this side of the truth Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I have this feeling the brilliant Ricky Gervais probably won't make it big in Hollywood. Now before you get all riled up, hear me out: Whenever Gervais gets the chance to 'ingratiate' himself into the Hollywood big-time, let's face it, the results are less than cuddly. In fact, more often than not the guy winds up on a demo reel of controversial moments. Gervais is someone who can't sit down with Elmo without it turning into a moment of subversive comedy, and that is what I love about him. But the biggest thing that stands between Gervais and a big movie career (other than an absence of a six-pack and capped teeth) is that the man just couldn't care less about playing nice -- and it's that quality that has earned my eternal respect (after all, it takes a lot of guts to put this scene in a Christmas special).

Gervais has been making some inroads stateside with the romantic comedy Ghost Town -- a relatively successful film that tried to capitalize on Gervais' fondness of creating sympathetic yet unpleasant characters. Granted, it wasn't a big hit, but it was well liked enough and managed to win some fans who weren't strictly Office devotees. But I think the big test for whether or not Gervais becomes movie star is his directorial debut, This Side of the Truth, with Jonah Hill, Jennifer Garner, and Rob Lowe. But even if Truth doesn't work out, Gervais and long-time creative partner Stephen Merchant will be going back to slightly more familiar territory when they team up with Sony for a coming of age flick, The Men at the Pru, about a group of men working at an insurance company in the 1970s.

If I wasn't already sold on Ricky Gervais' comedy, This Side of The Truth, then this picture alone would convince me to shell out my hard earned dollars -- and keep in mind, I don't normally say that kind of thing about a film starring Jennifer Garner and Rob Lowe. Over at Gervais' production blog, the comedian has posted some new photos from his film about a writer who invents the art of lying. Gervais has always been a big fan of all things web-related, including his massively successful podcast series, and various blogging endeavors. So to be expected, Gervais has been pretty consistent with updates, with only a few of his trademark diversions here and there.

Truth was written by Matthew Robinson and Gervais, and the cast includes a nice helping of comedic heavyweights. Monika already brought us the news about Christopher Guest and Tina Fey signing on. The two will be joining Jonah Hill, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hodgman, and Louis C.K. in what is shaping up to be what I would call a comedy 'dream team'. This is Gervais' first attempt at directing a feature film, and according to reports coming off the set, everyone is having a fine old time. Filming will wrap in the next couple of weeks, and then Gervais is off to England to put the final touches on the film.

This Side of the Truth will arrive in theaters in 2009.

Either Erik has missed his calling as a casting agent, or maybe he just knew something we didn't. A few weeks ago, Erik oh-so casually mentioned that Jonah Hill would be perfect for the new comedic sidekick role in Transformers 2. Entertainment Weekly now reports that Hill is in early talks to play sidekick to Shia LaBeouf (early speculation is that he will play LaBeouf's college roommate) in the follow up to the summer blockbuster. I might not have been a big fan of the so-called comedy in the first Transformers flick, but at least if Hill does sign on, he'll be able to pull off some snappy rapport with LaBeouf.

Remember, Transformers 2 is still a Michael Bay film; and as to be expected, the man has not been able to shut up about it. Proving that sometimes too much self-promotion really can be a bad thing. Originally, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Ehren Kruger had been hired to write the script, and the tone was going to be "darker, and moodier." Unfortunately, Bay couldn't keep his hands to himself, and he has since proclaimed that he has written the script, and that it is awesome. Something tells me if Bay is in charge, we are going to have a lot more jokes about robots peeing on each other. If nothing else, it will dovetail nicely with Hill's love of body-fluid humor.

Since Ricky Gervais has always been a chatty sort, it should come as no surprise that for his directorial debut, This Side of the Truth, the film would come hand in hand with its very own blog. Gervais is directing alongside Matthew Robinson (they also wrote the film) and the story is set in a future where no one lies -- heck, they don't even know how.

Gervais reportedly plays a history professor who 'invents' the art of deception. At first, he only uses his new found skill to liven up his lectures, but he then turns to the more important task of landing a woman who is way out of his league (as played by Jennifer Garner). Other members of the cast include, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe and Louis C.K.

