LIAR LIAR
A film review by John Bauer
Copyright 1997 John Bauer
***1/2 (out of 4)
It feels a tad awkward giving a Jim Carrey movie a higher rating than a near-universally praised epic like THE ENGLISH PATIENT. Antithesis indeed! I don't think I even like Jim Carrey; other than BATMAN FOREVER (hardly representative), I have studiously avoided his films. (I've seen previews.) But there it is. And somehow it must be dealt with.
Let's start with the premise: a stereotypically conniving lawyer must tell the truth for 24 hours. This "high concept" actually has the makings of a wonderfully clever, witty examination of the role of truth in our lives and society. LIAR LIAR isn't it. So does its appeal lie in the emotional underpinnings of a career-obsessed father confronting his sordid, vapid life and effecting real change? Only if you think JERRY MAGUIRE was a groundbreaking film.
Then why did I enjoy this movie so much? For better or worse, the answer is ... Jim Carrey! Somehow this man who can't go 30 seconds without breaking into his schtick has come up with a tour de force of meaningful slapstick. The scene that illustrates this best is when his character (whose name escapes me, but does it matter? it's just JC doing a bit) tries to prove to himself that he can lie: he stares intently at a blue pen and tries to insist that it is red. The ensuing battle between man and Bic is from a lineage that goes all the way to Chaplin.
It helps that the supporting cast is good and that the film is brief (87 minutes). And though it's not as biting as it could be, there's a nice subtle commentary on the way we all lie to grease the wheels of civilization. That the attempts at familial reconciliation strain credibility hardly matters; Carrey's genuine rapport with his screen son supplies a gentle sweetness on which the story can glide. All in all, a pleasant breeze of a movie.
If you stay for the credits you will also get a show of outtakes which some think rival the main event for comic invention. I found it interesting in another way: not only do you get to witness Carrey's spontaneous virtuosity in action, you also get a glimpse of how it must be working with him. In a courtroom take with Swoosie Kurtz, she plays a prank on the star by reciting an unexpected line. Afterward she keeps insisting that others put her up to it. Is she afraid of upstaging the genius? Or maybe that's just how it is when you're playing opposite a $20 million man.
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