Overview
A workaholic lawyer's life spirals into chaos when he can only tell the truth for a day.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- exuberant
- irreverent
- frantic
- lazy sunday
- family movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a thin but highly entertaining comedy elevated by Jim Carrey's exuberant physical humor and broad comic appeal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Max's birthday wish magically forces Fletcher to tell the truth for one day.
Fletcher's success as a lawyer depends on verbal manipulation, but the truth compulsion makes his courtroom and workplace methods unusable.
Fletcher's repeated failure to keep promises to Max drives the crisis and his eventual personal change.
Jim Carrey's performance emphasizes frantic gestures, contortions, and escalating bodily reactions to Fletcher's inability to lie.
Films like Liar Liar, and why
Bruce Almighty
shares exuberant physical comedy, a supernatural premise, and a self-centered protagonist forced into personal change
The Mask
shares high-energy body-driven humor, fantasy wish fulfillment, and a flawed adult learning responsibility
My Cousin Vinny
shares courtroom comedy, ethical transformation, and a charismatic professional whose personal life conflicts with career demands
Movie Details
- Director
- Tom Shadyac
- Release Date
- 1997-03-21
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (6431)
Cast
- Jim Carrey
- Maura Tierney
- Justin Cooper
- Cary Elwes
- Anne Haney
- Amanda Donohoe
- Swoosie Kurtz
- Jason Bernard
- Krista Allen
- Jennifer Tilly
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Liar Liar about?
- A compulsively dishonest attorney is magically forced to tell the truth, turning his professional gift into a comic liability and giving him one day to become a better father.
- What is Liar Liar like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Liar Liar as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Liar Liar violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Liar Liar as mild.
- What did critics think of Liar Liar?
- Critics broadly found the film a thin but highly entertaining comedy elevated by Jim Carrey's exuberant physical humor and broad comic appeal.
- Which films are like Liar Liar?
- Films with a similar feel include Bruce Almighty, The Mask, and My Cousin Vinny.
- How long is Liar Liar?
- Liar Liar runs 86 minutes.
- Where can I watch Liar Liar?
- In United States, Liar Liar streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
