Anna to want to be with him?
An interesting aspect of this film is that movies like this have a difficult time at the box office?? There is no comedy or drama because fiction requires lies?? People are not easily insulted since they are consistently told the truth all the time!! As an example, when Jennifer Garner opens the door to see Ricky as her blind date, she boldly says she finds him unattractive, he is too short and fat to make any kind of cute baby. The waiter at the restaurant tells them he hates working at this place and Jennifer is way out of Ricky’s dating league!! All the people in the city are bland and there is no sign of any anger at any time!!
Most of the films including Ricky Gervais have humor, irreverence, edginess and they are thought provoking. Nothing is sacred including religion, lying is okay. Also, lots of sex talk, salty language and name calling. Drinking beer, wine, champagne and whiskey with some drunkenness plus drunk driving. Commercial products are shown with some showing up in many scenes. (Is this a movie or commercial?) 5* (I really liked this movie because of the humor of not lying and then lying)
100 min, Comedy written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson with Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Donna Sorbello, Stephanie March, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Hodgman, Nate Corddry, Jimmi Simpson, Martin Starr.
Note: Imdb 6.4* out of 10* with 126,403 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 56% with 189 critics, 39% with 667,301 audience scores, Common Sense Media Renee Schonfeld, age 15+, 3* out of 5*, 2* positive, 2* role models, 1* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 4* consumerism, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, empire online 1* Chris Hewitt, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Xan Brooks, Letterboxd 2.7* out of 5*, Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 31 critics 5.8 out of 10 with 159 ratings.
Special Note: Ricky Gervais later played a recurring character on Louis C.K.’s series Louie (2010) which started the year after this movie. Director, writer and actor Ricky Gervais sponsored an online Photoshop contest related to the theme of this movie. He asked contestants to edit well known movie posters as if those posters were usually lying to the audience. This is the first film Ricky Gervais has directed.
Mistakes: Just because you can't lie doesn't mean you have to express what you're thinking all the time and that is what happens a lot with the people in this movie. Even though Anna can't lie, on her date with Mark she fakes a smile a couple of times. Is that considered lying? Probably if she finds the need to fake the smile!!!
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