Rom-com
In an alternate universe where lying has never been discovered, one man uses dishonesty to acquire fame and fortune.
In American football they say if you play two quarterbacks you do so because you don’t even have one. So it seems is the case with the directing tandem responsible for the affable-yet-forgettable and occasionally uninspired The Invention of Lying. The two gentlemen in question are Ricky Gervais (you know who he is, yeah?) and Matthew Robinson, who seems to be successfully maintaining his anonymity in the Internet age despite co-directing pictures with eight-figure budgets (he does Tweet though). For whatever reason spurning Stephen Merchant (but for a funny cameo) with whom he made his legend on the television series The Office and Extras, Gervais’s big-screen bow as director flirts with the brilliance of those two shows, but is ultimately marred by an inconsistency in tone, an inability to reconcile divergent stylistic elements, and other basic maladies suggested by the notion of “co-directors”.
The film’s identity crisis begins before we’re even informed of the title. Gervais narrates omnisciently and possibly as his character, Mark Bellison, about what we’re about to see. He explains over boring establishing shots of Anytown, U.S.A. that this is indeed Anytown, U.S.A., but a far more honest Anytown in a far more honest U.S.A. in a far more honest universe as the inhabitants of this land have never discovered the joys of untruth, hence the titular premise.
The cloying score that bounces along irrelevantly just to let us know it’s there that accompanies this opening monologue suggests a modern rom-com as does the perfunctory background detail supplied in it by Gervais. Seems a couple decades back it was decided that we were never to begin to watch two people fall in love unless we knew for certain a few meaningless statistics about them that would be obvious anyway halfway through their first scene.
Gervais’s opening complete, we join his charmingly chubby body as it arrives to pick up Jennifer Garner for their first date. Garner will drop your jaw with her reportedly improvised greeting to Gervais, but her character’s much harsher than his in her truth-telling and then there’s no hint of a love connection. Were this T.V. Gervais, there’d be no problem with lust being his sole motivation for pursuing her, but The Invention of Lying spends much time trying to convince us they’re actually meant for each other.
Though the film’s first act lacks the romantic spark we expect, it does pepper in more than a few amusing examples of this alternate universe’s singular difference from ours at work. Waiters don’t pretend to be thrilled you’ve chosen their restaurant and nursing homes and motels are given more accurate and descriptive names. On the less amusing side of things, the irritating Jonah Hill illustrates that neighbors aren’t as willing to put on a happy face whilst engaging in small talk in the elevator.
Back to that undefined opening narration. While some of the information provided in it by Gervais is extraneous, it also serves as an introduction to the film as a fable. He explains the uniqueness of the world we’re about to enter and introduces Mark as the man who’ll change it. The change is an act of economic necessity. Facing eviction following his firing as a writer of documentaries (the only cinema in a world devoid of fiction) Mark explains to a bank teller that his account is actually more robust than her records indicate. She apologizes for the confusion and hands over his rent money.
Cue the making-money-through-duplicity montage, which segues into the prove-to-Ben-Affleck’s-wife-I’m-worthy-of-her-despite-physical-appearances-suggesting-otherwise second date. This date is interrupted by news of Mark’s ailing mother being within minutes of what their world universally agrees is an eternity of nothingness, i.e. death. Knelt at her bedside, son consoles mother by giving his new invention its biggest test: He tells her it isn’t eternal nothingness that awaits her, but that a man in the sky shall grant her passage to his sky paradise, where she’ll be reunited with her predeceased husband and returned to her youth. Sound familiar?
At this point we’d be willing to forgive The Invention of Lying its many clunky rom-com clichés as the prospect of the guy responsible for The Office presenting all of religion as, for lack of a better term, a lie is just too appetizing. However, the film’s heresy, though humorous and more respectful than you might think, is always subservient to its aspirations of conventional rom-com bliss. After word gets out about Mark’s secret knowledge of the man in the sky, he refuses to let his status as prophet deter his attempts to win Garner’s heart.
The film’s very title also proves to be mostly window-dressing. The Invention of Lying is mostly a setup for jokes. While the religious elements tease a fascinating mediation on the many pros and equally numerous cons of dishonesty, the premise proves to be most often just the gimmick with which to sell the rom-com.
