No lie: 'The Office' brain, strong cast invent winning film

When the creator of “The Office” stars in a movie that he also wrote and directed, odds are it will be brilliant. Ricky Gervais’ new movie “The Invention of Lying” is just that: brilliant.

Gervais was hardly known in America until a version of the British comedy show he created aired here and, subsequently, won the hearts of viewers. After the success of “The Office,” Gervais started his assault on the silver screen.

He has only had a handful of movie roles, but he has played them well. He was the anal retentive curator in “Night at the Museum” and played the lead in last year’s “Ghost Town.”

In “The Invention of Lying” Gervais plays Mark Bellison. He lives in the same world we do, but no one can lie. One day, out of necessity, Mark conjures up a lie and his needs are fulfilled. He then uses his new talent for both good and his own self-gratification.

I would couple the main germ of the plot with two Jim Carrey movies. It’s part “Liar Liar,” but instead of having to tell the truth, Mark is the only person who can lie, and part “Bruce Almighty.” Both men receive extraordinary powers, use them for their own good, and eventually see they could be helping others instead.

The movie pokes fun at how much people lie or embellish things. It takes stabs at advertisements, first-date situations and even the film industry. The whole world is one brutally honest place. This idea allowed for some socially awkward situations that we would never get to see in real life.

The cast of characters movie was impeccable. When you create one of the top shows on television, you can get anybody to be in your film. My favorite cameo was of Edward Norton, one of the greatest actors of our generation. He plays a police officer that, because he cannot lie, says some ludicrous things that had me laughing.

It’s fun to spot others in the comedy world in this movie. It features Jonah Hill (“Superbad”), Christopher Guest (“This is Spinal Tap”), Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”), Jason Bateman (“Juno”) and many others.

Gervais scores again with the writing and his comedic style. His British dialect and view of the world team up to make people laugh. This quirky comedy is worthy of your time, and that’s no lie.