Liar Liar (1997)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A dishonest lawyer finds himself physically unable to tell a lie after his son makes a birthday wish.
The story
Fletcher Reede is a divorced defense lawyer in Los Angeles who frequently prioritizes his career over his relationship with his young son, Max, and his ex-wife, Audrey. After missing Max's birthday party to pursue a promotion, Max makes a wish for his father to be honest for one day. Unbeknownst to Fletcher, this wish takes effect, and he suddenly finds himself unable to lie, mislead, or withhold the truth. This predicament begins to unravel his professional standing and personal relationships, creating chaos in his daily life and during a high-stakes legal case involving a gold digger's prenuptial agreement.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Fletcher Reede, a defense lawyer in Los Angeles, is a habitual liar who neglects his son Max and ex-wife Audrey for his career. After Max makes a wish for his father to be honest for one day, Fletcher becomes physically unable to lie. This affects his interactions with his colleagues, his car's legal status, and his ability to manage his client, Samantha Cole. During a court case, Fletcher's inability to lie prevents him from allowing his client to perjure herself, leading to a complex legal outcome. Meanwhile, his personal life fractures as Audrey considers moving away. After a series of chaotic events, including a staged assault and a frantic attempt to reach his family at an airport, Fletcher ends up injured but reconciled with his son. He realizes that even though the 24-hour period of truth has ended, he prefers to remain honest. The film ends a year later with a happy reunion.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 86
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tom Shadyac
- Writers
- Paul Guay · writer; Stephen Mazur · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jim Carrey · Fletcher Reede; Maura Tierney · Audrey Reede; Justin Cooper · Max Reede; Cary Elwes · Jerry; Anne Haney · Greta; Jennifer Tilly · Samantha Cole; Swoosie Kurtz · Dana Appleton; Jason Bernard · Judge Marshall Stevens
- Genres
- comedy; fantasy; legal
- Themes
- honesty; fatherhood; integrity
- Tone and mood
- comedy; physical humor
- Premise and plot tags
- wish fulfillment; magical realism
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was noted for Jim Carrey's physical humor.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · review count: 63; Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Actor · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The role of Fletcher Reede was originally envisioned for Tom Hanks and Steve Martin.; Jim Carrey chose not to play Dr. Evil in Austin Powers to star in this film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…