Thanks for the memories!

good film but with many flaws

Good concept, poorly executed.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I do not believe in reincarnation, but there is no doubt in my mind that Jim Carrey is the reincarnation of Jerry Lewis. As a kid, I was a huge fan of Lewis, but if you find his acting annoyingly over the top, it is nothing compared to Carrey's over the top acting. This movie is not good, yet I still laughed - exactly because Carrey's acting is so over the top from beginning to end, which means every 10 minutes or so some of his overacting will inevitably make you laugh. In fact, Carrey's overacting is the very reason why you should watch this movie, then it really is amazing!

Unable to lie as a result of a birthday wish, a lawyer who has built his career on fibs discovers how hard it is to tell the truth all the time in this Jim Carrey comedy vehicle. The premise is fairly decent with the overarching question of whether it is possible to live without lying a little. One of the film's best scenes has Carrey insulting all the partners and senior members of his law firm simply by telling the truth as he sees it, which they mistake for practical joking (why else would anyone be so insolent?). Most of the film though does not capitalise on this agenda as Carrey constantly chews the scenery, making absurd noises and weird faces as he struggles to lie. In fact, the film's funniest bit comes in the end credits blooper reel as Swoosie Kurtz calls him an "overactor" - though there is also a fun part in which he tells his son that not only will his face not freeze if the wind changes, but in fact some people (Carrey) make living out of making funny faces! The film does not stack up particular well to repeat viewings though since much of the plot hinges on Carrey doing the unexpected, and beyond Carrey's facial antics, the father/son angle is just schmaltzy. There is also something uncomfortable in how the film wants us to cheer for Carrey getting an adulterous client off the hook and cheer for Carrey himself, who only ever seems like an obnoxious human being. The film does have several genuinely hilarious moments though in between Carrey's mugging though and it does highlight how much society is built on white lies, but 'Liar Liar' is really a Carrey showcase all the way.

-May Contain Spoilers- Jim Carey was at his best in this movie and because of that, i really loved this movie. This movie is stars Jim Carey and he plays a civil attorney called Fletcher Reed and if you can't tell by the title, he's well, a liar...i mean a lawyer (his son said that). Anyways, Fletcher is a compulsive liar, he will lie like every time he opens his mouth. he comes to pick up his son to spend the day with him and to take him to a wrestling show and sees his ex-wife (who likely divorced him due to his lying) and her boyfriend (who's on the dorky side). he takes his son to his office, only to find out that he's getting a case and now has to work and won't be able to take his son to the show. after he drops his son back off (on his birthday) he tells him that he'll see him at his birthday party, but big shocker here, he misses that. so his son wisely wishes for his dad to (for one day) not tell a lie and the wish comes true and quickly (and badly for Fletcher) he can't lie at all and tells the cold and blunt truth which hilariously gets him slapped or thrown out of a room. i won't give away too much, but basically this is a very funny movie and it's worth every penny to watch it. Jim Carey is just amazing in this movie and it's almost like the person who wrote this movie told Carey, "you know what, just be yourself." Watch this movie if you want to laugh because trust me, from getting pulled over by a policeman to him questioning witnesses in court and much more, it's very funny.

By the middle to late 1990s, Jim Carrey had solidified his presence in Hollywood history by moving from Saturday Night Live skits to major box office grabs like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Mask (1994) and Batman Forever (1995). It seemed as if Carrey was destined to always play some kind of supernatural character that had no limits as well as not being able to live on the common social level at the time. That is until he starred in this movie. For this role, it was actually a step down from the weird and crazed out parts Carey had played in the past. It is by no means as toned down as his performance he would later play in The Truman Show (1998) but at this point, it was the beginning of that transition. The story follows Fletcher Reede (Carrey), a lawyer who loves doing what he does by unethically lying to get by; that also means his family. After missing out on his son's birthday, Max (Justin Cooper) wishes that his dad couldn't lie for one whole day, which ends up coming true.The catch is, Fletcher has a huge case coming up which if he wins (by lying) he could earn the big bucks. The script written by Paul Guay, Stephen Mazur and directed by Tom Shadyac (who has worked with Carrey before) prepare and execute the story properly. Specifically the way the characters are written is a big part. The Reede family show that his son and divorced wife Audrey (Maura Tierney) try endlessly to work with Fletcher's schedule of lies but it wears thin quickly. Making things tougher is Jerry (Cary Elwes) a friend who's moving out and wants Audrey and Max to come with him. Another large strain are the characters that take part in the court case, mainly Samantha Cole (Jennifer Tilly) the defendant and Fletcher's boss Miranda (Amanda Donohoe). All of these smaller threads are taken care of and provide the right character development for Carrey's role. The other interesting spin the writers put on this story is how the plot uses morals, ethics and social commentary on the judicial system as a backdrop for the entire message of the film.The only problem to the writing is the wish that Fletcher's son, Max makes. Up and until the wish is made and takes full effect, the audience gets the idea that the world they are in is the real world. However, when the wish is made Fletcher can't control himself. By what means made this come true and what's keeping him from making a lie? Most would consider this very nitpicky and too critical but it is a giant question in the film's story. Who has the power to grant these wishes? Do they apply to other children or people in general? All unanswered questions that probably the writers had no time to think about. The best supporting element to the story however is Jim Carrey's comedy. These are the moments that allow Jim Carrey to be himself and be spontaneous with his responses were which many are sure most lines were unscripted. But it's also not just the lines, the actions Fletcher takes to make sure that he doesn't get himself into trouble is hilarious too. Some of which situations are so extreme it makes the viewer wonder if one would go to such measures too.The other elements that work in this film's favor are the music and cinematography. The director of photography belongs to Russell Boyd who is competent in his work at getting the right shots from the courtroom to the office hallways. However, the best things Boyd does is when Fletcher starts going crazy. This leads to various angles at which the camera portrays other objects in the room as other living things. That's clever because audiences then begin to believe the object being focused on is living. As for music composed by John Debney who didn't have many well-known scores released at the time manages to pull off the comedic and dramatic scenes quite well. The only negative thing that can be said is that it sounds very dated with its familiar like 90s family comedy drama sound. It sounds so 90s. Finally the only other thing that dates the movie more than it should have were the visual style of the haircuts and dressers back then. Haircuts like Jerry's are just really old looking now. Other than that it's good.The dated sounding music and visual appearance of the actors don't let it age well. Plus the reasoning behind how Max's wish came true weren't explored. But for the most part, the writing is spot on with well- developed characters, downright laugh out loud scenes, and the story's subtext commentaries it addresses.