58
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIn its amiable, quiet, PG-13 way, The Invention of Lying is a remarkably radical comedy.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThe performances are razor sharp. And the ideas in this movie are, no kidding, big.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinHowever cheeky and blasphemous, this is, at heart, a rather sweet little fable. Which of course would mean nothing if it weren’t explosively funny.
- 75Miami HeraldConnie OgleMiami HeraldConnie OgleGervais' wickedly sly concept lingers quite awhile after the final chuckle. And that's the truth.
- 63ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliIt's surprising to admit that the British comedian, known far and wide for his willingness to take risks, plays it safe in The Invention of Lying - a fault from which the movie never truly recovers.
- 63St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsSt. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsThis topsy-turvy flick is fitfully funny, but more often it's just odd, like the first draft of a "Twilight Zone" episode that's missing its moral.
- 60Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearOnce the sharp, clever satire gives way to what feels like a special must-see-TV episode, the movie’s promise slowly deflates.
- 50Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesThe romantic plot, involving his unrequited loved for Garner, is soured by her character's unconcealed shallowness: she won't have him because his genes aren't up to snuff.
- 30Village VoiceVillage VoiceLying brushes more big ideas than commonplace comedies, but hasn't taken those ideas through enough drafts to work out their implications or--harder still--make them killingly funny.
- 20EmpireChris Hewitt (1)EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Proof that when you aim for the stars, sometimes you find a black hole. Hopefully just an anomaly for the usually wonderful Gervais.