Movie review: ‘Liar Liar’

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It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that physical comedy appears effortless for Jim Carrey. After all, the star of “Dumb and Dumber” and “Me, Myself & Irene” can be nothing but brilliant when he combines his physical and comedic talents with the Farrelly brothers (and even times when he does not). However, sandwiched between those two films is a great one-joke movie called “Liar Liar.” While director Tom Shadyac isn’t in the same comedy league as the Farrelly brothers, he came close, very close, with this one. Don’t be put off by Carrey or any negative reviews, you’ll find “Liar Liar” to be simply great.

‘Liar Liar’
(1997; 86 minutes; rated PG-13; directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney and Cary Elwes)

THIS IS HOW TO DO A ONE-JOKE MOVIE

(NOTE: I expanded this review with additional opinion and trivia and the updating of links on March 17, 2019. I again expanded the review on April 6, 2024.)

One-joke movies are tough. Keeping up the laughs with the same joke requires great skill in delivering fresh punchlines just as the audience believes they’ve got your movie figured out. Actor Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac pull off an impressive effort with “Liar Liar.”

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Carrey uses all his physical tools here from contorted facial expressions to guttural throat sounds to a great fight with one of his hands about a pen in “Liar Liar,” while also using his youthful good looks to the best effect. I like “Liar Liar” better than his work in “Me, Myself & Irene” and like it nearly as well as “Dumb and Dumber” (of course, both are Farrelly brothers flicks).

The plot here is straightforward: Carrey plays “Fletcher Reede,” who is an attorney who can take anyone’s case and, regardless of the facts, make it a winner. Put simply: he’s a compulsive liar … and not just at work. Carrey gets a divorce case and convinces the client they’ll win even though she has flagrantly committed adultery and has a pre-nuptial agreement. At the same time, he’s missing quality time with his former wife and son.

While missing his son’s birthday party because of a sexual liaison with one of his law firm’s partners, the boy’s birthday wish, while he blows out the candles of his cake, is that Carrey could not tell a lie for an entire day. And, so the one-joke movie kicks into high gear.

Carrey then careens (sometimes literally) from one problem to the next. It’s hilarious to watch this train wreck, since he cannot tell a lie and you begin to believe each scene is better than the last (they’re all equally funny). From his blatant sexual comments to a woman in an elevator to hacking off his secretary about the truth behind her not getting a raise to courtroom antics that real judges wish they could actually witness, the film just keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering how you’ll fall down laughing next.

