Der Dummschwätzer

This movie is absolutely hilarious! There are few movies as humorous as this one, being "Mousehunt" one of those few - another 1997 motion picture.

Every minute of "Liar Liar" is pure fun and every minute means a good laughter. Many moments are hysterical! Jim Carrey is often a great comedian, but this is him at his funniest side.

The story is very funny and entertaining: Fletcher Reede, a lawyer with the habit of lying and breaking promises, suddenly sees himself forced to become honest during the next 24 hours after his son's birthday wish comes true. He doesn't understand what's happening to him and that is driving him insane... he can't tell any lies, not even write a little lie! Whenever he tries to and whenever he talks, it's a huge mess for sure! He even transforms the court room into a circus, seems to lose his mind and makes goofy faces! Incredibly hilarious!

The actors have great performances. Jim Carrey is great as Fletcher Reede, but there are other equally good actors, like Maura Tierney as Audrey Reede, Cary Elwes as Jerry and little Justin Cooper as Max (Fletcher's son). Max is also referred to as "Maximillian" and "Monster Max" by his father, who loves to do "The Claw" much for his son's delight. I know Cary Elwes from "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" and I do know that he is an English actor, but he speaks with a good American accent in this film. Some might think that Jim Carrey overacts here and that his humor is too crummy, but the energy he shows here is not something anybody could do. It requires a very energetic and patient comedian and Jim Carrey proves his talent to do so. The kid is cute. He almost looks like Sean Marshall in "Pete's Dragon", with that face and long hair.

At my point of view, "Liar Liar" has funny humor, not irritating or dirty humor. It is a modern light-hearted comedy. Its aim is purely fun at the highest level. I think it's difficult not laughing while watching this movie. Lots of very funny lines are another attribute.

Directed by Tom Shadyac, "Liar Liar" is the best thing Jim Carrey and Tom Shadyac ever did together and slightly superior than the later "Bruce Almighty".

Jim Carrey plays a liar lawyer called Fletcher Reede.His son Max (Justin Cooper) makes a birthday wish that his father can't tell a lie in 24 hours.And the wish comes true. That gets Fletcher in many embarrassing situations.It's hard to tell the truth all the time especially for a lawyer.That's not the only problem Fletcher is having.His ex-wife Audrey (Maura Tierney) is moving to Boston with his boyfriend Jerry (Cary Elwes).That must be stopped.Jim Carrey does incredible role work in this Tom Shadyac's 1997 comedy Liar Liar.Jim is amazing comedian.He can pull his face just like Jerry Lewis.This is completely a Jim Carrey show.There are many hilarious scenes in the courtroom.Liar Liar is for all you liars out there.

True the plot is a little corny, my only criticism of the movie, but Jim Carrey's wonderfully energetic and most of the time hilarious performance more than compensates. Liar Liar is easily one of Carrey's better films, I do confess I will need to see a few more of his movies before concluding which one's his best to save bias. What Liar Liar manages to do is have a slightly corny though very interesting idea, and make into a good spirited and absolutely hilarious film. The script almost the whole time verged on hysterically funny, and there are many priceless scenes, especially the courtroom scene- I needed to go to the bathroom to check I hadn't wet myself from laughing so much. The other performances were great, Cary Elwes was excellent, and the boy was very sweet and charming. Overall, a hilarious movie, that does cheer you up considerably after a hard day, I still chuckle even thinking of it. There is so much to recommend this, but at the end of the day, it is Carrey's picture. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

Jim Carrey is an attorney, who finds putting his family before his work to be a tough challenge, when he fails to show up at his son's birthday party; his son make a wish that prevents him from lying. With a huge career changing case that is based solely on lies about to go to trial, he is stuck in an unfamiliar position, that may just change his life.

Jim Carrey is on top form for this one, giving one of his most hilarious performances to date, he is well supported by the likes of Jennifer Tilly, Swoosie Kurtz and Amanda Donohue, and the winning concept of the movies theme realises its potential.

7/10 Great fun

Jim Carrey puts so much energy and pure comedic brilliance into this movie that we hardly noticed how corny and hackneyed was the plot or how wearily didactic was the moral lesson for all fathers who neglect their children for the goddess of success. And really we didn't care. What we loved almost as much as Carrey's rubber mouth and oral blockage (like an overheated boiler fighting not to explode) was the premise: a lawyer that can't lie. Now there's an oxymoron! As Carrey tries to explain to his son Max, lawyers need to lie. Actually he says grownups need to lie, which is a truth that we really do not need to exam too closely here. To laugh at something deeply troubling in our nature is a way of dealing with it.

So the genius of this movie is first the talent of Jim Carrey, but second, for kids who come to the realization of adult mendacity for the first time, it is the discovery of comedy as a way to cope. Why do adults need to lie? is a question that a kid can never figure out, and then by the time he is an adult himself (or actually a teenager), he can no longer comprehend how important the question once was. Call it innocence lost, or the socialization process.

My favorite part of the movie is the courtroom scene with Jennifer Tilly dressed oh so sluttily and her adulterous beaux looking like a model for the cover of a romance novel and Carrey in tatters in his $900 suit. Second would be the bathroom scene in which Carrey tries to tear himself apart (and seems to almost succeed). His flapping mouth between the toilet seat and the bowl was inspired. Give some credit to director Tom Shadyac, who managed to steer the vehicle with Carrey at the controls, and to writers, Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, who wrote some funny lines.

The great comedians totally let themselves go. They are totally on. They go to extremes and beyond. It's like transcending not just the ordinary, but even the imagined. See this obviously for Jim Carrey, one of the great comedic talents of our time, an original who would have delighted Charlie Chaplin with his extraordinary muggings, his blatant audacity and his suburb timing.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)