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{{quote| ''"Today I stumbled upon something that no man has ever stumbled upon before. They'll write about me in history books for generations to come. And yet, moments ago, it was unfathomable not only to myself but to mankind as a whole. It's hard to describe but it was as easy as... how do I explain this, I said something that wasn't!"''}}
 
''[[The Invention of Lying]]'' is a 2009 movie written, produced, directed, and starring [[Ricky Gervais]]. It takes place [[In a World|in a world]] that has no concept of fiction or deceit. In a world of brutal honesty we find our protagonist, Mark Bellison, at the end of a particularly terrible day. When these events finally come to a close, he's lost his job, flat broke and facing certain eviction from his apartment. Then when all seems hopeless, he's struck by the finest [[Eureka Moment]] in recorded history. Mark becomes the first person to come up with the idea of intentional deception. [[Hilarity Ensues]].
 
The film depicts a world identical to our own, minus the ability to deceive or withhold the truth in any shape or form. This results in people being [[Brutal Honesty|brutally honest]] and always saying exactly what they're thinking at a given time. The film initially deals with Mark utilizing his new talent for personal gain but then moves toward dealing with the more complex concepts of religion and love. The movie's take on "absolute truth" and the latter half of the story have proven very polarizing.
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* [[Can Not Tell a Lie]]: ''Everyone''. It gets to the point where nobody has any imagination. The closest thing to a movie is some guy in a chair reading about history.
* [[Cessation of Existence]]: Mark's Mom says "Death is a horrible thing... Few more hours like this and then an eternity of nothingness."
* [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]]: An old folks' home is emblazoned with "A Sad Place for Hopeless Old People" while the church which appears late in the movie is "A Quiet Place to Think About the Man in the Sky".
* [[Halfway Plot Switch]]: From a man who learns to lie in a world of truth to a deconstruction of love and religion.
* [[High Concept]]: Of a world where lying never came to be.
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* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: Think of what the world's first liar ultimately invents - religion.
* [[Self Proclaimed Liar]]: Justified because no one in this world can wrap their heads around the concept of lying.
* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]: The main concept behind the plot; what would happen if a [[Running Joke|snub-nosed fat man]] with no friends or money [[Loners Are Freaks|learned to]] [[The Cynic|lie and deceive]] in a world of [[Wide -Eyed Idealist|overly trustworthy]] [[The Woobie|beautiful people]]?
* [[Take That]]:
** Religion is made of lies! However, the intended message is muddied in [[Fridge Logic]]. ...Ricky Gervais ''is'' an atheist, which may explain some things...
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