Let’s take a look at some of the primary cast …

  • A Golden Globe nominee for “Liar Liar,” Carrey is so good in this one that you start to grin even if he’s just walking in a hallway. You know he’s going to do something funny and he never fails his audience. Such shenanigans could easily grow tiresome, but Carrey was at the peak of his craft with “Liar Liar.” Carrey has also been in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Bruce Almighty” and the “Ace Ventura” franchise. If you haven’t seen Carrey in “Liar Liar,” don’t miss it any longer. Carrey has won two Globes and three other nominations. He won for “Man on the Moon” and “The Truman Show” and he was in “The Mask.” Click here to see all his awards …
  • In comparison to Carrey’s over-the-top antics, Golden Globe winner (not for this one) Maura Tierney as his ex-wife “Audrey Reede” is milquetoast, or so you might believe. However, she is just calm and deliberate in wanting the whirlwind that is Carrey to give way to a bit more stability. Tierney does a good job and is an excellent casting choice for the role. She has also been in TV’s “ER” and “NewsRadio” as well as films such as “Primary Colors” and “Semi-Pro.” She won for TV’s “The Affair” and snagged a Primetime Emmy nomination for it and she also was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for “ER.”
  • The real milquetoast character here is Cary Elwes as “Jerry.” He’s Tierney’s suitor and wants her and her son to move to Boston to be with him. Of course, Elwes is over-the-top saccharine in this role, and you’ll need a diabetes test after seeing this sugar-coated, stereotyped nothing of a person. But, I guess that is what Shadyac wanted. In any case, it’s not much of a showcase for him. He was so much better in the HBO film “Pentagon Wars” (click here to read my review) as well as being in comedy (“Robin Hood: Men in Tights”), action (“Twister”) as well as horror (“Saw”).
  • Anne Haney gives the most delightful small performance here as “Greta,” who is Carrey’s longsuffering assistant who knows of his conniving ways and she works hard to keep him in good standing with everyone. Her confrontation with him when she realizes he truly cannot lie is nearly as good as the ending courtroom scene. Haney was delightful in “ Doubtfire” as well as “The American President” and “Midnight the in Garden of Good and Evil.” Haney died at 67 in 2001 of heart failure.
  • An Oscar nominee (not for this one), Jennifer Tilley plays the gold-digging wife “Samantha Cole” in one of her better acting efforts. Tilley plays the oversexed woman who wants her soon-to-be ex-husband’s money. She married young (this is key in the film) and now wants out. Tilley is best when she has to testify after her reputation was dragged through the mud in court. She was also excellent in the little-remembered “Let It Ride” with Richard Dreyfuss (click here for my review); was cluelessly daft in the execrable “Johnny Be Good” (click here for my review); and was in “The Crew.” Tilley was nominated for “Bullets Over Broadway.”
  • A Golden Globe nominee (not for this one) and five-time Primetime Emmy nominess, Swoosie Kurtz does a really nice turn as “Dana Appleton,” who is the attorney opposing Carrey in the divorce case. Kurtz must have done a yeoman’s job to keep from laughing in every scene she has with Carrey and you can see some great outtakes with her during the credits. She has also been in “Dangerous Liaisons” and “Cruel Intentions.” Her Globe nomination came for the little-remembered “Baja Oklahoma” from a Dan Jenkins novel and among her Primetime Emmy nominations is one for the outstanding HBO movie “And the Band Played On” (click here to read my review) and another for a guest spot on “ER.”
  • Justin Cooper played Carrey’s son “Max” and he had a brief career as an actor as a child – thankfully it ended, since he’s terrible here and looks even worse with his bowl-shaped haircut that the designers probably thought made him look cute and how wonderful parents styled their offspring’s hair. He also made appearances in TV series including “Full House” and “The Boys are Back” among his 16 acting credits when he stepped back from being in front of the camera in 2003.
  • Versatile supporting actor Mitchell Ryan has a nice small part as “Mr. Allen,” the law firm’s managing attorney, who is the victim of Carrey’s biting, profane comments about his character. Ryan doesn’t get mad, he actually likes it. Ryan was also in “Lethal Weapon” as well as “Gross Pointe Blank” with John Cusack and Minnie Driver (click here to read my review).

At the end, Carrey realizes that his client’s age when she married is the key that negates the pre-nuptial agreement and after that, he manages to repair his fractured relationship with his ex-wife and son. OK, so the stereotype “happy” ending happens – but it’s wonderfully consistent with every good thing about this film.

It would have been nice for Shadyac to have the Farrelly brothers’ talent for closing out a film, but, alas, he does not and “Liar Liar” sputters to that predictable conclusion. However, the credits are good with outtakes of Carrey making everyone laugh with his ad-libs.

Audiences in the U.S. agreed that this is an excellent comedy as they plunked down $181.4 million in 1997 to make “Liar Liar” the fourth-ranked film of the year, according to Box Office Mojo. On a budget of $45 million, “Liar Liar” would go on to ring up more than $302 million worldwide, according to Wiki. It never stood a chance of moving up to No. 1, since the year’s top box office hit was “Titanic” with $600.7 million in ticket sales. Here are the films from that year that I’ve reviewed:

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • Krista Allen is the pulchritudinous woman in Carrey’s apartment building elevator. His comments to her are the hilarious sign of things to come in “Liar Liar.” Allen has also been in “Anger Management” and many TV show episodes including one in “Monk.”
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “Jim Carrey declined the role of Dr. Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) so he could be committed to this film, and also to take a break away from having to lose his hair, put on make-up, and wear eye-contacts for a role.”
  • Good move: The film was going to make Carrey’s character a politician or a real estate agent before a decision was made to make him a lawyer.
  • The screenplay was turned down nine times before being bought by Brian Grazer. Reportedly, he heard two sentences and bought it.
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “At the 0:31 mark of the film, when Fletcher is writing on the floor, it can clearly be seen that his wristwatch is set to 4:20. Watches and/or clocks often appear set at 4:20 in Hollywood movies, for example Pulp Fiction (1994) it is also noted that 4/20 is slang for marijuana.”
  • Carrey was paid $20 million for starring in the film.
  • Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “Steve Martin turned down the lead role in this film due to scheduling conflicts with another film titled Bilko (1996). Martin even previously turned down another lead role that Jim Carrey would take, which is Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber (1994).”

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