Parents' Guide to

Liar Liar

By Sarah Wenk, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Goofy '90s Carrey comedy has lots of profanity, sex.

Movie PG-13 1997 97 minutes
Liar Liar Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 19 parent reviews

Christophe123
Christophe123 Adult
October 16, 2021
age 14+

More salacious than I remember it to be, embarrassing with kids

Saw this years ago with people my own age and thought it was funny, was hoping to watch 'dumb and dumber' on Netflix with the kids but not available so we watched 'Liar Liar' instead. Cringy and embarrassing a lot of the time with my 9 and 13 year old sons, a lot of sex talk, too much for even my 13 year old like, 'You're so pathetic you couldn't even get a porn star off' which had him giving me strange looks, like what was it I had him watching. Lots of stuff like that. Funny, but uncomfortable watching.
agilbj10
agilbj10 Parent of 11 and 13-year-old
August 9, 2023
age 13+

Lots more sex than I remembered

I watched this with my 11 year old son and 13 year old daughter. Totally forgot how much of the lawsuit involved sex and cheating in marriage, and I regretted not looking at this site before we decided to watch it. It was fine for my daughter but definitely too much sex talk, actions, and references (and noises!) for my son. Some of it was probably over his head, but still. I do love the message though.
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What's the Story?

Jim Carrey is a funny guy, and in LIAR LIAR he gives a funny performance as Fletcher Reede, a lawyer who gets through life by telling many lies. Some of them are little white lies, such as his compliments to his not-so-attractive coworkers on their appearance. Some are bigger, such as the ones he tells to get his petty criminal clients out of trouble. But the worst lies he tells are to his son Max, whom he's neglecting for work. Max's birthday wish is that his father will be rendered incapable of lying for one day, and the wish comes true. Fletcher is completely unable to lie, throwing his professional and personal lives into utter chaos.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (19 ):
Kids say (64 ):

The moral is pretty easy to grasp -- it's better to tell the truth than to lie -- but in the rush to get to the happy ending, the film avoids the more complex issues involved. For example, when Fletcher tells his coworkers what he really thinks of them, he insults and hurts them, and his adoring secretary walks out on him (though later she walks back -- this is a comedy, after all). But that gets swept aside as Fletcher tries to stop his ex-wife from moving to Boston with her new boyfriend and Max.

In fact, the whole premise boils down to Fletcher telling Max he loves him, something we've never really doubted. Basically, this is a vehicle for Carrey, and he runs with it, doing his usual impressive rubber-bodied antics and clearly improvising quite a bit of the comedy. It's entertaining but ultimately rather hollow.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about lying and how it affects people. When Fletcher was telling lies, he got into a certain kind of trouble, but when he had to tell the truth, he found trouble of a different sort. Is it ever OK to lie?

  • Besides Liar Liar, what are some other examples of movies in which the plot centers on the style or persona of a famous actor? Why do you think movies like these -- called "star vehicles" -- get made?

  • What are some other examples of movies in which physical humor is employed? What do you think is the appeal of this type of humor?

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