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The Invention of Lying: Sweet, but Unsteady

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:45:37 -0700

In his Hollywood directorial debut, Ricky Gervais takes us to an alternate universe where honesty makes the world go round. It's not just that lie-telling is an impossibility; everyone can't help but speak their minds at all times, no matter how personal, embarrassing, or brutal their innermost thoughts may be. The premise of The Invention of Lying is rife for comedy, but the film is also a commentary on religion and has its sad moments as well.

The film tells the story of Mark Bellison, an average joe who just can't seem to get ahead in a world where his mediocrity is ridiculed day after day. His co-workers can't stand him and women reject him based on his looks alone. When he loses his job as a screenwriter, Mark is ready to give up - until he mysteriously becomes the world's first liar.

To see what else I thought of the film, just read more.

Ricky Gervais stars as Mark, living in a world that's mostly free of flair, frills, and aesthetics. Mark's house and office are plain and boring, complementing his every-day appearance. Those who stand out are the people who are naturally attractive, like the object of Mark's affections, Anna (Jennifer Garner) and his snarky co-worker Brad (Rob Lowe). Anna can't help but show her shallow side on her first date with Mark. She immediately rejects him on the basis that she doesn't want to have "fat, snub-nosed" children someday and must find a "better genetic match." Once Mark starts to stretch his newfound talent though, he decides he can have whatever he wants - and begins a quest to win Anna's affections.

Gervais surprised me with his performance because he finally takes a break from his typical British dry humor. As affable, down-on-his-luck Mark, Gervais proves that he doesn't need his signature sarcasm to be witty. The most important scene of the movie requires a lot of raw emotion from Gervais, and he absolutely nails it, showcasing a sweet side that we rarely see from the actor.

There are two major aspects of the movie that wore me down: the cameos and the product placement. I love a good celebrity appearance, but after Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ed Norton, and Jason Bateman pop in, it starts to feel like Gervais is trying to use his comical buddies to keep the storyline afloat when it starts to lose focus. Seeing a familiar face is always fun, but this isn't a Judd Apatow movie.

The product placement is funny and fitting at first; there's not much room for advertising in a world of stark truth. With only a reputation to rely on, Coke and Pepsi are left with the slogans "It's very famous" and "When they don't have Coke," respectively. The film goes way overboard from there though, and suddenly Mark is surrounded by Budweiser bottles at all times and at the film's climax he's standing in front of a group clutching a pair of cardboard Pizza Hut boxes.

The movie's biggest problem is that it tries to appeal to too many genres. It's packaged as a comedy, but Mark becomes a god-like character once the world gets wind of his lies. His peers literally take everything he says as gospel, and Mark becomes a blatant modern-day Moses (complete with long hair and beard). Just as the audience begins to wonder where it's all going, the movie quickly ditches the religious aspect and finishes up as a love story. The ending is satisfactory, but what's the point of satirizing religion when it doesn't hold much water for the overall message of the movie?

Like I said, the premise is rife for comedy and starts us down a path that's packed with laughs - I just wish Invention of Lying didn't wander off before finding its way back home.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

TV Tonight: Brothers and Sisters

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:30:00 -0800

Have you seen any of the promos for tonight's two-hour special episode of Brothers and Sisters? They're awfully intense, promising a birth, a death, and more than the average amount of Walker family drama.

In this episode - or, rather, these two episodes - Trish goes into labor with Kitty and Robert's baby. It's a big day for the couple, and not just for that reason: Robert's also planning on making public his decision to run for governor of California. Meanwhile, Rebecca continues to rekindle her relationship with her father, and she ends up discovering some more disturbing information that could destroy Ojai Foods and maybe even send a Walker to prison.

Apparently, this episode is a tearjerker and a surefire Emmy submission for Rob Lowe - but I don't want to say any more than that. Instead, I'll just be tuning in tonight to see what all goes down. What about you? To check out a promo for the episode, just read more.

