Liar Liar

Promotional poster for Liar Liar
Directed by Tom Shadyac
Produced by Brian Grazer
Written by Paul Guay
Stephen Mazur
Starring Jim Carrey
Maura Tierney
Justin Cooper
Jennifer Tilly
Anne Haney
Swoosie Kurtz
Cary Elwes
Amanda Donohoe

Rated: PG-13
Music by John Debney
Cinematography Russell Boyd
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Imagine Entertainment
Release date(s) March 21, 1997
Running time 86 min.
Language English

Liar Liar is a 1997 American comedy film written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Jim Carrey. Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe Award (1998) for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical. The film is the second of three collaborations between Jim Carrey and Tom Shadyac, the first being Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and the third being Bruce Almighty, and the second of three collaborations between Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, the first being The Little Rascals and the third being Heartbreakers. It was shot entirely in California.

Contents

Plot synopsis

Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a particularly career-focused lawyer and divorced father. He has a habit of giving precedence to his job, breaking promises to his young son Max, and then lying to both Max (Justin Cooper) and his ex-wife Audrey (Maura Tierney) about the real reason for having done so. Ultimately, Fletcher misses his son's birthday party because he is having sex with his boss Miranda (Amanda Donohoe), and Max wishes while blowing out his cake candles that his father be unable to lie for an entire day, a wish that immediately becomes true.

Fletcher soon discovers, through a series of embarrassing incidents, that he is unable to lie or even withhold a true answer. These incidents are inconvenient, as he is fighting a divorce case in court which, should he win, could be a huge boost to his career. His client is Samantha Cole (Jennifer Tilly). His main witness is willing to commit perjury to win, but Fletcher discovers that he cannot even ask a question if he knows the answer will be a lie. Meanwhile, Audrey is threatening to move to Boston with her new boyfriend Jerry (Cary Elwes) and to take Max with them.

Over the course of the film, Fletcher recognizes his son Max as his highest priority and struggles to keep him. He manages to win the case truthfully by using a loophole in the law (namely that his client had lied about her age and was 17 when she signed the prenuptial agreement), with the repercussions being a major catalyst to his understanding of what he is likely to lose. When he sees the results of winning the case (the mother of the children will fight for custody also and literally pulls them out of their father's arms), he shouts at the judge (Jason Bernard) and is put into jail for contempt of court. Audrey refuses to pay his bail, which is eventually paid by his secretary Greta (Anne Haney).

Near the end, Fletcher hijacks a star exelator at the airport to stop his Max's plane from taking off. He ends up stopping it abruptly and is injured. He vows to his son to spend more time with him. Even though the 24th truth hour is up, Max knows he means it. One year later, Audrey, who is no longer dating Jerry, and Fletcher are celebrating Max's birthday.

Cast

Reception

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics with a "Fresh" score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, a "Fresh" score of 85% of the Cream Of The Crop from major news outlets, and a "Fresh" score of 81% from the users. Critic Roger Ebert stated, "I am gradually developing a suspicion, or perhaps it is a fear, that Jim Carrey is growing on me".[1] Roger Ebert previously had given bad reviews of Carrey films like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber.

Box Office Performance

The film did well at the box office: the opening weekend made $31,423,025 in 2,845 theaters. Domestically the film made $181,410,615, and at the foreign box office it made $121,300,000 - altogether the film made $302,710,615.

Soundtrack

John Debney's work on the film's soundtrack has become a cult favorite in underground music and among indie music groups. Most notably, Brandon Flowers of the rock band The Killers is rumored to be a big fan of Debney's work on the soundtrack.

References

  1. ^ "Review of Liar Liar (PG-13) by Roger Ebert", Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved on 25 August 2008. 

External links

See also

v • d • e
Films directed by Tom Shadyac

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) • The Nutty Professor (1996) • Liar Liar (1997) • Patch Adams (1998) • Dragonfly (2002) • Bruce Almighty (2003) • Evan Almighty (2007) • Dr. Sensitive (2009)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar_Liar"

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