10 Terrible Movies That Wasted A Truly Brilliant Concept

9. The Invention Of Lying

Ricky Gervais The Invention Of Lying
Warner Bros. Pictures/Focus Features

The Concept: The Invention Of Lying is set in a world where lying does not exist - everybody tells the truth, whether it's harsh or not. Do you look fat in that outfit? That's what you'll hear from your friends/significant other.

Enter Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais), a writer who invents the concept of lying after a series of situations lead to him being fired, and evicted from his home.

Why The Movie Failed: The problem with the way that Gervais (who also co-directed and wrote the film) chose to execute this premise is that he's aimed for 'people don't lie' but he's actually landed on 'people say what's on their minds constantly, with no consideration about how it will affect others or the world around them'.

For example, in one scene, Mark visits Anna (Jennifer Garner) in her room. He knocks on the door, and she answers, commenting that Mark's early. Then, without hesitation - and even though Mark has not asked a question - she tells him she was just masturbating.

Are people in this world also stupid? Anna doesn't have to lie (and her masturbation comment would be a suitable answer had Mark asked what she's been doing) but that doesn't mean she has to tell the truth 24/7, even without being prompted.

The Invention Of Lying is littered with countless moments like this, and they detract from the overall experience; you'll begin to question whether or not Gervais actually understands how his own concept works.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!