Ricky Gervais, star of hit UK series' The Office and Extras, is landing more and more film roles in the US. With his first roles being in Night at the Museum and Ghost Town, the US seem to love his cold sarcastic wit.

This film is set in a world where humankind never learned how to lie. There are no little white lies, there are no acting or pleasantries. If someone asks you a question, you answer it truthfully because the thought of sugarcoating it isn't there.

As a result, people seem harsh and uncaring. If someone isn't looking forward to the date with you, they will tell you and this is how it usually is for Ricky's character. That is until one day, after everything has gone wrong for him, something short circuits in his brain. He asks for more money than he has in his account.

Since nobody can lie, and nobody would ever imagine this to be possible, the clerk assumes the computer must be wrong and gives him the cash. What's more, since everyone believes everything he says, no matter how outrageous it is, he can get away with anything he wants.

Though, as he soon realises, he cant morally justify everything, and so stops himself. He is a good man, after all.

One day his Mum gets really ill and as she lies on her death bed, he tells her a lie. The lie that this isnt the end. That there is something beyond this life and its all perfect. People overhear him and soon enough, he's made up the world's first religion.

Now, as you well know, I'm a man of faith and its at this point that the film starts its rather scathing attack on religions in general. The assumption here is that in a world without lies, there is no such thing as God, which of course, from Ricky's point of view is totally logical. He is an athiest. He sees no reason to believe in anything more than what we see around us.

But this is a belief, none the less. The thing that annoys me is that the film insinuates at to believe in God is either to: lie to yourself, or because someone else has made up a lie which we blindly believe. Neither of which is true to me. The fact is that independently of one another, all the individual tribes of the world have come to the conclusion that there is a God or Gods. And to insinuate that belief in a deity, a purpose for this life is a lie is rather self-righteous of Mr. Gervais.

Still, this is part of Ricky's appeal I believe. He's not scared to make controversial statements and venture into unsafe ground. So, if you like his normal kind of humour, you wont be disappointed. I, however, came out slightly annoyed, which as you might imagine, spoiled my enjoyment of the film.

see also:
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, Bruce Almighty, Dinner for Shmucks, Land of the Lost

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photo © Warner Bros Pictures.