Buzz News Roundup, 2/4

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:32:30 -0800

Yesterday's Patriots-Giants game was the most-watched Super Bowl ever with 97.5 million viewers, the Associated Press reports.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, the Arcade Fire apparently didn't give permission for their song to be used in an ad for NFL on Fox, Pitchfork reports.
A Jim Henson biopic titled Henson is now in the works, though casting hasn't yet begun, writes ComingSoon.
E! Online has news that the Spice Girls will wrap their world tour later this month, canceling dates in China, Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
Variety reports that Robert Englund, mostly known as the man who played Freddie Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street, will direct The Vij, "a dark gothic fantasy in which Christopher Lee is attached to star."
People has more on that Sarah Silverman/Matt Damon video for Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Sylvester Stallone has signed on to direct and star in two more action flicks with the same producing team he worked with on Rambo, writes Hollywood Reporter.
The Wall Street Journal has more on what a strike settlement could mean for getting TV shows back this season., while Broadcasting & Cable reports on a WGA memo saying a deal isn't done yet.
According to ComingSoon, Rob Lowe will join Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner in the comedy This Side of the Truth.
Sarah Michelle Gellar hasn't signed on yet for the Buffy reunion at the Paley Festival, the LA Times reports (update! She will be attending after all); the festival will also include panels for Friday Night Lights, Damages, and Chuck, among others.

Source

TV Tonight: Brothers & Sisters

BuzzSugar — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:00:00 -0800

Is it just me, or have there been a lot of weddings on TV this fall? Wilhelmina on Ugly Betty, Karen on Dirty Sexy Money, and, soon, Robert and Kitty on Brothers & Sisters.

The planning for that last one is in full swing on tonight's episode, with Kitty and Robert trying to figure out the songs - and the steps - for their first dance. The wedding itself is supposed to happen in next week's episode, but when you're dealing with a presidential candidate and the Walker family, aren't things bound to get messed up? In the meantime, you can check out a preview clip that will tell you more than you ever needed to know about Nora Walker's sex life if you just read more

TV Tonight: "Brothers & Sisters"

BuzzSugar — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:14:22 -0700

I haven't written much about "Brothers & Sisters," but over the course of its first season, it's become a show I can't wait to watch every Sunday. The show has only gotten stronger over the past few episodes, with the introduction of Emily VanCamp (formerly of "Everwood") as the Walker family's previously unknown half-sibling. Sally Field is delightfully inappropriate as matriarch Nora, and I'm amazed at the show's ability to juggle a number of plot lines (at least one per member of the Walker clan) without getting too overwhelming.

I'm especially intrigued by tonight's episode because of the cliffhanger set up a couple of weeks ago: Rebecca claimed that her half-sister Sarah's husband, Joe, kissed her during a guitar lesson. The kiss wasn't shown on TV, and I'm not sure if Rebecca's story is true; regardless, it's certain to put even more stress on Joe and Sarah's already screwed-up marriage. But "Brothers & Sisters" always throws a lot of lighter moments in among the heavy stuff, and this episode should be no exception: To see a cute scene of Calista Flockhart's character, Kitty, giving her boyfriend/boss a massage, read more

Do You Watch Made-For-TV Christmas Movies?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 05:31:16 -0800

Original TV movies like TNT's A Perfect Day, ABC Family's Santa Baby, or The Year Without a Santa Claus on NBC are often too sappy and hokey to swallow. Still, since the best TV shows are on hiatus and I've seen It's A Wonderful Life 346 times, I sometimes find myself succumbing. Do you ever watch these cheesy TV movies?

The Office, "Double Date": Best Lines of the Night and Video!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

I knew it was going to be hard to top the koi pond incident (and those Halloween costumes), but I was glad to see this week's The Office return to the storyline with new paramours Michael and Helene. This time, Pam is actually coming around to the idea of her mother dating her boss, but per his usual protocol, Michael is ready with a few blunders to messy things up. We also had a friendly competition between Andy and Dwight and - naked photos? Tsk, tsk Kelly. It's called subtle sexuality, key word being subtle.

Michael provided my favorite quote of the evening, but take a look at my list (spoilers!), and then weigh in with your own favorite zingers.

"If you clench your buttocks together when you're walking, you can really take the pressure off your knees."-Dwight
The who-can-outdo-each-other's-politeness competition between Dwight and Andy was pretty hilarious. Of course neither of their intentions were pure - Dwight wants to be kind so everyone owes him and he can unseat Jim as co-manager; Andy does it...well, pretty much because he has to be better than everybody else.

