LIAR, LIAR

 

THREE STARS - Entertaining

 

 

       “Liar, Liar” is a comedy with the message that we eventually will reap what we sow.

       Set within the framework of the American legal system in which a young lawyer, Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey), uses lying as a way of life, we experience with him the sorrow that his lack of integrity causes him.  With great skill, this point is made through the use of Jim Carrey’s amazing comedy genius.

       This modern parable centers around the life of Fletcher and his son Max (Justin Cooper).  Max is about to celebrate his 5th birthday and adores his father, but is often devastated by his father’s lies and broken promises

         His mother, Audrey Reed (Maura Tierney), has divorced Fletcher two years earlier because of his deceit and unfaithfulness, but continues to care for him, especially as he affects Max.

       When Fletcher lies to Max about why he can’t come to his birthday party, Max makes a wish as he blows out the candle.  He wishes that his father cannot tell a lie for the next 24 hours.  It is then that the enchantment begins.

       As only Jim Carrey could act the part, Fletcher’s discovery that he can no longer lie puts him into physical and moral convulsions.  He is convinced that he cannot function as an adult if he cannot lie.

       When he discovers what Max has done, he attempts to persuade Max to remove the spell.  In a fascinating discussion, Fletcher as an adult tries to convince Max as a child that adults have to lie.  His reasons do not convince his son.

       When it becomes evident that telling lies cannot be justified, this raises the question of the common practice of telling “white lies.”   These are lies which are told in order to protect the feelings of another person.

       However such lies create a false relationship and distance us from those we deceive.  We live with a polite facade which keeps the expression of true feelings and intimate sharing from occurring.

       On the other hand, tactless, blatant truth is also hurtful.  This brand of ‘truth’ is the basis of much of the humor of the film.  Fletcher is not silent if he can’t say something nice, so he blurts out a hurtful truth to an overweight co-worker, an unattractive receptionist, a homeless beggar, and many others.

       Like a child with a gun, his inability to know when and how to speak the truth causes the truth to also be destructive from his mouth. 

       This creates a deeper message of the film.  Rather than tritely presenting truth-telling as easy, the film demonstrates that truth is powerful and one must learn to use it wisely.  Truth must be spoken in love.

       Although we won’t spoil the plot by divulging the events which bring this about, the message is clear that Fletcher learns how to be a truthful man without using truth to bludgeon the people around him.

       In the midst of his transformation, Fletcher’s conscience is awakened following his first awareness that he can no longer lie.  As his lies come back to torment him, he cries out, “I’m reaping what I sow.”

       This is the beginning of awakening for any person who deceives.  The consequences of destructive behaviors eventually come back to haunt the person.  It is then that the person either covers lies with more lies and digs a deeper hole in which they live in isolation, or the person recognizes their pain as being self-inflicted and chooses to change.

       In a flash of insight, Fletcher finds himself admitting to his wife:  “I am a bad father.”

       With pain in his eyes, he realizes that he had lied to himself as well as to others, and until that moment he had deceived himself into thinking he was a good father to Max.  It is this truthful confession which begins his transformation.

       Although it is not easy, Fletcher begins a life based on truth.  When the 24 hours are over and he is able to lie again, he chooses instead to tell the truth.  The freedom and joy which then invades his life and home is visually and wonderfully presented on the screen.

       “Liar, Liar” is a visual parable reinforcing the truths which have been known, but often ignored for thousands of years.  The film succeeds as both a masterful comedy and as a strong moral statement.

 

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