Dan Mclellan

'BIG FAT LIAR' IS GREAT FOR FAMILIES

DAN MCLELLAN

Originally published Friday, February 22, 2002

Paul Giamatti is a funny guy. A really funny guy. His portrayal of Marty "The Wolfman" Wolf is one of the most entertaining bits of screen villainy since Alan Rickman chewed up the scenery in "Die Hard." Wolf screams, steals and sleazes his way through his job as the meanest movie producer in Hollywood.

He's currently filming his latest flop, a romp with Urkel and a crime-fighting chicken. Marty needs a hit. That's when Jason Shepard (Frankie Muniz) falls into his lap, almost literally. To avoid getting sued, Wolf reluctantly gives the kid a lift to school, where Shepard is dropping off a dangerously late English assignment. Wolf steals the assignment and decides to turn it into a movie, while Jason rots in summer school. When Shepard sees an ad at the local multiplex for a movie called "Big Fat Liar," he pieces things together and decides, with his best friend (played by Amanda Bynes), to get revenge.

A simplistic story worthy of the "Home Alone" films is useful only for moving Wolf from one trap to another. That's fine, however, because watching the sleaziest person on the face of the planet get his comeuppance makes for good entertainment. The producer and writer once starred on the sitcom "Head of the Class," so they are familiar with comedy and have fashioned a fairly straightforward one.

The best thing about "Big Fat Liar" is its willingness to just be a comedy and not bombard you with morals and messages like Disney. "BFL" still lapses into sap, but only one or two times. The message that the truth is the best way is a little cheesy, but what moral isn't?

The cast is talented. Muniz from "Malcolm in the Middle" makes an engaging leading man, and Bynes is a good foil. Giamatti is probably the best thing that could have ever happened to this film. Without him you lose half of your laughs and almost all of your originality. Wolf is a true comic creation. His facial expressions contort in ways only Jim Carrey can better, and his eyes have the perfect bugged out look for his slide into madness. This is a guy whose only friend is a small monkey puppet named Mr. Funnybones. He might not have been entirely sane to begin with. Giamatti is game for anything and proves it by spending half the film drenched in blue dye and orange, clown-colored hair, a cheap joke that he makes funny by sheer energy and anger.

The movie's three major faults lie in some missing plot logic, too much product placement and a slow beginning. The beginning is quite a bit slower mostly because it is the setup for the story. Once the kids meet Marty Wolf and go to Hollywood, the film takes off. Which brings us to the next major problem. Two 14-year-olds have enough money to fly halfway across the United States because Muniz saved up all yard work earnings. Right. I'd like to find out what jobs Muniz did that ensured him all that cash.

Finally, the film is full of product placement for Coca-Cola and Universal Studios Hollywood. Coke is the drink of choice for the kids, and Universal Studios is where they hang out and the final chase takes place. I forgive Universal more because they make good use of the locations in the movie.

Other than that, "Big Fat Liar" is a great film to see as a family. Everyone with a decent sense of humor should enjoy it.

Daniel McLellan is a freshman at Olympia High School.

'Big Fat Liar'

3 STARS

- Rating: PG.

- Playing: Capital Mall Cinemas.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to Films index