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The story is too philosophical in nature to be a comedy. We Americans like slapstick moments, bawdy hijinks and double entendres. We’re amused by comedies like What Happens in Vegas, The Hangover, or The Proposal. Subtle and cebrebral satire? Not our forte.

So, knowing the American audience, why does Warner Brothers risk investing in a Ricky Gervais film? His first American foray, Ghost Town, was deemed a flop by many reviewers. Why give him a second chance? He’s even working on a third film for the U.S. market. Will the third time be a charm? I hope so because I did see both of his movies and there were some very engaging segments in both.

The premise in this film is a world without deception. The town depicted — lovely Lowell, Mass. — is a place where people tell the truth and have no concept of what lying is. The opening minutes are very funny. Ricky Gervais is Mark Bellison, a chubby bachelor who makes a moderate salary as a screenwriter for Lecture Pictures. He has a date with Anna, played by Jennifer Garner. While he’s waiting on the couch downstairs in her apartment, she’s upstairs in her room getting ready. She tells him she needs to masturbate before coming down to greet him. When she descends the staircase and sees Mark, Anna expresses more true sentiments. She talks about his chubby body and snub-nose, both of which she finds very unappealing. But, nevertheless, he persists in taking her to a fine restaurant. The scene in the restaurant is also comical. The waiter tells the truth about his inability to serve his customers well. Other diners stare at the mismatched couple and express aloud their opinion about the mismatched Anna and Mark.

After getting used to the silliness of the truthful world Mark inhabits, the tone becomes more serious. At Mark’s office, everyone complains about Mark’s script and he is summarily fired. Before going home to his small apartment, he visits his mother in a nursing home called The Sad Place for Old People. The residents look miserable and the staff doesn’t cheer them up either. Mark tells his mother about being fired and she reminds him that he’s a loser like his dad. He returns to his apartment where his landlord is waiting for him to collect $800 in rent. He has only $300 in the bank and goes there to withdraw the money. The teller says the computer’s down. An idea flashes in Mark’s brain. He’ll ask for $800 so he can pay his rent. It’s only the first of many deceptions he perpetrates to improve his lot. He cheats in casinos and becomes a wealthy man.

A light-hearted comedy becomes a serious investigation of truth versus lying for personal gain. I preferred the beginning part of the film and wished the comedy had continued throughout the 99 minutes. Mark Bellison’s transformation from loveable loser to slick liar destroyed the likeability of the character. It’s a shame because the movie had a lot of potential that wasn’t realized.

If you were a fan of the BBC series The Office starring Ricky Gervais, save your money and rent the DVD of The Invention of Lying. You can skip what you don’t like and see the good parts of the film.

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