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regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Probably everyone here knows the premise and that it stars, was partially written by, and co-directed by Ricky Gervais. And that it's gotten mediocre reviews.

In general I agree with the mixed reviews of the movie. It really feels like it needs a couple more drafts and some more jokes inserted, especially towards the latter part of the movie. On the flip side, there were many laughs and one absolutely hilarious bit about 30% of the way in that had me in tears - the screenplay pitch.

Overall, it reminded me of Bruce Almighty -- not only in general theme and storyline, both of which it follows closely, but the feeling that there was much more comedy potential that wasn't sufficiently taken advantage of, despite a couple really big belly laughs.

At full price it's definitely not worth it, but if you can get in to a cheap matinee or wait for the second run theater to carry it, I think it's worth seeing in the theater.

2.5/5, rounded up I spose.

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menpoop
Jul 29, 2004

Girls aren't the only ones who take dumps, you know...

regulargonzalez posted:

the feeling that there was much more comedy potential that wasn't sufficiently taken advantage of

This is what I kept thinking the whole time. I hated the movie. It came off as smug and in-your-face the whole time while remaining terribly predictable and woefully unfunny. I just thought that the idea itself has potential to be turned into a decent comedy, but I mean did they really need to spend half the movie trying to make a point about religion? The other "blurt out whatever I'm thinking without being prompted" jokes weren't funny or clever at all. I think with more subtlety and taking out the whole man in the sky bullshit it could've been an alright movie.

1/5

menpoop fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Oct 8, 2009

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

edit: sorry, that was discussion and not review.

ilshur
Sep 24, 2004
The comedy was a full step toward inaccessible. Ricky Garvais is funny but it's mock-serious tone and mock-serious motif's didnt really make it all that good. Plus the plot dragged. It had it's moments, but they were few and far between.

Seeing the stain glassed window in "the quiet place" with him holding the pizza-box tablets elicited a truely belly belch of a laugh, i haven't laughed that hard in a long time, but this was the exception.

2/5, if you really like british humor, maybe 2.5/3

ChesterJT
Dec 28, 2003

Mounty Pumper's Flying Circus
I really like Ricky Gervais, but the movie itself wasn't very good. I think the first 30min are funny just because you're seeing this other way of life really. People blurt out what they are thinking because for them to think it and not say it would be a form of lying.

I'm glad they tried to do something with the plot because a 90min movie of nothing but that would have gotten old, I just wish the whole religion bit wasn't it. I get it Ricky, you're an atheist and you think religious people are idiots. The podcasts have shown it (and really beat the drum to death in the last couple) and now you have a whole movie to do it with. I'm not a religious person myself, but I'm almost insulted because of how badly this movie is thrown together. It smacks of a 15 year old kid who has decided he's an atheist, knows everything, and mocks anyone different. Just because the writing is a little smarter doesn't make it much better. I agree about some of the funny scenes like reading the new rules and the stained glass window but there was too much "I'm smart, you're stupid" and not enough good movie.

2/5

ilshur
Sep 24, 2004
This was Ricky Gervais at his absolute works. The film was paced very poorly, had low intensity humor - some of which was only vaguely humor if you subscribe to the dry and long joke - and the substance, the narrative, was absymal.

the part of the film that was supposed to be the funniest, with Gervais holding the pizza boxes of 'commandments' in statue-form, it was just loving stupid.

Absolute waste of an hour and a half, unless you are doing a filmographic study of Ricky Gervais, and need something balance out his generally great work with the bbc Office.

.5/5

Just a fool
Oct 14, 2004
Well they call me the hunter, baby that's my name, they call me the hunter, that's how I got my fame.
I didn't think this movie was as bad as others did. I do think that it could have had more humor and toned down the religious aspects, but as a whole, I'd give it 2.5/5

Carbolic
Apr 19, 2007

This song is about how America chews the working man up and spits him in the dirt to die
I'd give this movie a 2.5/5. It was half uninspired romantic comedy, and half straight-out comedy about a wacky concept.