All is not fine with The Invention of Lying when it’s pursuing headier stuff or wrong with it when it plays as a standard rom-com. The suggestion here isn’t that Gervais was going to give us a worthy successor to Life of Brian until the suits stuck this Robinson fella in there to turn it into When David Brent Met Alias... Actually, Gervais the actor seems more at home playing the romantic sad sack than the knowingly subversive would-be prophet.
So, rather than sticking Robinson with all the blame, perhaps we can see his first film as illustrative of the struggle between the pursuits of substance and success Gervais made the primary theme of the second series of Extras, in which his character Andy Milman became Britain’s biggest comedy star through his work on a truly wretched shitcom. The Invention of Lying is nowhere near as bad as When the Whistle Blows, but, due respect to Mr. Robinson, this reviewer thinks Gervais has a better chance of sorting out his various ideas and aspirations when he reunites with Stephen Merchant on script and direction for Cemetery Junction later this month.
Speed Dating really can hurt -- ouch
Encounters, Speed Dating can hurt gets its DVD release this week and I saw a preview copy recently and was pleasantly surprised by what this charming little indie rom-com has to offer. It proved to be an interesting, if sometimes odd, drama about a collection of singles who meet via a night of speed dating in London.
The film's premise is unassuming enough, Simon prepares a night of “speed dating”, where men and women spend three minutes chatting with one another before changing partners, and the cycle repeats. But his first-time effort gets off to a bad enough start when only eight people show up. It then gets worse as theres three guys and five women. Frankly I doubt any of them should have gone on dates with any of the others and in some ways that adds to the film charm and grace.
All of the characters we meet in Encounters are interesting in their own ways and I suspect it would be easy for most people to discover a connection with one or more of the characters as they struggle in their attempts to find companionship and romance in this cold modern world.
Stand out performance for me was that of John: played by Jonathan Reason, with a lightness of touch that is as near perfection as I have seen in many years. He is quiet, shay and sheepish man. Sue (Jenna Shaw) gets tangled up with Mateuz (Matthew Worthington) who reveals he is simply looking for a marriage of convenience so he can stay in the country, which throws Sue into turmoil, not just because she’s shocked, but also because she’s actually thinking about going through with it. Patrick Thornton is the creepy Peter, who attends the speed dating largely to freak out the women and ultimately hooks up with Ruth (Deborah Jeffrey), who’s willing to go along with his oddball behavior. Or, is she? Meanwhile, Simon, the organiser of the speed dating event becomes involved with one of its attendees, Carol (Hannah Smith). Carol is pregnant and at pains to explain that she is not looking for the father of her child. Jacynthe, played by Alexandra London-Thompson and John look as if they might hook up, even though their motivations are clearly at odds, since she is looking for a good time, while he is seeking a wife to fill up his lonely life and searching for someone to give him a son. John is ultimately the character I felt for the most, not only because he was lonely, but because he was ultimately chasing after something he clearly wasn’t going to get.
Encounters was surprisingly entertaining in many ways. The performances were terrific, with the relaxed realism that made the film all the more dramatic. A beautifully observed slice of life that will resonate with everyone and will tug at the heart strings. Funny (actually hilarious in places) and at the same time guaranteed to make you shed a tear as well. Bizarre and perfect in many ways. I recommend you see it soon. (Released on DVD Nov 24th)
A young man falls in love with the new girl in his office only to discover that she's not exactly what he's been hoping for.
500 days of Summer is a beautifully optimistic and well thought out romantic comedy, something that doesn't often occur in a genre which is plagued by cheesy confessions of undying love and unrealistic relationships. It involves two main characters Tom, a disgruntled greetings card writer who somehow got lost trying to become an architect and the beautiful Summer, full of life and a view to always chase her dreams. Tom falls in love with her while Summer - well she doesn't fall in love with him.
The twist in this romantic comedy is acted out superbly by the talented cast who portray perfectly the pitfalls which occur in all relationships, only reversing the gender order. Joseph Gordon Levitt (Tom) gives a stunning performance as a man smitten with a girl who shows him the good side of life, something his pessimistic character appears to have forgotten and as the man crushed by said girl.
One technique employed in the film to great effect is the flashbacks to the 500 days of their relationship. The tone changes with each of these portrayals which are not always given in numerical order, however the impressive soundtrack and acting performances given make this film entertaining and hilarious - filled with jokes about sex, relationships and how to get over somebody who broke your heart.
Optimistic, offbeat and hilariously true to life, 500 days of summer is definitely worth the money and brings about hope that no matter how much you think that person might have been for you, there is always somebody else around the corner.