For more funny lines, plus a video of the parking lot brawl between Michael and Pam, read more.

"The chicken parm is good. It was a big part of my childhood. Oh, maybe Michael will start dating that too."-Pam
Yep, this week saw the return of the Michael and Helene's romance, when he takes his new girlfriend out to a birthday lunch with Pam and Jim. I'm glad the writers reintroduced it, but obviously Pam doesn't share my same enthusiasm.

"The only time you should care about a woman's age is if she's too young for you. And I am not robbing the cradle. If anything, I'm robbing the grave."-Michael
Ah Michael, always so sensitive to a woman's feelings. I loved watching him gradually panic as he realized Helene was older than expected. But dumping her on her birthday, in front of Pam and Jim? That was low, even for him. Such an ageist. Pam exacts her revenge though by beating him up. Check out the video of their showdown:

"What if Dwight dies and I still owe him something? That is the recipe for a ghost."-Andy
Can't blame Andy. I wouldn't want the ghost of Dwight Schrute after me either.

"What a waste of a day. I could've grown poison mushrooms that would've been this high by now."-Dwight

Dwight feels bummed that he couldn't get back at Jim - all that work going to New York just for bagels! - but I'm sure he'll concoct something for the next episode to take Jim down. Perhaps that's what the mushrooms are for?

"I saw my life flash before my eyes. I have four kids, and I have a hover car and a hover house. My wife is a runner and it shows."-Michael
Such a dreamer that Michael. After Pam slaps him across the face for calling things off with her mom, he starts imagining his future. I was really hoping that they'd drag out the coupling between him and Helene for at least a couple more episodes - do you think their romance is really dunzo?

What did you think of this week's installment? Were you sort of pulling for a relationship between Michael and Helene? Tell me (along with your favorite lines) in the comments.

Want to keep swapping opinions on this episode? Check out The Office! group in the BuzzSugar Community!

Photo courtesy of NBC

Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:30:15 -0700

For last week's Caption It challenge, I picked your brains with this photo of Jennifer Garner, Ricky Gervais, and Rob Lowe in The Invention of Lying.

As usual, there were lots of clever one-liners but it's time to narrow them down!

"I suppose you're dorky enough looking for my German version of The Office."
"What do you mean it's not classy to drink Budweiser? It's the king of beers!"
"Why do you look like Clark Kent? Halloween is a month from now!"
"Syd, I refuse to believe that for the third time this month, your alias is to go on a date with an attractive man, no matter how many beers I drink!"

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures

Caption It!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Welcome to the Caption It game on BuzzSugar! Every Wednesday, I'll post a photo still from a TV show or movie here and challenge you to think of the most hilarious caption possible. I'll announce the finalists the following Tuesday, and you'll get to vote for the best caption!

Before we get to the new challenge, congratulations to khowell who came up with the winner for last week's challenge, which featured a distraught Lily from How I Met Your Mother. khowell ran away with 60 percent of the vote with this zinger:

"How many times do I have to tell you?! I've forgotten Sarah Marshall!"

Congrats, khowell! Now let's get to this week's challenge with this photo from The Invention of Lying with Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, and Rob Lowe.

There's a lot of funny hiding in there, so leave your caption suggestions in the comments before 5 p.m. PDT on Monday, Oct. 5 for a chance to win!

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:50:21 -0700

ABC is new with Flash Forward and the 2 hour season premiere of Grey's Anatomy
CBS is new with Survivor: Samoa, CSI and The Mentalist
FOX is new with Bones and Fringe
NBC is new with Parks and Recreation, The Office and Community
The CW is new with Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
Bravo is new with Real Housewives of Atlanta
HBO has repeats of Entourage
MTV is new with Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory
VH1 has repeats of The T.O. Show
Lifetime is new with Project Runway and Models of the Runway
Late-night highlights include Rob Lowe on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Craig Ferguson on the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS; Jason Schwartzman on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS; Megan Fox on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC and Rush Limbaugh on The Jay Leno Show on NBC