Liar Liar is a 1997 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur and starring Jim Carrey, who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. The film is the second of three collaborations between Carrey and Shadyac, the first being and the third being Bruce Almighty. It is also the second of three collaborations between Guay and Mazur, the others being The Little Rascals and Heartbreakers.
Plot
Fletcher Reede is a crooked lawyer and divorced father living in Los Angeles. He loves spending time with his young son Max; they often play a game where Fletcher makes his hand into "the Claw" and pretends to chase Max with it. Fletcher, though, has a habit of giving precedence to his career, breaking promises to Max and his ex-wife Audrey, and then lying about the reasons. Fletcher's compulsive lying has also built him a reputation as a successful defense lawyer in California as he climbs the ranks in the firm he works for. Ultimately, Fletcher misses his son's birthday party because he has sex with his boss Miranda in the hopes of making partner. Max makes a birthday wish that his father would be unable to tell a lie for an entire day — a wish that immediately becomes true. Fletcher soon discovers, through a series of embarrassing incidents — such as when he gets thrown out of the office after telling Miranda that he has "had better" sex than he just did with her — that he is unable to lie, mislead, 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 boost to his career. His client is Samantha Cole, a gold-digger. His main witness, Kenneth Falk, who Samantha has been cheating with, is eager to commit perjury to win, but Fletcher discovers that he cannot even ask a question if he knows the answer will be a lie; during the case he even objects to himself when he tries to lie to get the desired information. Meanwhile, Audrey is planning to move to Boston with her new boyfriend Jerry, and decides that Max will go with them to protect him from the disappointment Fletcher causes him when he breaks his promises. Fletcher tries desperately to delay the case, even beating himself up, but he cannot conceal that he is able to continue, so the judge insists that he does. Finally, when Fletcher is bound to lose the case, he discovers that Samantha had lied about her age and therefore had signed the prenuptial agreement as a minor, rendering the contract void. This entitles Samantha to 50% of her husband Richard Cole's marital assets, equal to $11.395 million, allowing Fletcher to win the case truthfully. However, Samantha also insists on contesting custody of their children for an extra $10,000 in child support payments from Richard. A disheartened Fletcher, realizing that he had corrupted Samantha the day before by saying she was the victim, watches as she pulls her crying children out of Richard's arms. Appalled by the decision, Fletcher repeatedly tries to convince the judge to overturn the ruling, but he insults the judge's methods and is arrested for contempt of court. Fletcher calls Audrey to pay his bail, but she informs him that their plane leaves for Boston that night; his bail is eventually paid by his secretary, Greta. Recognizing Max as his highest priority, Fletcher rushes to the airport, but the plane Audrey and Max are in has already left the terminal, so he hijacks a mobile stairway to pursue the plane onto the runway. After throwing one of his shoes at the plane's windshield, it finally stops, but Fletcher is injured after he crashes the mobile stairway. On a stretcher, Fletcher vows to Max that he will spend more time with him. He points out that it has been over 24 hours since Max's birthday wish, but Max believes him. Ultimately, Audrey and Max decide not to move to Boston with Jerry. One year later, Fletcher and Audrey are celebrating Max's birthday. Max makes a birthday wish, and when the lights go back on, Fletcher and Audrey are kissing. Fletcher asks Max if he wished for them to get back together, but Max says he only wished for roller blades. The family seemingly returns to normal as Fletcher chases Audrey and Max around the house with "the Claw".
Cast
Liar Liar was the film debut of actress Sara Paxton, who played one of Max's classmates and his birthday party attendant. It was also the last film to feature Don Keefer, who retired in 1997 before he died in 2014, and Jason Bernard, who died shortly after filming was completed. The film was dedicated in Bernard's memory.
Reception
Critical response
Liar Liar received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 81%, based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 6.87/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite its thin plot, Liar Liar is elevated by Jim Carrey's exuberant brand of physical humor, and the result is a laugh riot that helped to broaden the comedian's appeal." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." In CinemaScore polls, audiences gave the film an "A-" grade from an A+ to F scale. Critic Roger Ebert gave the film three stars and stated, "I am gradually developing a suspicion, or perhaps it is a fear, that Jim Carrey is growing on me," as he had given negative reviews to his previous films Dumb and Dumber and . Some critics noted similarities between the plot of this film and "The Whole Truth", an episode of The Twilight Zone in which a used car salesman comes into ownership of a car that is haunted and forces him to tell the truth so long as he owns it. In particular, one scene that bears a resemblance to an element used in Liar Liar is the part where the salesman's assistant asks for a raise, and he is compelled to come clean that there is no raise. American Film Institute recognition:
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs – Nominated
Box office
The film is the second of three Carrey/Shadyac collaborations, all of which did extremely well at the box office: the opening weekend made $31,423,025 in 2,845 theaters. In North America, the film made $181,410,615, and at the box office in other territories it made $121,300,000 for a total of $302,710,615.
Home video
Liar Liar was released for VHS on September 30, 1997 by Universal Studios Home Video. The DVD was released on January 20, 1998 in full screen format. DTSFull Screen and Collector's Edition Widescreen versions were also released for DVD in 1999. The Blu-ray with Multi-Format was released on July 9, 2013, it was also released on the 1990s Best of the Decade Edition on Blu-ray and re-released on October 16, 2018. A new DVD was re-released on May 10, 2016 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
