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 iar Liar" is one of Jim Carrey's earlier
movies, released in 1997, and is one of his funniest roles to date. This is the
Jim Carrey that still hasn't "gone serious" with films like "The
Truman Show" and "The
Majestic." With "Liar Liar"
Carrey is the rubberface comedian whose face and body can contort into any shape
and angle and position imaginable without the help of cgi. It is some seriously
funny stuff.
Jim Carrey plays Fletcher Reede, a sleazy trial lawyer who
is incapable of telling the simplest truth. Being that he's also a neglectful
father, Fletcher's son Max (Justin Cooper) makes a wish on his birthday that for
just one day his father can't tell a lie. (You see, Fletcher makes promises and
never keeps them.) And just like Tom Hanks' wish in "Big", Max's wish
comes true! Of course, being that Fletcher is a sleazy lawyer and is
representing an equally sleazy client, this is the worst day for him not
to be able to tell lies. So can Fletcher survive the day, or will his truthful
mouth doom him?
"Liar Liar" is built on one of those story
premises that only work in movies. Like the aforementioned "Big,"
Fletcher can't tell lies simply because the son wishes for it, and no logical
explanation is given (or needed, actually). For instance, when Fletcher finds
out about his son's wish, he just accepts it as fact! Not only Fletcher,
but also every other character in the film as well, as if kids' wishes magically
comes true all the time. Just keep telling yourself, "It's just a movie,
it's just a movie," and you'll be greatly entertained.
To be honest, I couldn't tell you how much of Fletcher's
insanity Carrey made up himself on the spot or was written by screenwriters Paul
Guay and Stephen Mazur. Always known for carrying a shtick to the very end,
Carrey shows just why he's worth $20 million a picture here. He is a riot,
throwing himself through doors, onto floors, and flashing through one expression
after another as if his life depended on it. And you know what? It's all
funny. I couldn't remember when I had laughed so hard.
Of course, "Liar Liar" can't have Fletcher
running around trying not to tell the truth all the time, and half of its
running length is spent with Fletcher trying to reconcile with his ex-wife
Audrey (Maura Tierney) and making up to his neglected son Max. Those scenes are,
to be frank, tiresome because they're just so highly predictable. Thankfully
director Tom Shadyac ("Dragonfly")
never makes us wait too long before another "can't tell a lie"
moment comes up.
(As a slight aside, Cary Elwes ("The Princess
Bride") has yet another throwaway role as the man trying to make a play for
Fletcher's ex. When is someone going to give the man something better to do?)
The writing, beyond concentrating on Fletcher's laugh-out
loud attempts to keep himself from telling the truth in the office and in court,
is flavorless. Which means a lot of the movie's attempts at seriousness
(deadbeat dads are not funny) falls flat. In a comedy where a boy wishes
that his father can't tell a lie and that wish actually comes true, there's very
little room for serious stuff. The movie might have benefited from going full
tilt with the hilarity and gags, but then again I suppose it would be a little
difficult to keep up the pace.
To be honest, I'm not sure who I like more: this rubberface
Carrey or the semi-serious Carrey of "The
Truman Show." I guess I like
them both, but I have to admit that seeing Carrey throwing himself all over the
set is quite a sight. Here's to hoping he takes a break from the serious stuff
to do some rubberface stuff again in the future, before he gets too old and
can't anymore. After all, there's nothing worst than an actor who tries to defy
his age. Carrey's not quite there yet, but he's getting there…
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