A wry case for atheism, The Invention of Lying would have sent many Americans into an uproar if anyone had bothered to see it. Ricky Gervais, who not only stars but also serves as co-writer and co-director, envisions a world much like ours, except for the fact that people are incapable of lying. One day

A Tyler Perry movie for white folks. In its whiplash-inducing shifts from broad humor to mawkish sentiment, in its gleeful embrace of cultural stereotypes and in its focus on faltering relationships, Couples Retreat differs only from Perry’s output in that it stars Vince Vaughn, Malin Akerman, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis.

In retrospect, the massive affection – and box-office dollars – extended toward The Hangover should have been expected. The picture is brazenly funny without ever becoming too crass (at least for a Vegas-set comedy), while the plot’s puzzle structure demands repeat viewings. Four buddies wake up the morning after a bachelor party missing the bachelor,

George Clooney once again indulges his inner three stooges, starring in an espionage farce directed by his Good Night, and Good Luck screenwriter Grant Heslov. Like Clooney’s Leatherheads, this is a better idea than finished film. As an insecure reporter (Ewan McGregor) follows a supposedly psychic American spook (Clooney) into the insanity of the Iraq