` ` The Invention of Lying '' has lots of # ##ness , says Tom Charity . Provocatively , the big lie that changes everything is the promise of an afterlife Mark gives to his mother on her deathbed . Movie is about man who learns to lie in fortune - telling society . Film is flat at first , but star Ricky Gervais helps carry it over weak spots .
` ` The Invention of Lying '' has lots of # ##ness , says Tom Charity . Movie is about man who learns to lie in fortune - telling society . Film is flat at first , but star Ricky Gervais helps carry it over weak spots .