Liar Liar (1997)

81% of critics liked it
(53 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(914,165 ratings)

An attorney who tells the truth for 24 hours straight? This has got to be the movies! Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a lawyer obsessed with his career, and he's devoted his life to bending the truth to his advantage. This habit has broken up his marriage to Audrey (Maura Tierney) and isn't doing… More An attorney who tells the truth for 24 hours straight? This has got to be the movies! Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a lawyer obsessed with his career, and he's devoted his life to bending the truth to his advantage. This habit has broken up his marriage to Audrey (Maura Tierney) and isn't doing much good for his relationship with his young son Max (Justin Cooper). Fletcher repeatedly promised Max that he'll be there for Max's eighth birthday party, but when an important assignment comes up at work, Fletcher calls Audrey and makes an excuse so flimsy that even Max can see through it. When it comes time to blow out the candles on his cake, Max makes a wish: that his Dad could go just one day without telling a lie. Suddenly, Max finds himself physically incapable of saying anything that isn't true -- which, given the divorce settlement case he's just been handed, is going to make his next day in court very interesting indeed. While designed to show off a warmer and more likable side of Jim Carrey's personality, Liar Liar still revels in the broad physical comedy that made Carrey a star in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective -- which makes sense, since both were directed by Tom Shadyac. Both Carrey's fans and foes will get a chuckle out of Swoosie Kurtz's tongue-in-cheek insult to the film's star in the blooper reel that runs under the final credits. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Tom Shadyac
Written By: Paul Guay, Stephen Mazur
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Jan 20, 1998
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy, Variety
Close to an ideal jumping-off point for Carrey, who spends the better part of an hour grotesquely physicalizing his scummy lawyer's struggle with being obliged to utter cold, hard facts.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Like Robin Williams, Carrey has learned to do his side-splitting shtick in character. He's not only under control, but funnier than ever as the truth-impaired Fletcher Reede.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
...Liar Liar stands to make a liar out of those who predicted that Carrey's career was on the skids.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
...Jim Carrey makes a wild and remarkable comeback to cheerfulness...
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
As Carrey's celebrated rubber does its patented act, the flick turns into a gyrational marathon -- mildly funny but seriously exhausting.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
...as Liar Liar proves one more time, there is probably no more consistently funny performer working in film today.
Sarah Wenk, Common Sense Media
Carrey's mugging glosses over some tough issues.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A sickly soft-swirl confection of low laughs and smarmy sentiment...
, Film4
A lot of fun, especially when Carrey reels off an entire lifetime's worth of driving offences to a nearby cop.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Pretty rudimentary, but it keeps Carrey's occasional over-exuberance in check and delivers likeable, effective, but decidedly mainstream comedy.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Carrey truly works his *** off to get a laugh.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
A product that has nothing, zero, zip going for it besides the presence of its star.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
After a while, Jim Carey's character making a fool of himself is becoming annoying and the ultra-sentimental finale doesn't ring a little bit true.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Entregando-se com uma energia assustadoramente feroz ao personagem, Jim Carrey comprova mais uma vez seu dom para a comédia física e transforma O Mentiroso em um filme simplesmente hilário.
Leonard Schwarz, Palo Alto Weekly
Strong on premise, the film is short on plot.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
While the ending is a little too syrupy for my taste, it is still a very funny film, mostly because of Carrey's antics.
Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
The effect is surprisingly touching. No matter what you think of his humor, by gum, the man works hard.
Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal
Finds an amusing premise and beats the hell out of it, propelling it into one hysterically funny situation after another.
Dan Lybarger, Lawrence Journal-World
Carrey's willingness to do anything for a laugh, like pounding his head with a toilet seat, almost pays off.
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
...just hilarious enough to restore trust in the star's bankability.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Film C

I love this movie! I think its great, i love the concept and its truly an original highly amusing movie that Jim Carrey is perfect for! A great movie for the whole family and well worth the watch!
Albert K

Entertaining but wildly outlandish. Typical Jim Carrey craziness. Didn't find anything particularly great about this movie.
Alexander D

In most of his films, Jim Carrey makes a show of hyperactivity, and in most cases, it's a good root for comedy. LIAR LIAR is another case. Though it certainly had potential, it was a fairly interesting plot buried in off-color jokes and an over-the-top amount of Carrey's… More
In most of his films, Jim Carrey makes a show of hyperactivity, and in most cases, it's a good root for comedy. LIAR LIAR is another case. Though it certainly had potential, it was a fairly interesting plot buried in off-color jokes and an over-the-top amount of Carrey's typical whacko-ness. If there is one word that describes this film: disappointing. There were a few decent quotes in LIAR LIAR that are sure to elicit laughter, but it's no reason to watch the film, as it is much less time-consuming to simply look them up on IMDb. <b>Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-vv</b>
Scott G

One of Jim's strongest, funniest performance to date, and I do wish he returned to being funny in his films, but enough of that.
Jeff "

