Liar Liar

Infobox Film | name = Liar Liar


caption = Promotional poster for "Liar Liar"
director = Tom Shadyac
producer = Brian Grazer
writer = 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 = John Debney
cinematography = Russell Boyd
editing =
distributor = Universal Pictures
Imagine Entertainment
released = March 21 1997
runtime = 86 min.
language = English
budget =
imdb_id =

"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 ' and the third being "Bruce Almighty", and the second of three collaborations between Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, the first being ' and the third being "Heartbreakers". It was shot entirely in California.

Plot synopsis

Fletcher Reede (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 and his ex-wife Audrey about the real reason for having done so. Ultimately, Fletcher misses his son's birthday party, whereupon 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. The plot is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone episode "The Whole Truth", which involves a used-car salesman being forced into uninhibited honesty by a haunted car.

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 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 and to take Max with them.

Over the course of the film, Fletcher recognizes his son 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 and is put into jail for contempt of court. Audrey refuses to pay his bail, which is eventually paid by his secretary Greta.

Near the end, Fletcher hijacks some air stairs and chases Audrey's airplane. In the scene where Carrey is in the stretcher at the airport, if you look in the back of the crowd to the right, you will see Fire Marshall Bill from In Living Color. He can be seen when Carrey's ex-wife is speaking to the officer speaking on a walkie-talkie. He is injured after an accident, but does manage to speak to his son. The "Curse" placed on him finishes at 8:15 of that evening; however, he vows to obey it throughout his remaining life. One year later, he is shown at his son's next birthday party enjoying a far closer relationship with Max. Fletcher and Audrey share a kiss after Max blows out his candles.

Cast

*Fletcher Reede - Jim Carrey
*Audrey Reede - Maura Tierney
*Max Reede - Justin Cooper
*Jerry - Cary Elwes
*Samantha Cole - Jennifer Tilly
*Miranda - Amanda Donohoe
*Dana Appleton - Swoosie Kurtz
*Judge Marshall Stevens - Jason Bernard
*Greta - Anne Haney
*Mr. Allan - Mitchell Ryan
*Sexy Elevator Girl - Krista Allen
*Skull - Randall "Tex" Cobb
*Sharpo the Clown - Eric Sharp

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".cite news |url =http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970321/REVIEWS/703210303/1023| title =Review of Liar Liar (PG-13) by Roger Ebert | publisher =Chicago Sun Times | accessdate = 2008-08-25] Roger Ebert previously had given bad reviews of Carrey films like "" 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

External links

*imdb title|id=0119528|title=Liar Liar

ee also

* Lie