The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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The Invention of Lying
Comedy · Fantasy · Romance · 2009
Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead.
Movie details
The Invention of Lying
“In a world where everyone can only tell the truth... This guy can lie.”
2009 Comedy · Fantasy · Romance 1h 40m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.2 / 10
Community rating
Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Invention of Lying?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Girl on a Bicycle
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Comedy · 2022
Peter and Emma thought they were on the precipice of life’s biggest moments – marriage, kids, and houses in the suburbs – until their respective partners dumped them. Horrified to learn that the loves of their lives have already moved on, Peter and Emma hatch a hilarious plan to win back their exes with unexpected results.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Ricky Gervais · Matthew Robinson
Written by
Ricky Gervais · Matthew Robinson
Ricky Gervais
Mark Bellison
Jennifer Garner
Anna McDoogles
Louis C.K.
Greg Kleinschmidt
Rob Lowe
Brad Kessler
Jonah Hill
Frank Fawcett
Jeffrey Tambor
Anthony James
Fionnula Flanagan
Martha Bellison
Court is in session
Put The Invention of Lying on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.