Liar Liar is one of the first film of Jim Carrey's I didn't enjoy. The film has some laughs, but overall, the film is a mediocre comedy that fails. There are some laughs here, and there, but overall the film doesn't hold up, and is boring. Comedies are supposed to be… More
Liar Liar is one of the first film of Jim Carrey's I didn't enjoy. The film has some laughs, but overall, the film is a mediocre comedy that fails. There are some laughs here, and there, but overall the film doesn't hold up, and is boring. Comedies are supposed to be fun, and yes, Liar Liar is fun, but after a while the film falls apart. Liar Liar is really one of the first comedies that Jim Carrey really failed to impress me. I didn't like it, and really it's a film that doesn't stand the test of time. Rewatching it now the film is a mediocre comedy that strained gags. Some of them are funny, but the film feels too cheesy and too sentimental at times. The film could have been much better than this, and there's potential for a really funny film here. However most of the time, the jokes are tiring and uninspired. There's some laughs to be had here, but not as much as you'd expect. Most of the time, the jokes are unfunny, and try too hard at making you laugh. I think a good comedy should be effortless at making laugh, this is where Liar Liar fails. The film adds too much sentimentality, that feels too cheesy and quite frankly boring. This could have been a great comedy, and though there are some funny bits, it's not enough redeem a lacking comedy that relies more on unimpressive gags to try to make you laugh.
Directors C

Liar Liar is a more sophisticated Ace Ventura: Pet Detective that works on many levels. Its smart, its witty and its funny.
Tyler K

The pen is blue!!! Yes, I did really enjoy this film, much like Carrey's other works, most notably The Cable Guy, Dumb & Dumber, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This film is funny, smart, and cannot tell a lie after the first 20 minutes! The only thing that really was sour to… More
The pen is blue!!! Yes, I did really enjoy this film, much like Carrey's other works, most notably The Cable Guy, Dumb & Dumber, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This film is funny, smart, and cannot tell a lie after the first 20 minutes! The only thing that really was sour to me was the fact that it had that magical feel to it. The plot it (no spoilers) that a man named Fletcher Reede just flat out lies way to much. Some times he lies on accident, but most it's on purpose. When he says he was going to his ex-son's birthday party, he ends having an affair with his customer instead, so he can "strengthen the relationship of his job as a lawyer." Young Max (his ex-son) then wishes that he can't make a lie for another 24 hours, making his life and job as a LAWYER (think about it) very chaotic. But that's not the only problem. He must also prove to his ex-wife, Audrey, that he isn't a lying scum bucket after all, before she goes and moves with her boyfriend, (404 Name Not Remembered), and he'll never see Max ever again. Despite sounding not very funny, it is... use your imagination. Oh, and watch the movie... please? Oh great, that isn't the magic word of today! D:
AJ V

Who wouldn't like for their birthday wish to come true? Not just kids, of course. In this movie a kid's wish does come true, with funny consequences for his father. This movie is hilarious, made at the height of Carrey's popularity. If you're a fan of his or… More
Who wouldn't like for their birthday wish to come true? Not just kids, of course. In this movie a kid's wish does come true, with funny consequences for his father. This movie is hilarious, made at the height of Carrey's popularity. If you're a fan of his or just love comedy, you should see this movie.
Bethany M

Your average funny film. A few scenes were I laughed uncontrolably but that's about it really.
Brad W

Jim Carrey at his best. This movie is funny, smart, and moving. But trust, its mostly funny.
Shawn E

This film is all about the morals of lying and the hilarious talent of Jim Carrey. There is never any holding back or a dull moment in Carrey's wild performances and this film is no exception.
Cassie H

Shows you that lying doesn't last forever :) A definite great watch! :)
Richard C

I thought it was funny but not hilarious. There were some parts that I laughed out loud. There also are some parts where Jim Carrey acts like a dumbass and makes wierd noises and it just annoys me in this movie. There are some really stupid parts too and espicially at the end of the… More
I thought it was funny but not hilarious. There were some parts that I laughed out loud. There also are some parts where Jim Carrey acts like a dumbass and makes wierd noises and it just annoys me in this movie. There are some really stupid parts too and espicially at the end of the movie when he was able to keep up with the plane on that little cart thing. I liked it but not a great movie. Grade: B-
Spencer S

A decent Carrey comedy that was funny, but still as zany and non-level headed as Carrey.
Martin S

Jim Carrey is fun....but this is just too much Jim Carrey....it's good....but there's just too much of him
Dean M

Really HILARIOUS and I love it! This becomes one of my number 1 favourite Jim Carrey's funniest movie and 90s comedy classic. Jim Carrey puts so much energy and his comedic performances and he is well supported by the likes of Jennifer Tilly, Swoosie Kurtz and Amanda Donohue. I… More
Really HILARIOUS and I love it! This becomes one of my number 1 favourite Jim Carrey's funniest movie and 90s comedy classic. Jim Carrey puts so much energy and his comedic performances and he is well supported by the likes of Jennifer Tilly, Swoosie Kurtz and Amanda Donohue. I 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. I bloody couldn't stop laughing heaps when I watch it again and always hurt my stomach.
Lady D

One of Carrey's best, making the use of all his verbal and visual talents. A moralistic tale and on that works nicely with the Liar/Lawyer theeme - Justice doesn't work out right! Comical consequences of a fairy tale plot.
KJ P

Very funny! sadly, I have to say, that yes I do love this movie, but the only reason that I love it, is because it is amazingly hilarious! There's nothing much else to love, and the only good aspects of this movie, are the funny parts, which is every scene:)
Jennifer D

Some funny little gags.
Conner R

While the movie is harmless, it depends souly on Jim Carrey to make it a worthwhile experience. It is a lame excuse at a what if storyline. Besides a few funny lines and physical comedy from Jim Carrey, it is a throw away movie with almost no originality.