D: Tom Shadayac
S: Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is a compulsive liar who must tell the truth for just one day,
a curse made doubly inconvenient by the fact that he's an unscrupulous attorney
defending irredeemable adulterer Jennifer Tilly in a big court case. This
is the premise which sustains the marketing and the product that is Liar,
Liar. Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing else to take home from
the film itself and efforts to bolster the concept with dramatic asides
rank among the most revolting in recent memory.
It is an amusing scenario, (typical 'high-concept' stuff which sounded
great at the pitch) and Carrey is perfect for the material, being required
to be physically at odds with his own body at every turn with so much grimacing,
contorting and general hysteria. But it's ultra-thin stuff, and the story
of parental redemption and family values wrapped around the slapstick as
he tries to win back the affection of his divorced wife and young son (whose
birthday wish causes the situation) is rather pathetic. Worst of all, Carrey
seems determined to ensure he's taken more seriously as an actor by playing
as straight as possible between convulsions. It was a road which carried
Robin Williams and Steve Martin on to loftier material, granted, but look
what happened to Williams' box-office and the entertainment quotient of
Martin's films as a result. If comedy does not touch the soul as comedy,
lacing it with pathos and drama will not save it.
There isn't much else to be said about this film other than to note the
fact that it became Carrey's biggest hit to date (in years to come people
will wonder what all the fuss was about. I mean, have you actually tried
to watch some of those old Jerry Lewis films recently? There's something
faintly disturbing about them, even though you can't help laughing). There
are some funny scenes (most of them shown in the trailer), and when he's
at his most unhinged, Carrey is fun to watch (the scenes where he confesses
his misdemeanours to a traffic cop and where he beats himself up in a men's
room are the highlights). But the 'serious' material is very wearisome,
limping feebly along to a predictable and uninvolving conclusion (with the
added drag of an embarrassing role for Cary Elwes as a romantic rival).
Children may enjoy it more than adults, because the cliches may seem profound
if you've never encountered them before (and despite some 'adult' jokes,
it does seem aimed at the lower end of the age demographics). But overall
it's just not worth the effort of watching, though it may fill time amicably
enough on video.
Review by Harvey O'Brien copyright
1997.