Did Ricky Gervais just invent God?

I finally got around to seeing "The Invention of Lying" tonight (Thanks, Netflix, for delaying its availability four weeks after its regular home video release date).

The film isn’t as hilarious as you might expect from writer/director/star Ricky Gervais, the man behind the British version of "The Office" and the HBO series, "Extras." Still, “The Invention of Lying” has quite the intriguing premise: Gervais plays a man who can lie in a world where everyone else can only speak the truth, no matter how harsh.

In this alternate universe, the only entertainment available is televised readings of recorded history, and people don’t believe in religion or an afterlife. Why would they? There’s no tangible truth in faith, after all.

So in an effort to make people feel better, Gervais’ character creates a God: A Man in the Sky who gives all good people a giant mansion in the eternal afterlife. He writes his commandments on the back of a Pizza Hut box. Everybody believes him, but most people, including love interest Jennifer Garner, still can’t find a logical reason to pursue real happiness.

This premise is obviously offensive to many devout believers in God. To them I say: “The Invention of Lying” is a comedy. Try not to take an alternative perspective on the subject of religion so personally.

While I didn’t laugh as hard at this as I did other Gervais projects, I liked it more because of its bold premise. How many comedians could make a Hollywood studio film that challenges the very concept of religion? Bill Maher’s “Religulous” didn’t open on half the screens “Lying” did last fall. It probably helped that the makers of “Lying” left this particular subplot out of its advertising materials.

Some critics have harped on it for not taking the Man in the Sky premise far enough. I’ve read grumblings about the romance between Gervais and Garner, and how the third act crumbles into a conventional rom-com romp. Personally, I like how the film puts the “God is Fake” subject matter in the background and instead focuses on the characters’ struggle for happiness, with or without a Man in the Sky looking down on them.

The movie isn’t so much about damning religion as it is about pursuing a meaningful life. You can’t rely on God to serve you happiness or eternal rewards. You have to make life work for yourself. And that usually won’t involve marrying a schmuck like Rob Lowe just for the genetic offspring potential.