Cast: Frankie Munizn, Paul Giamatti, Amanda Bynes, Amanda Detmer, Lee Majors
Director: Shawn Levy
Producers: Brian Robbins, Michael Tollin
Screenplay: Dan Schneider
Cinematography: Jonathan Brown
Music: Christophe Beck
U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Big Fat Liar is proof that a movie does not have to be saturated with gross-out humor to exist near the bottom of the comedy barrel. A lame collection of dumber-than-dumb gags, the quality of Big Fat Liar is on par with that of the worst television sit-com gorged to four times its normal size. So, instead of having to sit through a mercifully short 22 minutes (plus commercials to interrupt the tedium), the unsuspecting viewer is tortured for nearly an hour and a half. For my part, to pass the time, I began to think of the things I would do to the filmmakers if they were sitting next to me - most of which are illegal.
I went into this movie cold, which is to say that I knew nothing about the premise or the cast. I hadn't seen any previews, read any publicity material, nor visited the IMDb to look at the entry. Five minutes into the film, I got the sinking feeling I sometimes get when I realize I should have stayed home and cleaned out my garage. That would have been a more profitable and enjoyable way to spend an evening. Instead, I was gifted with the opportunity to endure the latest gruelingly stupid motion picture aimed at children who have been raised from infancy by a television set.
People do idiotic things (my driving 2 1/2 hours round-trip to see this movie is a perfect example). Several reality-based TV shows have existed because of this. But Big Fat Liar takes the situation to extremes that go above and beyond the bounds of what's reasonable, even for a big-screen comedy. The entire plot structure depends on (nearly) every character over the age of 15 having undergone a frontal lobotomy. How else can one explain a man diving into a pool filled with dark blue water? Or children fooling a limo driver into believing that they're movers-and-shakers in the fur industry? This is all supposed to be funny, but the humor in Big Fat Liar isn't just dumb, it's mirthless and spiteful. It's about people being ruthlessly humiliated and sometimes physically abused - and all without the cleverness and camaraderie of The Three Stooges. Director Shawn Levy treats his actors with as much affection as his props. They're walking punchlines to jokes that don't even provoke a chuckle.
The storyline is simple enough for a three-year old to follow (that seems to be the age at which the movie is targeted). Jason Shepherd (Frankie Munizn) is a 14-year old high-school student who avoids homework assignments by telling elaborate lies about why he couldn't do them. When he requires an accomplice, his girlfriend, Kaylee (Amanda Bynes), is willing and able to help. One day, however, Jason is caught in a particularly complicated lie, and, in order to avoid summer school, he has to write a 1000-word story in four hours. On his way to turn it in, he is hit by a limousine transporting movie producer Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti), who reluctantly agrees to give Marty a lift to his destination after the boy makes noises about an injury and lawsuits. On his way out of the car, Jason leaves behind his story. Marty reads it and decides to appropriate it for his next big movie. Months later, when the news of the upcoming film hits the entertainment circuit, Jason is aghast, and decides to take a trip to Hollywood to force Marty to admit that he stole the idea.
If the letters "TV" have appeared often in this review, there's a reason. Almost everyone involved in this production has their roots in television. The director, Shawn Levin, has done far more work on the small screen than the big one. Frankie Munizn, best-known as the title character of "Malcolm in the Middle", plays the irritating Jason. Amanda Bynes, a cable TV fixture with her own comedy variety show, is his equally annoying girlfriend. While these individuals may all be very talented, their abilities don't come across here. Meanwhile, poor Paul Giamatti is forced to spend about half the movie with blue skin and orange hair. And how far has The Six Million Dollar Man fallen to need a bit part here?
The PG rating would indicate that Big Fat Liar is family-friendly, and, if you don't mind the mean-spirited nature of the so-called comedy, that's probably an accurate assessment. However, I wouldn't take my son or daughter to this movie. There comes a point at which a parent must cultivate a sense of quality in a child, and watching something like Big Fat Liar could have long-term implications. Children subjected to movies of this sort ten years ago are the ones buying DVDs of Freddy Got Fingered today.
Of course, it's possible that I'm completely wrong. Perhaps this isn't supposed to be a comedy - maybe it's intended to be a serious-minded expose of how movies come into being. Stories based on papers written by 14-year olds. Self-important morons as producers. Chaos on film sets. Come to think of it, this may be more real than I have given it credit for. How else is it possible to explain something like Big Fat Liar being made in the first place?
© 2002 James Berardinelli