Though many of us would thrill to the notion of the brilliant British comedian Ricky Gervais talking about anything, his opening voiceover in the funny, frustrating "The Invention of Lying" - where he essentially explains THE WHOLE MOVIE - raised an immediate red flag. Perhaps Gervais had little faith in his ability to tell the story, or in our capacity to understand it, but the setup is simple. "The Invention of Lying" occurs in an alternate reality where everyone always tells the truth, though when a character observes another's shortcomings or cops to a very recent bout with self-pleasure, it seems more like a place where no one has an unexpressed thought.

Co-writer/co-director Gervais stars as Mark, a chubby, snub-nosed loser in the eyes of others, whose situation becomes so bleak that he decides to say "something that wasn't." (The word "lie" hadn't really come up yet.) Mark immediately realizes the benefits to fibbing, using his new trick to acquire money, power, revenge, and, less successfully, romance. Played by the adorable Jennifer Garner, Anna is the girl of Mark's dreams, yet the movie portrays her as a deeply shallow fembot only interested in the perfect genetic match.

As "The Invention of Lying" unfolds, with Mark hoping Anna will see beyond his chubby, snub-nosed loserness, the plot takes a bizarre albeit clever turn into theological satire when Mark unwittingly becomes a prophet of sorts after comforting his dying mother with the promise of a heavenly reward. But it's those clashing conceits - romantic comedy vs. religious commentary - that prove to be the undoing of "The Invention of Lying," as the meatier observations about the solace people take in the idea of a higher power lose out to the pedestrian nail-biter of whether Mark'll get the girl.

And while "The Invention of Lying" is nothing to write home about in the technical department, the performances are sharp across the board, from Tina Fey's chipper, resentful assistant to Jeffrey Tambor's cowardly boss to the cameo by the Oscar nominee nearly unrecognizable under his cop mustache. You can certainly see from where Gervais drew his inspiration, having chosen to earn his living in an industry that places more value on looks than smarts, and while he gives real acting a shot here, it's obvious that he doesn't totally buy himself as a romantic lead either.