LIAR LIAR (1997) A film review by Nick Schaden Copyright 1997 Nick Schaden
Jim Carrey's career catapulted onto the movie scene with the powerhouse "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", "The Mask", and "Dumb & Dumber". He's the kind of guy that you tend to either love or hate. For this reviewer, I've gotten sick of Jim Carrey's humor - he can't break out of his shell of sophomoric, repetitive gags. However, Carrey has greatly improved since his major start in 1994. While "Liar Liar" doesn't make for a higher quality comedy, it certainly is passable entertainment and has its high moments.
"Liar Liar" has a standard comedic plot: it breaks the rules of reality for humor. Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) fits the definition of "sleazy lawyer" perfectly: he ignores his son, he rather would sleep with the company boss (to become a partner of the firm, no less) than spend time with his family, and sleazes and deceives people to get further up the corporate ladder. In frustration, his son makes a wish at his birthday party that Fletcher wouldn't lie for just one day. Thus lies one of the larger weaknesses of this movie - the humor is largely a one gag trick. Every joke in the movie ties in how Fletcher simply can't lie, and it the gag gets old rather quickly.
Furthermore, Carrey has to learn that more isn't necessarily better - his goofball over the top antics ruin many of the jokes running throughout "Liar Liar". Carrey has to learn that more doesn't mean necessarily better.
However, "Liar Liar" certainly does have its strengths. For example, Carrey for, is more controlled in this movie than others. In addition, the movie is can be fun at times, several of the courtroom jokes in the latter half of the film make for some good entertainment.
By the end, I left "Liar Liar" with a smile on my face - Jim Carrey actually had starred in a watchable and moderately funny movie. However, largely due to the one-horse plot and Carrey's outlandish acting style - the movie falls slightly below average.
Nick's Rating: -1
*** Movies rated from -4 (worst) to +4 (best), 0=average movie ***
-- Nick Schaden Send your comments to: cpunut@uslink.net Check out all of Nick's reviews at: http://uslink.net/~cpunut/movies.html
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