For the romantic comedy half, pretty much every romantic comedy cliche showed up (boy loves girl, girl thinks of him as friend and dates douchebag, girl eventually realizes she loves boy. I don't think I need to spoiler that part). Plus, apparently what women want is "good genetic material" in a mate, as long as that material results in good-looking children? Done properly there could be some potential in a movie where the female romantic lead always blurts out the truth, but this part completely fell flat, especially given the complete absence of romantic spark and the fact that when we hear her inner thoughts, Jennifer Garner's character isn't actually that attractive.

Unfortunately the pure comedy half wasn't particularly well developed either. There just weren't enough genuine laughs. I actually found Ricky Gervais' character's invention of religion to be the funniest part of the movie, and a rather cutting (if obvious) satire, especially when the crowd acknowledges that hey, if the man in the sky really does make bad stuff happen, he's kind of an rear end in a top hat. But instead of taking this idea and running with it, the movie assumes we care about whether Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner get together. I, for one, didn't, but the movie kept wasting time on the trite romantic comedy aspect.

There was a funny cameo (Edward Norton as the cop who is sexually aroused by beating up Louis C.K.'s character), but this doesn't compensate for a movie that was painfully short of laughs.

Labratio
Apr 22, 2003

Super
Hero
In
Training
I guess the wife and I are the only ones that liked this movie. Expected a comedy, came away touched. What we expected to be a silly movie turned around and went and brought tears to our eyes here and there, all while getting us to smile every so often. It was touching, it was funny, it was smart, and it was a fantastic date movie. 5/5, see it with somebody you love.

Der Luftwaffle
Dec 29, 2008

Labratio posted:

I guess the wife and I are the only ones that liked this movie. Expected a comedy, came away touched. What we expected to be a silly movie turned around and went and brought tears to our eyes here and there, all while getting us to smile every so often. It was touching, it was funny, it was smart, and it was a fantastic date movie. 5/5, see it with somebody you love.

You're not alone, I caught this a few nights ago on TV and it was an unexpected surprise. I wouldn't give it 5 stars but there were solid laughs and was tight enough that I never felt bored. My only issue was that they couldn't seem to decide on whether the premise should be about people who can't lie or people who speak their minds at all times.

3/5

Xinlum
Apr 12, 2009

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Dark Knight

I caught this on TV last night and loved it. Some of the really dry jokes were hilarious for me, especially A Sad Place Where Old People Come to Die as a nursing home. The religious bits didn't really seem smug to me. In contrast I found it a clever statement of an atheist admitting that religion does in fact serve a good purpose.

On the other hand I didn't really find the female lead very good, and she kinda detracted from the experience.

3.5/5

The Ninth Layer
Jun 20, 2007

Also saw this on HBO and liked it. It's not a great movie, or a great comedy or anything, but it's got an interesting premise that it explores in a few interesting ways. There was a lot of potential for this movie and it doesn't really live up to any of it but despite myself I found this movie to be an engaging and occasionally funny way to spend an hour and a half. 3/5

NADZILLA
Dec 16, 2003
iron helps us play
This might have made a funny SNL skit or 22 minute sitcom episode, but the comedic possibilities were rung out of the first ten or so minutes of this dish cloth. Most of the actors are decent, but here appear to be cashing cheques, particularly Philip Hoffman and Jennifer Garner, who's hot but sort of resembles a sentient sex doll. Not that the script would lead you to believe she was anything less polyurethane--look, I dig Ricky Gervais and his schtick, but this smacks to holy hell of evo-psych horse pucky, and I heard enough of that in the university cafetorium. His job is making me laugh. Invention of Lying is about as funny as palmoplantar keratoderma (look it up).

KelJu
Jul 18, 2004
IT WAS A MISCLICK
I loved the movie. I enjoyed the smug one liners. "A Sad Place for Hopeless Old People" had me chuckling for days. Maybe I just have a sick sense of humor. I would have given this movie a 4/5, but I give it the full 5/5 just for including Louis CK and having CK get beat up by Edward Norton who is playing a cop that gets sexually aroused by beating up civilians.

