Fionnula Flanagan, Ricky Gervais and Jason Bateman in "The Invention of Lying"
courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment
“If Someone Says This DVD Is Good – They’re Lying”

Ricky Gervais is a funny guy and some of his HBO specials are hilarious. But Gervais comes up short in the humor department in the new to DVD movie “The Invention of Lying.” This is a movie about a time and place where people only tell the truth. Ricky Gervais co-wrote, co-directed and stars in it. I liked his film “Ghost Town” which wasn’t well received, but it was funny. This one though is just a one joke film that gets old quickly. Better Gervais had invented some better jokes than the art of lying.

Mark Bellison (Gervais) lives in a time and place where people can only speak the truth. He works at a film studio where he has been told he will probably be fired soon. That night he goes out on a date with Anna (Jennifer Garner) and she quickly tells him he is not attractive enough to interest her.

Things go from bad to worse as he does get fired and Anna doesn’t want to see him anymore. But then he has a revelation: he can lie about things. This opens up a whole new world to him and he becomes rich and famous.

One day he visits his seriously ill mother (Fionnula Flanagan) at the nursing home where she lives. The doctors tell him she is near death. As he tries to comfort her he begins to invent a place where she will go after her death. It is run by the man in the sky, he says, and is a place where she will be eternally happy. At this point the movie lurches into an anti- religion theme and goes steadily downhill.

Gervais is the best actor in the film and the one who holds your attention. Unfortunately you also have to deal with Garner, who never seems remotely realistic in her role. To add insult to injury there is the miscast Rob Lowe playing Gervais’ rival in business and for Garner’s hand. Then there are a series of cameos by people such as Tina Fey, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill. These range from bad to boring.

There are some comedic moments. Most of these were shown in the trailer for the film and very few new laugh inducing moments are in the script. So you could have watched the trailer and avoided the movie and still seen the best of what the film has to offer.

Gervais is reputed to be an atheist and his attack on religion as the biggest lie of all bears out that thought. He not only antagonizes those of faith but he does it in a boring way. You would never imagine that the man who created this film is also the man behind “The Office” and “Extras.”

If you want to see Ricky Gervais at his best, watch the British version of “The Office” or watch his one man HBO specials. You might even want to watch “Ghost Town.” But don’t get this DVD thinking you are going to be laughing all the way through it. You’re not!

Then there is the case of Gerard Butler. He is an actor in search of himself. He made his name in “300” but also played lead roles in “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Nim’s Island.” He even made a romantic comedy titled “The Ugly Truth.” Each of these movies is light years from the other. Now he is back on DVD in a violent tale of the future titled “Gamer.” Whether or not it will enhance his career is yet to be seen.

The setting of “Gamer” is the future where men and women play out combative roles in a video type game. The only difference is instead of video characters these men and women are real. They are controlled by operators who have machines that are keyed into their minds. These operators control their “men” and his/her actions while in the battle zones.

Death row inmates are used as the “men” and if they survive a certain number of combats they will be released. Kable (Butler) is one of these men and at the start of the film he has won twenty-six events. A few more and he will be free to search for his wife (Amber Valletta) and their daughter.

Kable is controlled by a young man named Simon (Logan Lerman). He loves the game and is good at controlling Kable and making him win. The game is owned by a megalomaniacal millionaire named Castle (Michael C. Hall). He could care less about the players but likes the control the game gives him.

The entire film is just an excuse for violence and does not appear to have any point other than that. How they got actors of the likes of Butler, Lerman, Hall and Valletta to appear is a mystery. Plus they also have Kyra Sedgwick, Alison Lohman and Ludacris popping up.

Sedgwick is obnoxiously profane as the host of a TV talk show. After her success in the TV series “The Closer” this role appears to just give her a chance to get down and dirty for a change. Lohman is a very talented actress and her role is just a blip on the landscape of the film.

Butler lives up to the physical requirements of the role of Kable but never interjects a specifically believable character trait into the role. He is just a killing machine hoping for a way to save his family. 

The one character who does draw attention is Castle. As played by Hall he is fascinating to watch. There is one scene in which he breaks into song and dance that is so bizarre that you can’t get it out of your mind even after the movie has ended. It is a unique moment for a unique actor.

Most of “Gamer” is just mind blowing violence. There is no real rhyme or reason to anything. It holds your interest because of the action but nothing else. The cast is much too good to be trapped in a violence only film such as this one.

“Whiteout” is on DVD this week and it is one of those movies that entertains but doesn’t linger for long in your memory. It is a mystery that is set in Antarctica and that gives it a unique look. Plus it stars Kate Beckinsale, an actress who always makes her roles better than written. These factors help “Whiteout” stay away from being a total wipeout.

In the story US Marshall Carrie Stetkoe (Beckinsale) is ending up her tour of duty in Antarctica. In just a few days she will board a plane that will take her back to the states. Also leaving on that plane is her friend Doc Fury (Tom Skerritt). The next plane after this one will be in six months when the winter is over, so it is leave now or wait six months.

Just as she is getting packed there is a report of a body being found out on the ice. Carrie goes to investigate and gets caught up in a diabolical plot that causes several deaths. Luckily Carrie has the assistance of UN Investigator Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht), but can she really trust him? 

As a winter storm closes in on them, and the long winter is set to begin, Carrie has to find a killer before he finds her. That is the crux of the film and the reason for the suspense. It is all a little predictable and hard to believe but watching Kate helps pass the time.

The film does make Kate almost superhuman. She is injured but it doesn’t slow her down; she is up against men twice her size and weight but it doesn’t slow her down. She is one US Marshall who is going to get her man.

Beckinsale is the star of the movie. Macht, Columbus Short and Alex O’Loughlin could all play each others role and it would make no difference in their appeal. Skerritt does manage to stand out thanks to his age and silver hair.

If you like a new locale for your murder mystery well the Antarctic is unique. And if you like a tough and beautiful heroine for your movies then Kate is your girl. Still it would have helped had the script been a bit more believable and if Kate’s character hadn’t been such a superwoman.

As is, the movie is only enjoyable because of Kate and Antarctica. The rest of it could be wiped out by the whiteout and you wouldn’t care.
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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