Gervais has been massively successful in his previous online adventures, and his blog for Truth will probably be no exception. Even without his usual cohorts on hand, these short clips are still pretty funny. One thing is for sure, Robinson seems to think it's a hoot since you can hear him giggling throughout. There is no promise of how often Gervais will be updating the blog, mainly because production on the film has already started. According to Gervais, casting has almost been finalized and shooting should begin soon on location in Boston. Hopefully he will find the time to keep the updates coming. This Side of the Truth is expected to arrive in theaters later this year.

I think it's fairly safe to say that when Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant get together on a project, the outcome is nothing short of comedic gold. These are the men who brought us the original TV version of The Office, and they're also the guys who dreamt up the very awesome (but no longer around) HBO series Extras. These days, Gervais has officially crossed over to Hollywood, and he's starring in all kinds of films -- his latest being Ghost Town (which he just wrapped) and This Side of the Truth. Now, the BBC tells us that Gervais and Merchant are reuniting once again; this time, as writers on a film script.

As of right now, the working title for the film is The Men at the Pru, and according to the BBC, it's "about a group of 20-somethings in the early 1970s." Gervais notes, "They work for the building society and they're having a great time but it's about them coming of age and having to grow up." The idea of having to grow up is a constant theme in their work, but it will be interesting to see what Gervais and Merchant can do with a screenplay -- a feature film that clocks in at around an hour and a half or so. He adds, "We're really getting excited. We went down to the Prudential headquarters and got all this old footage so we're really getting into it." Gervais has only co-written one script so far, and that's the upcoming This Side of the Truth (which he's also co-directing). This new project will mark the first time the duo has teamed on the script for a feature. Unfortunately, there's no word yet on when The Men at the Pru will be ready for production. My only request is that they please please please give Merchant a starring role. That man is beyond hysterical.

Maybe I'm just indulging with some wishful thinking, but with a cast like this in a story from the mind of Ricky Gervais, what could possibly go wrong? The Hollywood Reporter announced that Jonah Hill has signed up for a role in Gervais' romantic comedy, This Side of the Truth. Hill will be joining Gervais, Rob Lowe, Jennifer Garner and Louis C.K. in the story of the first man who more or less invents the art of lying.

The official story is described as "a storyteller whose job is to ramble on about the 1300s. Faced with losing his job because his terrain is a boring period in history once he gets beyond the Black Death, he invents lying as a way to save himself." Of course he becomes seduced by this awesome power and uses it to woo a woman who is way out of his league. Garner stars as that woman, Hill will play Gervais' depressed neighbor, and comedian C.K will appear as Hill's loser roommate.

The film is Gervais' first stab at directing a feature film and he will be sharing the duties along with his writing partner Matthew Robinson. Personally I was hoping for someone a little, well, funnier for the part of 'the girl' but maybe this is Jennifer Garner's chance to finally be funny (especially since I like to pretend that the irritating and somewhat sexist comedy 13 Going on 30 never existed). I guess I'll find out just how funny Garner can be when This Side of the Truth arrives in theaters sometime in 2009.

Prepare to suspend disbelief -- Variety is reporting that Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner will be romancing each other in an upcoming comedy. Only in the movies (and in Beverly Hills) can people on such opposite ends of the attractive-o-meter find love. The indie flick, currently titled This Side of the Truth, is "set in a world where lying doesn't exist." Gervais wrote the screenplay with Matthew Robinson, and the pair will co-direct as well. The screenplay "centers on an Everyman (Gervais) who figures out how to lie and uses his newfound ability to woo a beautiful woman way out of his league (Garner) and become a success at work."

It sort of sounds like a reverse Liar Liar, and I can pretty much guarantee with Gervais so heavily involved, this will be one funny flick. If you're not familiar with RIcky, by all means check out BBC's The Office, the original (and still best) British version of the hit Steve Carell show. Gervais just won an Emmy for his performance on the very funny sitcom Extras, which will air an hour-long Christmas special Sunday, December 16th on HBO (Yay!). Garner of course is Mrs. Ben Affleck, and might just be in the running for a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her work in the terrific upcoming comedy Juno. I speak the Truth.