The Invention of Lying + Liar, Liar

The Invention of Lying was the movie that inspired this blog. It was during a dull scene – and even Gervais films have dull scenes – that I started thinking of what movie I could pair with this in a Double Feature.

Whereas, the obvious choice is the Jim Carrey vehicle Liar, Liar, a second option is Hail, The Conquering Hero – another movie where telling a gullible town a string of lies turns a well-meaning schlub into a leader.

To make a good Double Feature, it’s not enough to have similar words in the titles. There has to be some similarity or contrast that will make for a satisfying evening of thoughtful movie watching.

Let’s take The Invention of Lying. Ricky Gervais* willed himself to tell a lie in a world where telling the truth was a compulsion. Carrey, however, was unwillingly forced to tell the truth in the legal world, where lying is a compulsion. In essence, Carrey’s film could be called The Invention of Truth.

How do they compare as comedies? Lying is most funny when the lies are aggressive (e.g., Tina Fey); it’s not funny when the lies are merely passive (e.g., JeffreyTambor).

Liar is funny at first, when the truth spills out unconsciously; it turns unfunny later, when Carrey tells his little white truths with embarrassing facial contortions.

The films are pretty evenly matched, over all, which makes for a primo Doble Featura. Part of this exercise, though, is to put the stronger film second, and the weaker one first. Gervais’ film may be emotionally satisfying, but Carrey’s film is emotionally true. Opt for the truth.

* You’ll almost never see me refer to characters’ names. It’s just so much easier to name the actor. So, from here on out, when I say “Ricky Gervais,” you can assume that I’m saying “Ricky Gervais’ character”…

Advertisement