Warning: This movie is not a comedy. It is a comedy/drama and even the comedic bits aren’t really laugh-out-loud funny. They are funny in a way that makes you giggle or smile.
Now, that we got that out of the way, I’ll say that I truly enjoyed this movie. If you accept the fact that there is going to be a lot of drama, you will stop expecting to laugh that much, which will prevent you from being disappointed.
Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) lives in a world where people don’t know what a lie is. They are incapable of lying, and on the top of that, they are inconveniently blunt. This of course has hilarious results for the viewer and equals misery for our lead Mark. He is a pretty average guy. Average height, chubby built, not a pretty face, average job… He is unhappy. He is waiting to get fired from his job as a screenwriter. And don’t be fooled by the word writer. People can’t lie, can’t make believe- hence there is no fiction. There is no imagination. Just plain, boring storytelling. He also has a date with Anna (Jennifer Garner) who is beautiful, fit and has a well-paying job. She makes it clear from the beginning that she is way out of his league. He is alone, surrounded by other miserable people and facing eviction.
But something really amazing happens. He suddenly gets the ability to lie. He realizes this is the best thing that ever happened to him. He gets money, gets his job back and persuades Anna to at least hang around. His sudden bright status annoys his fellow screen writer Brad (Rob Lowe) who is a shallow jerk but he is also something Mark is not: good-looking. So while Anna actually loves Mark, she starts dating Brad for his looks. After all, her children are probably going to be better looking and healthier if she got Brad’s genes…
One of the fun things about the movie is how Mark gets to be a better person- or at least realizes he is a much better guy than he thought he was- when he gets to lie. It might sound ironic, but you will see how he puts lying to good use and helps people out. One of the better moments of the film is when Mark produces a lie about afterlife and how everyone gets addicted to his words. I really enjoyed the religious (or non-religious/anti-religion)- depends on how you look at it) aspects of the film. This movie is sincere, funny, emotional, fun and at times very original.
Sure, if you start looking for plot holes, there are a lot of them. I can think of at least 10 on the top of my head. Some people are bothered by how shallow most of the characters are. People, this is a script written by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson (they also directed the film). It is their baby, their “what if” scenario. Of course you would have written it differently. Would you have been able to write something better? I am not sure. All I know is that it has less clichés than a typical film and the clichés it has, really works for the comedy aspects. Frankly, I didn’t even like The Office and had no idea Gervais could actually act. Even Jonah Hill is lovely here. Rob Lowe is hilarious and Jennifer is always a delight to watch. Oh, and if you like Tina Fey, she is here too.
Overall verdict? You should see it. It has way many pros than cons.
[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ThtN7qoWgM&feature=related[/pro-player]
