In The Invention of Lying, Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) sets out to use his new found skill of making stuff up in order to get rich and get married. While initially just a dull, chubby script writer for movies that are all factual, his lack of social standing coupled with losing his job and facing eviction if he can't pay the rent bring him to somehow tell a bank teller he wishes to withdraw more money than he has in his account. Instead of telling him he needs to withdraw less, she trusts that he has that much available; such is the benefit of a trusting world.

Instead of keeping this secret to himself, he tells his friends at the bar about what happened, but of course they can't understand. In the end, he accidentally finds himself faced by the situation of either furthering his own worth or coming clean, and after a hilarious bible-themed scene, he discovers how little he has actually accomplished.

The great cast delivers a great story; recurring roles played by Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor and Jonah Hill seem like natural choices for the characters, while cameos by Jason Bateman and Martin Starr from Freaks and Geeks only further the fun.

The film's stance that religion is a myth was a pleasant one, for me at least.



Vaughn Fortier-Shultz is a sophomore at Academy for Technology and the Classics. Reach him at moosemanxl@gmail.com.