capsule : side - splitting comedy that follows its own merciless logic almost through to the end . . .
but not without providing a good deal of genuine laughs
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most comedies these days have one flaw .
they 're not funny .
they think they 're funny , but they are devoid of anything really penetrating or dastardly .
occasionally a good funny movie sneaks past the deadening hollywood preconceptions of humor and we get a real gem : ruthless people , for instance , which established a microcosm of a setup and played it out to the bitter end .
liar liar is built the same way and is just about as funny .
this is one of the few movies i 've seen where i was laughing consistently almost all the way through : instead of a couple of set - pieces that inspired a laugh ( think of the dismal fatal instinct ) , the whole movie works like clockwork .
jim carrey playes a high - powered lawyer , to whom lying is as natural as breathing .
there is one thing he takes seriously , though : his son , and we can sense the affection that they have for each other right away .
but his wife is divorced and seeing another man , and now it looks like they may move away together .
the son goes with them , of course .
the movie sets up this early material with good timing and a remarkable balance of jim carrey 's over - the - top persona with reality .
then the plot springs into action : after being snubbed ( not deliberately ) by his father at his birthday , the kid makes a wish as he blows out the birthday candles : that for just one day , dad ca n't lie .
he gets the wish .
what happens next is sidesplitting .
everything turns into a confrontation : when cornered by a bum for some change , he shouts , " no !
i 'm not giving you any money because i know you 'll spend it on booze !
all i want to do is to get to the office without having to step over the debris of our decaying society !
"
he ca n't even get into an elevator without earning a black eye .
and what 's worse , he 's now gotten himself into an expensive divorce settlement that requires him to twist the truth like abstract wire sculpture .
carrey , who i used to find unfunny , has gotten better at his schtick , even if it 's a limited one .
he uses it to great effect in this movie .
there is a scene where he tries to test his ability to lie and nearly demolishes his office in the process ( there 's a grin breaking out across my face right now , just remembering the scene ) .
he ca n't even write the lie ; his fingers twitch , his body buckles like someone in the throes of cyanide poisoning , and when he tries to talk it 's like he 's speaking in tongues .
equally funny is a scene where he beats himself to a pulp ( do n't ask why ) , tries to drink water to keep from having outbursts in the courtroom ( it fails , with semi - predictable results ) , and winds up biting the bullet when he gets called into the boardroom to have everyone ask what they think of them .
this scene alone may force people to stop the tape for minutes on end .
the movie sustains its laughs and also its flashes of insight until almost the end .
a shame , too , because the movie insists on having a big , ridiculous climax that involves carrey 's character flagging down a plane using a set of motorized stairs , then breaking his leg , etc .
a simple reconciliation would do the trick .
why is this stupid pent - up climax always obligatory ?
it 's not even part of the movie 's real agenda .
thankfully , liar liar survives it , and so does carrey .
maybe they were being merciful , on reflection .
if i 'd laughed any more , i might have needed an iron lung .
Output: P