Liar Liar (Tom Shadyac, 1997, USA)

If Jim Carrey was already a bankable star by 1997, Liar Liar sent him into the stratosphere. Grossing over $300 million on a $45 million budget, the film sent Carrey into the echelons of the era's megastars. In retrospect, it is amazing to think of a time when a comedic actor could command that kind of audience based on his presence in the film alone. Liar Liar is effectively a one-man show for Jim Carrey - he carries the entire movie. Clocking in at a lean 86 minutes, the film is paced at a mile a minute. It pitches the audience on a high-concept premise and proceeds to deliver on that high-concept premise.

Liar Liar might also be one of the pinnacles of the PG-13 comedy, a relatively new invention that reached its pinnacle in the 1990s. Before streaming and the breakdown of the 'mass' audiences, these films commanded a wide section of the American public - from adults to teenagers and even kids. By the 1990s, the PG-13 seal meant effectively that the whole family could enjoy the film, even if it was a bit risque for the youngest audiences. Shadyac and his writers push the film to the limits of some bad taste but generally keep it within limits. Carrey's brand - with a few exceptions - was associated with these PG-13 comedies.

Liar Liar is not the best of this era of Jim Carrey comedies, as there are limitations to this premise and it begins to exhaust itself even in the film's short runtime. The film's moralizing and cloying sentimentality also haven't held up as well in the long term. Still, Liar Liar is a great example of a film that is seldom made anymore, and certainly not for the theatrical audience. As a time capsule of another era, it is worth watching.

7/10