In 2009, Jennifer Garner starred in a movie she thought would be great. It struggled at the box office

Jennifer Garner believed the 2009 comedy *The Invention of Lying* had the makings of a great film, praising its script as one of the strongest she had read. The film’s poor box-office performance and mixed critical reception show how a promising premise and sharp dialogue do not always translate into a hit.

Ricky Gervais co-wrote and starred as Mark Bellison, a man who discovers he can lie in a world where everyone else tells the truth. Garner played Anna McDoogles, whose blunt put-downs of Mark were a departure from her typically cheerful roles. She said she enjoyed the part and thought the film had an unusually strong chance of becoming a classic.