KelJu fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Sep 3, 2010

mysterious frankie
Jan 11, 2009

This displeases Dev- ..van. Shut up.
The best part was that it wasn't two hours long.

2.5/5

mombot
Sep 28, 2010

mmmmmwah - Trophy kisses!

This movie was just loving awful! I love Ricky Gervais and this movie just let me down on so many levels. He was just not funny at all! The movie wasn't funny! One scene, when his mother is dying and he uses his genetic ability to lie in this too 'open-mouth-insert-foot' society to let her know she would be okay and go to a great place, etc. - you get the picture. I was touched, but I watched this movie to lift my spirits and make me laugh and it ended with me developing sour stomach.

And Jennifer Garner was just a self-centered bitch, and I usually like her work, as well.

The only character I found somewhat amusing was Rob Lowe. He did make me laugh a few times. What an rear end in a top hat - but it was what I expected him to be.

I hate it when a film advertising one thing and delivers another.

And please don't preach to me. There's a church within a mile of just about anyone for that, or take your pick. Heck, in some places they have weekly discuss groups for atheists to discuss and learn more about whatever floats their boat - humanism, whatever.

As expensive as movies are, I want to be entertained. Plain and simple. This did not deliver.

1/5, and I'm being generous.

ZenMaster
Jan 24, 2006

I Saved PC Gaming

People who can only tell the truth = people who can only dole out unending insults ad nauseum. Frankly, I don't understand it. The writing should have been much more clever with a premise this funny.

The scene where he keeps telling his buddy he is black, an astronaut, etc is hilarious... that makes sense... having everyone insult him all the time is annoying and unfunny.

In a world where only the truth is being told, people cannot come up with anything truthful to say that is nice as well? They just pick on him for no good reason even though he is an affable guy. If someone is better looking, they call him ugly... is that truth? How can a person you call ugly be called gorgeous by another?

The "truths" were all relative, or singularly truthful to the individual, and that makes no sense. One person might say a sock was blue, the other green, because each believes that is the case... and they may both be wrong.

Instead of saying everyone cannot lie, they should have said everyone says what they are thinking without feeling bad about it, that's closer in line with this film. Just cause you think it, doesn't make it "truth".

This script required much more work and care, but if watching people insult Ricky's height, weight, and looks for 2 hours is your idea of fun, then by all means, watch it.

Also, it was preachier than Jesus Camp. The secret? The "invention of lying" is religion, at least that is what I came away with. That is fine, but they make sure to pound it into your brain for over an hour, at least. What could have been a 10 minute string of jokes turned into the entire plot and drowned out everything else.

1.5/5 for a few key, funny scenes. Not much else though.

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macdonal hamborkles
Mar 29, 2010

Twerk it good!
The first 10 minutes are promising, the rest of the film is abysmal. The story takes place in a world where nobody tells lies or even understands the concept and this is used to some humorous advantage in the conversations people hold with each other, especially Ricky's date with an attractive but shallow Jennifer Garner. Eventually Ricky discovers he can lie and the humour pretty much stops there.

The romantic sub-plot is horrifying; average man meets and tries to woo alpha girl who is searching for an alpha man that is a good genetic match. Alpha girl is consistently shallow and boring but very attractive therefore average man professes his undying love erection for her. This mind-boggling relationship continues on a very predictable path until the bitter end. He gets the shallow girl

I can imagine scriptwriters Gervais and Matt Robinson getting all excited over the premise of a world where nobody tells lies and then running out of steam after the first 10 pages. More likely that they got bogged down with trying to juggle the even handed criticisms of religion/atheism rather than focusing on more laughs. Note: if you thought this film was an atheist anthem then you really need to watch it again, no matter how painful that may be for you.

Watching it again would be painful. 2/5

macdonal hamborkles fucked around with this message at 22:14 on May 10, 2011

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