Méchant menteur

Saw this at the theatre with my 7 yr old at the time. I thought it was well written, and the acting from a then slightly unknown Franky Muniz, and a slightly unknown Paul Giamatti, helped make this flick enjoyable. If you haven't seen Big Fat Lier, check it out! Great cameos by Lee Majors, highly recommended.

Okay, I'll admit that if I didn't have kids, I never would have seen this film and would never see it. But, considering all the rotten kids movies I have seen (such as SPY KIDS 2 or BABE: PIG IN THE CITY), this is a significant improvement. And, it had enough in it that I wasn't totally bored out of my skull or contemplated suicide (something I did repeatedly in the other two movies). Sure, the performances are pretty broad and the plot is kinda silly--but it IS a kids film. And, compared with other films in the genre, this is definitely better than average. Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bines actually appear to have some talent and probably will continue to have careers after puberty--at least on infomercials or doing voice-overs.

So, if you are looking for a film to see with your kids, you certainly could do a lot worse!

Big Fat Liar (2002)

There are only three words to describe this movie- fun...fun...fun! Big Fat Liar is about Jason Shepard (Frankie Muniz), an 8th grader who is highly known by his parents and classmates to be a liar about things. At school, Jason learns that if he doesn't turn in an exam to his english teacher by five o'clock that night, then he will be in summer school. While riding his bike there, he is hit by a limo that is transporting Marty Wolff (Paul Giamatti), a nasty, rich, and lying movie producer. Jason gets a ride from him, and accidently leaves his english paper in the limo. When Jason goes to turn it in to his teacher, he realizes the paper is gone, and he tells his parents and teacher what happened- how he got hit by a limo transporting Marty Wolff--- but his parents don't believe him. Marty then steals Jason's story and puts "Big Fat Liar" into production. Now, along with his best friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes), he must get to Hollywood, track down Marty Wolff, and prove to his parents once and for all that he is not lying. This movie had some fun scenes and moments, and many laughs (mostly from the hilarious Amanda Bynes), and keeps you entertained to the very end. 9/10.

I saw this movie on my flight from Philly to Denver. The screen was three rows in front of me and about 12" x 10". So I really wasn't going to watch it. But I like Malcolm in the Middle, so I thought I'd watch just a few minutes. Next thing I know I'm sucked in, having a great time, and was pleased as how good it was and how fast it seemed to make the time go by. I agree with that the acting is very good for this level of entertainment. Being one of the older baby boomers, I was also pleased to see Lee Majors with a role in the movie, as with a couple of other actors who were famous (Jamiel?) "yesterday" but are out of the spotlight today poking fun at themselves.

It's your basic "kid is wronged, kid gets even (and then some), and everyone enjoys themselves in the process". No heavy thinking, no great analysis needed. Just a good fun way to pass the time.

3.5 out of 5.

Jason Shepherd(Frankie Muniz) is known for always lying to keep himself out of trouble. When he doesn't complete his big english assignment, his teacher says that he has three hours to complete it or he will fail and go to summer school. Jason has a great imagination and he writes a story that's tilted "Big Fat Liar". On the way to hand in his assignment, he gets a ride from a famous hollywood producer Marty Wolf(Paul Giamatti) but unfortunately he forgets his english assignment. in the car, fails and has to go to summer school. He tries to convince his parent and teacher what really happened to his assignment but nobody believes him. A few months after, there is a big blockbuster hit coming out tilted "Big Fat Liar" that's supposedly been written and produced by Marty Wolf. Jason notices that the movie is based on his english paper and that Marty Wolf has stolen his story. Now along with his cute friend Kaylee(Amanda Bynes) Jason will travel to Los Angeles and try to convince everybody what a big fat liar Marty Wolf is. I thought this was a harmless fun little movie. It's nothing special but it has a couple of jokes and it's pretty entertaining. It's more for the younger audience but I still found it to be somewhat enjoyable. I would give Big Fat Liar 6/10