The Invention of Lying (2009)

It's Ricky Gervais written, directed and acted, do I really need to say more. This movie uses his type of comedy to its fullest and it's really funny.

Gervais is Mark Bellison, a shlubbish screenwriter who doesn't really have any success at it. He lives in a world where lying just does not exist. People are incapable of lying. As Mark has no luck with women, he's just gotten fired and is about to be evicted, he's goes to the bank to get what little money he has out of his account. Then, something clicks in his brain and he says the world's first lie. This leads to more success and a chance to get close to Anna (Jennifer Garner). Through a series of unfortunate events, the movie takes an ideological turn for the worse...and the hilarious.

This movie can definitely draw comparisons to Monty Python's Life of Brian. However, Gervais still keeps the humor all of his own. It's witty, biting and smart. Garner was great as she had to keep playing it straight the whole time. Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Louis CK and a few other cameos kept the movie's tone and helped make it more enjoyable. I recommend this movie to comedy fans.

Valentine's Day (2010)

This movie helps prove that the only movie to try and use the Love Actually style of storytelling successfully is Love Actually.

There are far too many storylines and characters to go through each of their plots individually, so I'll just get to a couple. Julia Roberts is a Army captain trying to get home and Bradley Cooper plays the guy sitting next to her. Ashton Kutcher just proposed to Jessica Alba. Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway just started dating, but there's a kink in their relationship. And Emma Roberts wants to have sex...now. Each of the stories all started out good, but then take a turn. Most are pretty predictable, so just think about all the other romantic comedies you've seen and you have the rest of the plot to this film.

I really wanted to hate this movie but I just didn't. Man cred aside, I definitely did not like this movie by any means. It had its moments but they were few and far between. The Grace/Hathaway storyline was the best because it was the funniest. It helps prove that Topher Grace is the best at the awkward humor. Michael Cera and Jesse Eisenberg be damned, they can't match Grace's timing. George Lopez was also funny as Kutcher's best friend. The worst, by far, was the Taylors (Swift and Lautner). Not only can they not act but...they really can't act. Girls will probably like this, guys won't.