A whole lot of talent for one movie
Tina Fey lends her star power to "The Invention of Lying." Image from Flikr.com.
Tina Fey won an Emmy for “30 Rock” at last week’s awards ceremony, and now she is winning critical acclaim for her performance in “The Invention of Lying.” If you’re considering going out to the movies, I’d definitely think you should save your movie ticket money or get small loan from a friend for this one.
Other stars mentioned for their great work in “The Invention of Lying” reviews include Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Garner and, of course, lead man and director Ricky Gervais, who is called an “award-winning liar” in the “Invention of Lying” trailer. Check it out below.
Well-timed release
Tina Fey’s win and Ricky Gervais’ appearance at the Emmy Awards will no doubt grease the box office wheels for “The Invention of Lying,” and reviews will get even more people buying tickets. Of course, many die-hard fans of many different cast members were planning to see this film long before “Invention of Lying” reviews came out.
IMDB says “The Invention of Lying” cost a mere $4 million to make. That’s practically indie movie prices. I think IMDB listed the movie budget incorrectly. Some of the actors’ salaries in this film were probably higher than that. Regardless of how much they spent on this movie, the filmmakers should be proud of themselves. Check out what some of the critics at Rotten Tomatoes are saying.
High praise, high hopes
David Edelstein of New York Magazine says this film is something rare. In his “Invention of Lying” review, he commends the movie for being both “a boisterous American comedy” and a film that can trigger real, important philosophical discussions.
It appears even critics who were disappointed still liked the movie. It is easy to have a film fall short of expectations when it is well-marketed with a hilarious trailer and packed with fan-favorite stars. Chris Bumbray was one such disappointed critic, who reported that although he was disappointed, the movie was still worth seeing.
Compare and contrast
Erik Childress from eFilmCritic.com wrote that “Invention of Lying deserves to take its place as a modern American comedy classic right alongside such worthy counterparts as Groundhog Day and Idiocracy.” The parallel makes sense to me. All of these films are based on a far-fetched premise and heavily laden with social commentary.
“Groundhog Day” asks questions like “What if there were no consequences?” and “What would you do if you could live the same day over and over until you got it right?” “Idiocracy” asks what will happen if people keep becoming more dependent on technology, more trusting of media and lazier. “Invention of Lying” seems to ask what society would be like without lying or perhaps what the value of lying is.
Watch ‘Invention of Lying’ trailer
I’m a big fan of films that are both funny and thought-provoking. Just the “Invention of Lying” trailer alone made me laugh and got me thinking. Check it out.
You can also watch an interview with Ricky Gervais about “The Invention of Lying” on YouTube.
