The Invention of Lying
Mark Bellison discovers he can lie for the first time in a world where honesty is law, and he risks everything to rewrite his future by fabricating a new reality.
“In a world where everyone can only tell the truth... This guy can lie.”
Synopsis
Set in a world where the concept of lying is nonexistent, the society functions under strict rules of absolute honesty, altering the dynamics of relationships, power, and communication in profound ways.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 406+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Chris GillShot by Tim SuhrstedtScored by Tim AtackDesigned by Alec HammondSound by Glenn FreemantleCostumes by Susie DesantoVFX by Thomas Tannenberger
Box Office
2009 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.8× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$32.4M
US & Canada: $18.5M — 57% of worldwide · International: $13.9M (43%)
Opening weekend: $7.0M — 38% of its US run. Front-loaded — most of its money arrived opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $9.0M — 49% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,707 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Lügen macht erfinderischde
- This Side of the Truthen
- Increíble pero falsoes
- Mytho-Manfr
- Il primo dei bugiardiit
- (English)The Invention of Lying
- (Bulgarian)Раждането на лъжата
Release dates around the world5 countries · showhide
- CanadaSep 14, 2009
- United KingdomOct 2, 2009
- IrelandOct 2, 2009
- United StatesOct 2, 2009
- AustraliaNov 26, 2009
Production & Distribution
Community tags
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Cast & Crew
406 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Ricky Gervais
as Mark Bellison
Jennifer Garner
as Anna McDoogles
Jonah Hill
as Frank
Louis C K
as Greg
Fionnula Flanagan
as Martha Bellison
Jeffrey Tambor
as Anthony
Rob Lowe
as Brad Kessler
Tina Fey
as Shelley
Donna Sorbello
as Anna's Mother
Stephanie March
as Blonde
Christine Mascott
as as Woman #2
Ruben Santiago Hudson
as Landlord
Supporting cast
90John Hodgman
as Wedding Overseer
Nate Corddry
as News Reporter
Jimmi Simpson
as Bob
Martin Starr
as Waiter #1
Jason Bateman
as Doctor
Christopher Guest
as Nathan Goldfrappe
Alton Fitzgerald White
as Angelo Badsmith
Philip Seymour Hoffman
as Jim the Bartender
Edward Norton
as Cop
Roz Ryan
as Nurse #1
Michael Patrick Gough
as Homeless Man
Arnie Burton
as Waiter at Fancy Restaurant
Ashlie Atkinson
as Bank Teller
Bobby Moynihan
as Assistant
Shaun Williamson
as Richard Bellison
Stephen Merchant
as Man at the Door
Cole Jensen
as Short Fat Brian
Conner Rayburn
as Son
Lisa Gerber
as Arguing Girlfriend
Matt Stadelmann
as Arguing Boyfriend
Jared Voss
as Person #1
Jessica Baade
as Person #2
Elena Wohl
as Person #3
Matthew Robinson
as Person #4
Donald Foley
as Yelling Man
Patrick Shea
as Man #7
Joe Stapleton Nm1369571
as Man #8
Dennis Lemoine
as Young Man
Lance Norris
as Man #1
Joe Wong
as Man #2
Collin Knight
as Man #3
Eric Andre
as Man #4
Gene Amoroso
as Man #5
Armen Garo
as Man #6
Dreama Walker
as Receptionist
Brigid O Connor
as Woman #1
Ellen Colton
as Woman #3
Layla Hosseini
as Woman #4
Erica Newhall
as Woman #5
Nydia Calon
as Woman #6
Hope Farley
as Woman #7
Paul Donlon
as Elderly #1
Mauriel Gould
as Elderly #2
Mary Klug
as Elderly #3
Rachel Harker
as Woman in Business Suit
Brett Cramp
as Crying Man
Toni Saladna
as Cocktail Waitress
Guy Strauss
as Pit Man
Nick Towne
as Roulette Dealer
Tate Ellington
as Waiter #2
Luz Alexandra Ramos
as Chip Woman
Ken Cheeseman
as Shouting Man
David Pittu
as Tour Guide
Nada Despotovich
as Nurse #2
Danielle Perry
as Hostess in La Bonisera
Joseph Badalucco Jr
as Blue Collar Guy
Douglass Bowen Flynn
as Tourist #1
Celeste Oliva
as Secretary
Jake Watkins
as Bully Kid
Valerie Hager
as Talking Head Woman
Alison Quinn
as Talking Head Woman
Mitchell Roche
as Talking Head Man
Jason Amherst
as Studio Tourist
Ellen Becker Gray
as Woman Flirting with Mark
Loraine Calderon
as Nurse-Nursing home
Shannon Carter
as Speech Attendee
Chemi Che Mponda
as Pedestrian
Desiree April Connolly
as Flirtatious Woman
Jeffrey Corazzini
as News Photographer
Diane Curran I
as Apartment Crowd
Frank Durant
as Speech Attendee
Susan Farese
as Nurse #3
John Franchi
as Casino Gambler
Diane Halling
as Wedding Guest
John David Hartfield
as Husband
Patrick Mel Hayes
as Film Editor
Arissa Hill
as Extra
Haytham Kandil
as Driver
Samantha Kelly
Chris Kosiavelon
as Pedestrian
Lynn L Heureux
as Pedestrian
Dan Marshall
as Reporter
Mike Messier
as Museum Tour Guest
Brian O Hara
as Photographer
Greg Paul
as Casino Guest
Robert Sabino
as Movie Patron
Sabe Schoeneg
as Croupier
Vyvian B Stevens
as Bank Customer
Tony Taylor
as News Cameraman
Marc Vos
as Church Congregation Member
Directors
2Writers
3Producers
11Dan Lin
Producer, Producers
Gavin Round
digital intermediate producer
Lynda Obst
Producer, Producers
Max Keene
associate producer (uncredited)
Oliver Obst
Producer, producer (as Oly Obst)
Paris Kassidokostas Latsis
executive producer (as Paris Kasidokostas Latsis)
Rachel Abarbanell
associate producer
Ricky Gervais
Producer, Producers
Sue Baden Powell
executive producer
Ted Field
executive producer
Terry Dougas
executive producer
Other crew
302Haytham Kandil
action driver (uncredited)
Maggie Ronck
additional costumer
Brenda Mcnally
additional hair stylist (uncredited)
Rob Spence
additional production coordinator (uncredited)
Rosa J Colon
additional set costumer (uncredited)
Lionel Strutt
adr coordinator (uncredited)
Kevin Jette
adr mixer (uncredited)
Mark Desimone
adr mixer (uncredited)
Tom Deane
adr mixer (uncredited)
Greg Zimmerman
adr recordist (uncredited)
Jan Petrov
adr recordist (uncredited)
Matthias Rimpler
Angelo Badsmith
Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
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Where to watch
Live · bot-verified- Paramount+Stream
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