15 Fascinating Premises That Were Bigger Than The Movies Themselves

2. The Invention Of Lying

The Premise: In a world in which everybody tells the truth, Ricky Gervais becomes the first man to ever lie, finding out that he can shape the world to his own desire. It's one of the best ideas that Ricky Gervais has ever had. In The Invention of Lying, he's the only human being in the world who can lie. He can do what he likes, manipulating the feelings of just about everyone; it's opportunity for him to be David Brent, and the world to be his straight-man. The Invention of Lying heads into a strange territory though, shortly after all the fun that Gervais's character Mark has with his new-found gift. When Mark realises that his mother's going to die, he tells her of an afterlife, so she's not so scared anymore. It's a beautifully touching moment, but the eavesdroppers at the hospital turn Mark into a Messiah-like figure for knowing about heaven. The mid-film wander into religious allegory might not come as a surprise to anyone follows Gervais on Twitter; he's a staunch atheist, who presents his beliefs in quite a few of his works. Whether it was an attack on religion or a breezy yet thoughtful rom-com though, there's no denying that it's a simple and extremely intelligent concept; it's just a shame we didn't see more of that, before it descended into the god-complex stuff.