Liar Liar is the consummate film for fans of Jim Carrey; he plays an Ambulance ChaserAmoral Attorney whose life gets upended when he is cursed to tell the truth for 24 hours. This results in 90 minutes of zany comedy as Carrey mugs, convulses, screams, grimaces, and snarks through the worst day of his life, with his estranged five-year-old son hanging in the balance. Of course, he eventually learns a lesson and things get better, but this movie is all about laughing at Jim's antics along the way.
Unfortunately, the biggest strength of this movie is also its biggest flaw; Carrey is so incessantly over-the-top that you can't take him seriously, and it ends up being nearly impossible to become emotionally invested in Fletcher Reede's predicament. In the rare moments of quiet, the viewer is too busy anticipating Carrey's next random outburst instead of identifying with his character, undercutting what few emotional moments there are. The audience's Willing Suspension of Disbelief also takes a hit, as you end up wondering how a hyperactiveLarge HamManchild like Fletcher can get through everyday life.
Film Jim Does Something Funny: The Movie
Liar Liar is the consummate film for fans of Jim Carrey; he plays an Ambulance Chaser Amoral Attorney whose life gets upended when he is cursed to tell the truth for 24 hours. This results in 90 minutes of zany comedy as Carrey mugs, convulses, screams, grimaces, and snarks through the worst day of his life, with his estranged five-year-old son hanging in the balance. Of course, he eventually learns a lesson and things get better, but this movie is all about laughing at Jim's antics along the way.
Unfortunately, the biggest strength of this movie is also its biggest flaw; Carrey is so incessantly over-the-top that you can't take him seriously, and it ends up being nearly impossible to become emotionally invested in Fletcher Reede's predicament. In the rare moments of quiet, the viewer is too busy anticipating Carrey's next random outburst instead of identifying with his character, undercutting what few emotional moments there are. The audience's Willing Suspension of Disbelief also takes a hit, as you end up wondering how a hyperactive Large Ham Manchild like Fletcher can get through everyday life.
With a slightly more subdued approach, Liar Liar could have been a heartfelt comedy between a man and his boy, but as it is, it ends up being a typical Jim Carrey zany film with an Excuse Plot tacked on.