Such is the appeal of Ricky Gervais that any new project to which he is attached is awaited with bated breath. 

The Invention of Lying, in which he stars, marks local boy Ricky’s first Hollywood foray behind the camera as co-writer and director.

So what’s it like? Well, it’s not a bad first shot.  Even if it does lack Gervais’s strong personal voice – so familiar from The Office and Extras – and he errs on the side of caution with a formulaic feel.

The premise for The Invention of Lying feels like it was made for Jim Carrey. It’s not dissimilar to Liar Liar and Yes Man and is set in a parallel universe where there is no such thing as lying.

That all changes when a freak cerebral vortex occurs in the mind of failed screenplay writer Mark Bellison (Gervais). This leaves him able to not only bend the truth but also tell outrageous porkies. 

In a world devoid of mistrust, everyone blindly accepts every word he utters. Able to turn this to his advantage, he cons the bank, the casino, his former boss and colleagues as well as the rest of the world when he invents a ‘Man In The Sky’ who controls everything. But will his gift allow him to win the hand of the woman he loves and ultimately secure his happiness? Of course it will, but not before he’s been through the mill.

With Gervais playing it safe, The Invention of Lying isn’t as funny as you’d like but, as Mark Bellison, he’s a likeable everyman with whom we can identify. Gervais’s performance is typical and therefore guarantees laughs, even if you don’t get the laugh-a-minute quota you might expect.

The outlandish premise makes it difficult to fully immerse yourself in the film as your mind works to justify why characters say certain things and why particular events happen.

An inability to suspend your disbelief detracts from your enjoyment, with the biggest poser of all being the quandary over why the characters feel compelled to say everything that’s on their minds simply because they have no facility for lying.

Gervais has cornered the market in playing Average Joes and it is no surprise to find him playing another one of life’s losers here.

On the whole, it’s a dependable and predictable performance, Gervais exhibits a flash of brilliance in the scene at his mother’s death bed, displaying a very emotive talent for drama. Surely it’s a matter of time before he has a straight role.

Jennifer Garner’s irritating turn as the prospective girlfriend aside – a post-screening dissection revealed that all present wanted to pummel, mangle and manipulate that uncomfortable-looking, self-conscious face – there are some impressive and enjoyable cameos from Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Rob Lowe, Christopher Guest, Stephen Merchant and Ed Norton that will raise a smile. 

The Invention of Lying is OK but feels like filler, paving the way for Gervais’s much more hotly-anticipated Reading-based feature Cemetery Junction.

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