Brandon's Word: The Invention of Lying is a Landmark Comedy

Sometimes there are film premises, mere loglines, that cause me to clench my jaw and flush green with jealousy due to their brilliance. Usually, the premises' brilliance is born of its simplicity. And The invention of Lying is brilliant. And, on the surface, it is simple. The film takes place in an alternate world where humans have not evolved with the capacity to lie. Humans are incapable of saying anything that is not -- no matter how callous, inappropriate, or self-deprecating. That is, until Mark Bellison, played by the incomparable Ricky Gervais, tells humankind's first lie. Simple. Deceptively simple.

At first, The Invention of Lying plays out as a farce, using the simplicity of its plot to acclimate the audience to its parallel universe. Clever jabs at advertising, everyday social interactions, and a very cathartic helping of wish fulfillment (where characters, due to their inability to lie, say exactly what we ...