LIAR LIAR
A film review by Scott Renshaw
Copyright 1997 Scott Renshaw
(Universal) Starring: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Justin Cooper, Jennifer Tilly, Cary Elwes. Screenplay: Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur. Producer: Brian Grazer. Director: Tom Shadyac. MPAA Rating: PG-13 (profanity, adult themes) Running Time: 88 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
I suppose one could find some sociological significance to the glut of recent films about inattentive parents and neglected children, if one were inclined to give a cliche a more grandiose label. From Whoopi Goldberg in BOGUS to Arnold Schwarzenegger in JINGLE ALL THE WAY, from Tim Allen in THE SANTA CLAUSE to Tim Allen in JUNGLE2JUNGLE, the reformed workaholic has become the most popular protagonist in formula comedies, going through a series of wacky adventures before giving a big hug to a sad-eyed son or daughter. Jim Carrey is the latest star to step into this vehicle, and he certainly has enough pure manic energy to give is some spark, but he has to work awfully hard to do it. LIAR LIAR is a pure show-off showcase for Carrey, and by sheer force of will he makes it funny, despite a ridiculously limp script which has only one place to go.
Carrey plays Fletcher Reede, a divorced attorney who has mastered the art of the excuse, the prevarication, the flat-out lie. Many of them come at the expense of his young son Max (Justin Cooper), who is repeatedly disappointed by his dad's no-shows and broken promises. At his fifth birthday party, with Fletcher again absent, Max makes a very special birthday wish: for just one day, he wishes that his dad were unable to tell a lie. Amazingly, Max's wish comes true, and the chronically insincere Fletcher suddenly finds himself unable to be anything but brutally honest. This proves to be a professional obstacle, as Fletcher is expected to find a less-than-ethical means of extracting a gold-digging divorcee (Jennifer Tilly) from her pre-nuptial agreement. It is also a personal obstacle, as Fletcher's loose tongue gets him into trouble just when he is trying to prevent his ex-wife Audrey (Maura Tierney) from moving Max across the country.
I have this theory that the script for LIAR LIAR, credited to Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, consisted largely of parenthetical gaps which read something like "Jim does some weird physical stuff here" or "Jim makes a goofy face." There is a staggering lack of creativity in LIAR LIAR given the possibilities of the premise. Carrey is trapped in one situation -- the courtroom -- for far too long, and that situation begins to look like an extended homage to Steve Martin's work in ALL OF ME, but without Martin's ability to maintain his dignity. The dialogue consists largely of one fairly obvious put-downs after another, most of which are salvaged by Carrey's priceless reaction takes and his futile attempts to control his honesty. It seems fairly evident that without Carrey, LIAR LIAR would have been an utter catastrophe.
With him, it manages some genuine comic high notes. A scene in which Fletcher's jilted superior (Amanda Donohoe) forces him to tell the partners what he really thinks of them turns into a wild orgy of insults; later, Fletcher tries to get out of his court appearance by beating himself insensible in a bathroom. Carrey is cranked up to 11 from start to finish in LIAR LIAR, and those who find him a bit much to take aren't likely to have their opinions changed by this film. Carrey seems to realize that the entire film is riding on his shoulders, and he plays it that way, as though the other people in the film were scenery to be swallowed or knocked out of the way. For all practical purposes they are, particularly in the aforementioned partners' meeting, where a dozen people sit around a table for the express purpose of being skewered; Carrey often seems to be performing for the rest of the cast as well as for the audience. Only Cary Elwes, in a subtle turn as Audrey's painfully earnest boyfriend, lends any support at all.
As long as Carrey remains in overdrive, LIAR LIAR provides fairly consistent moderate laughs -- as well as a few big ones -- but the entire enterprise feels compromised by the tired paternal redemption motif. It almost spoils the fun of watching Carrey do his best impression of a human pinball, knowing that eventually he's going to have to break down in a tearful proclamation of devotion to his son. It's too bad that, with Carrey on board and a fanciful concept at the ready, LIAR LIAR can't work up an inspired story to match Carrey's inspired performance. In fact, it can barely work up enough material to fill 90 minutes, resorting to end-credit out-takes to pad the running time. One of those out-takes shows co-star Swoosie Kurtz breaking up Carrey with an improvised snort of "Over-actor!" She may be right, but thank heaven someone involved in LIAR LIAR was working as hard as all these single-minded screen parents we've been seeing lately.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 true lies: 6.
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