The Invention of Lying is really about The Invention of Telling The Truth.
Aside from the movie offending some Christians in the way that the film’s main character comes to “positive truth” which he posts on what look like tablets and reads to the people; to me, there is one thing about the following synopsis from the film that is all incorrect.
“The Invention of Lying” takes place in an alternate reality in which lying-even the concept of a lie-does not exist. Everyone-from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street-speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark (Gervais) suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and Mark begins to realize that things are getting a little out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.
To me, all the characters in the film who are telling the truth in this alternate reality … were doubting, insulting, judging and making everything wrong most of the time and there didn’t seem to be a lot of “positive truth” about anything until Gervais’ character starting telling the truth with a positive spin on it.
Gervais’ charter discovered telling the truth with a positive spin on it after he discovered he could tell either a lie or a truth in the alternate reality of the film.
As soon as Gervais’ character started telling the truth, everyone started to feel happy and more positive which included Gervais’ character. He started to point out the positive with everyone he met and had a positive outlook towards winning the woman in the movie played by Jennifer Garner.
The other odd thing was that while all the characters in the movie were vocalizing their “negative truths” to each other; “you are fat”, “you are a loser”, “this product sucks”, “we are selling you this product even though we know it sucks” … and Laura and I are laughing – not at the doubting, insulting, judging and making everything wrong comments from everyone’s ego in the movie, but at the honest reality that a lot of this is what goes on in present day reality, not just in the “The Invention of Lying” alternate reality. At the same time, no one in the audience was laughing at a lot of the “negative truths” because in truth they are not funny and it may have been a sobering reality that these “negative truths” may be going on in their ego’s reality.
While I would not recommend that you run out to the theatre to see The Invention of Lying, it will sure make you pay attention to telling the “positive truth.”
International Values and Behavioral Analyst, Business Coach, Speaker and Author
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