There’s very little that Ricky Gervais has done that hasn’t made me laugh. The Office, the Ricky Gervais Show podcast—even the Golden Globes hosting gig the other week had some great moments (particularly when he said, “I like a drink as much as the next man… unless the next man is Mel Gibson,” giggled and ran off the stage). But I have to say I really can’t figure out what he was thinking with his new movie, The Invention of Lying, which he wrote and directed with Matthew Robinson.

I guess the premise isn’t bad: in a world where no human being has ever lied—and in which the whole concept of “truth” as being separate from “untruth” is unknown—one hapless sucker (Gervais) accidentally stumbles upon the idea and becomes rich and famous as a result, as everything he says is taken as gospel truth. But the follow-through is weak. Gervais doesn’t really do anything that exciting with his newfound power besides accidentally invent religion and perform better at his job as a screenwriter—it feels like the filmmakers didn’t want him to come across as a jerk, so he’s boringly moralistic about the whole thing, and the film just never really has fun with the whole idea. Plus, the supporting characters—including a winning Jennifer Garner—just come across like complete morons. Appearances by the likes of Jason Bateman, Ed Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Louis C.K. brighten it up a little, but there just aren’t enough laughs.

I don’t own a car; I don’t care about cars; I don’t really know anything about cars. And yet, for some reason, I find the BBC series Top Gear, where a group of guys (or “blokes,” I guess)—Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May—test drive and talk trash about various vehicles, incredibly entertaining. Maybe it’s their unbridled enthusiasm. Maybe it’s the dry British wit. But this show is weirdly great, and seasons 11 and 12 are now out on DVD.