LIAR LIAR
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1997 Michael John Legeros
(Universal) Directed by Tom Shadyac Written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur Cast Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Justin Cooper, Jennifer Tilley, Cary Elwes, Amanda Donohoe, Swoosie Kurtz MPAA Rating "PG-13" Running Time 87 minutes Reviewed at Mission Valley Cinemas, Raleigh, NC (19MAR97)
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This crowd-pleasing comedy-fantasy stars Jim Carrey as a lawyer who must tell the truth for 24 hours. His son makes a birthday wish and, poof, magic happens. Just like a Penny Marshall movie. And, because dad is played by Plastic Man, he can't simply speak the truth. He has to shout it, or spit it, or contort his body to express it. LIAR, LIAR is as predictable as its one-joke premise suggests, with Carrey on only a slightly shorter leash than usual. Though the occasional bit is side- splitting-- a board-room roast, a violent double-take or two, and the definitive answer to "how's it hangin'?"-- there's little here that we haven't seen (or heard) before. Well, okay, he's never tried to tug at our hearts, which is what happens at the end, easily the worst part of the movie. Thank God for the outtake reel, rolled over the closing credits.
Grade: B-
Notes =====
LIAR, LIAR was screened at Mission Valley Cinemas, in Raleigh. Fifteen minutes passed before the correct lens was installed. And the rude people in the row behind me were expectedly hostile, when I sug- gested that they continue their conversation after the movie. But they *did* shut up.
-- Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC, USA, Earth legeros@pagesz.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w) I'm also on the Web! http://www.pagesz.net/~legeros/
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