I kind of had large hopes for this one. I mean, the press wasn't terribly glowing, plus there wasn't anyone who was running out and claiming it to be the most brilliant comedy to be made since... whenever. But still... it had a cool premise, and Ricky Gervais isn't the worst person in the world. So what could go wrong?
Well... the premise gets about as much mileage as it can before the film shifts gears, so the fact that the film sort of disappointed can't be pinned on that. Indeed, the first 10-20 minutes are probably the funniest scenes in the movie, pretty much because everyone dishes out all sorts of nastiness towards Gervais' way, who plays off it like a defeated man doomed to a sad existence. Also, the advertisements for soda products that pop up are pretty much the exact type of advertisements that would get me to purchase their products (so suck on that, marketers).
It isn't that anyone is particularly bad in the thing... in fact, everyone's pretty solid, and the film as a whole is helped by the fact that a bunch of people make random cameos in the film.
It's not that the film doesn't really have anything to say. On the contrary, it kind of argues that lying adds color and depth to the world, and a society where we only speak the truth would be hopelessly practical and cruel. It's not the most earth-shaking argument, but you know... *shrugs*
It's not even that the foray into a critique on religion is mishandled or anything. I thought it was decently done, you know... I mean, there's pretty much no room for debate that the critique comes down on the atheism side. But the birth of religion was conceived after Gervais was watching a loved one die, and couldn't stand to see that person suffering, so it's not like it's trying to belittle people of faith or anything (though I would imagine a lot of people getting upset over it anyway).
The problem with the movie is this: the tone just shifts so radically that it can't possibly recover.
So Jennifer Garner is in the movie, right? It's reasonable to assume that she will then be the romantic interest in the film, right? Which is all cool and everything, but the problem is that the film goes from religious satire to romantic comedy...
Umm, what?
First off, Gervais' character is the one that tells the world about this guy called God, and thus he becomes a very well known figure. So of course, he's walking around town lamenting over the fact that Jennifer Garner won't be with him... AND PEOPLE AREN'T TOTALLY FLOCKING AROUND HIM. I mean, this is a guy that essentially changes what everyone has known for good, right? Wouldn't everyone have questions for him? Wouldn't Gervais himself obsess over the fact that he has just changed everything, and do all in his power to either rectify the situation or make the whole religion thing work for everyone? Well of course not. Because Jennifer Garner won't sleep with him. Perfectly reasonable.
Also, once you've brought the whole God thing into the equation... you really can't go back. I mean, it's just too weighty to just essentially drop in favor of a boring romance. So of course the romantic plot feels even more slight and inessential, and that's what you get to watch for the last 30 minutes.
It doesn't help that it's also not particularly humorous.
So what happened? Maybe they didn't know where to go after bringing God in. Maybe they couldn't think of anything that wouldn't offend a large part of America. Maybe they thought the schtick wore *too* thin. But I think there could have been a different direction it could have gone other than the mopey, depressed "Gervais is in love but won't get the girl because she favors genetics over whatever Gervais has to offer". Something more absurd, perhaps. Gervais worked in a film company... they could have developed that a little more. As it stood, the film company just had a guy telling historical stories before Gervais completely made up a plot... perhaps they could have Gervais reinvent the film industry a little more... comment on the escapism of Hollywood and how it might be needed or something stupid like that. I don't know.
Oh well. It was an interesting failure, I suppose. One that is an enjoyable watch. Fun, not terribly brilliant, and ultimately disappointing given the premise and the people involved.
Now if you' excuse me, I have to go wake up at 7 now (meaning, I'll be up another 2 hours doing stuff I didn't get the chance to do while writing this)
RATING:
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