You Could Die Laughing With "Liar, Liar"!
No Jim Carrey comedy has entertained me more than Liar, Liar. Each time I play my DVD copy, I laugh my head off from start to finish! And my kudos to director Tom Shadyac and screenwriters Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur for creating this brilliant piece.
Carrey, to me, is the modern Jerry Lewis whose slapstick humor I enjoy rewatching. In this movie, he says lines and performs stunts that are so Lewis’ style that they keep me highly entertained.
I admire the comedian for such comic prowess. I know for a fact that it’s more difficult for an actor to play a funny role than a dramatic role, since it takes great effort to amuse an audience. (Failing to do so only means that the comedy had flopped!)
About the story
Carrey plays Fletcher Reede, a successful lawyer whose constant lying ironically makes him one of California’s best defense lawyers. But he comically goes berserk when his young son, Max (played by Justin Cooper), makes a heartfelt birthday wish that for one day - his dad wouldn’t lie!
The film opens with an amusing classroom scene where the teacher asks her young students to share something about their parents’ profession. When his turn comes, Max innocently says, “My dad? He's... a liar.” The teacher is horrified until the boy explains that his dad “wears a suit and goes to court and talks to the judge.”
Liar, Liar is packed with delightfully laughable scenes where Fletcher’s truth-telling leads him to a series of embarrassing events.
What is WRONG with me? I'm getting what I deserve. I'm reaping what I sow. I'm... (covers his mouth)
— Fletcher Reede
One of my favorites is the board meeting scene where Fletcher roasts everyone and even calls the firm’s senior partner, Mr. Allen (played by Mitchell Ryan), “a belligerent old fart, a worthless steaming pile of cow dung.” Then, there’s that pen scene where he struggles to convince himself that the blue pen he is holding is color “ruh-ruh-ruh-ruh-reeeeeeeeeeehhh..“ (he just can’t say “red”!) Still another scene that tickles me is the courtroom hearing where, after proving the minor age of his client, Samantha Cole (played by Jennifer Tilly), Fletcher openly declares, “And the truth shall set you free!”
On the other characters
Liar, Liar is not simply a comedy, but a heartwarming film that brings out the best in family life and human relationships.
If there’s one character in the movie I like, it’s Fletcher’s old secretary, Greta (played by Anne Haney) who, after leaving her boss for unintentionally telling her some truths, bails him out after he is momentarily jailed for contempt of court. Having been a secretary with a kind male boss, I like how this old lady attends to Fletcher’s needs, even buying the birthday gift for Max.
I must say I am hurt by the scene where Samantha Cole – despite winning her case - pulls her kids away from their father. I find this so nasty of her – and I can’t help detesting her. It’s bad enough that she cheated on her husband.
As for Audrey (played by Maura Tierney), Fletcher’s estranged wife, I commend her for being extremely patient of her ex-husband’s shortcomings, which not too many women can do these days.
As in most comedies, what’s uplifting about the film is that it ends happily with Fletcher and Audrey literally kissing and making up on Max’s succeeding birthday. It ends more amusingly with Fletcher doing his trademark hand “claw” and affectionately chasing Audrey and Max with it. (My late husband and I used to enjoy doing the “claw” to our son when he was little.)
Like the other popular Carrey comedies such as Bruce Almighty, The Truman Show and Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Liar, Liar is one movie that’s worth rewatching with family and friends.
