Big Fat Liar
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| Big Fat Liar | |
 Big Fat Liar film poster |
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| Directed by | Shawn Levy |
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| Produced by | Brian Robbins |
| Written by | Dan Schneider Brian Robbins |
| Starring | Frankie Muniz Paul Giamatti Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer Donald Faison |
| Music by | Christophe Beck Douglas Romayne (source music) John Williams (Universal logo only, theatrical version) Jerry Goldsmith (Universal logo only, video version) |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 8 February 2002 (USA) |
| Running time | 88 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$15,000,000 |
Big Fat Liar is a 2002 American comedy film, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, Amanda Bynes, Amanda Detmer, and Donald Faison.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
At the beginning of the film, protagonist Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz), a boy residing in the fictional town of Greenbury, Michigan, is a profuse but disorganized liar. When his English teacher, Ms. Phyllis Caldwell (Sandra Oh), assigns her class a creative writing essay, Jason does not complete it. His parents are later called into school, where Ms. Caldwell tells Jason that if he can bring her a handwritten essay at the community college by 6:00, she will consider it a valid contribution.
Jason, therefore, writes a story titled "Big Fat Liar". Riding his sister's old bicycle, he is distracted and collides with the limousine of an arrogant Hollywood producer named Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti), whereupon Jason blackmails Wolf into giving him a ride to school. When the limousine reaches the college, Jason hastens into it, not realizing that he has forgotten his essay.
Upon his entering school, Jason realizes that he does not have the essay. Neither his parents nor Ms. Caldwell believe him when he claims to have written it, and he is therefore ordered to undergo a summer school. Later, Jason and his friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) learn that Marty Wolf has plagiarized Jason's composition by making a film of Big Fat Liar.
When his parents and elder sister leave the town on a holiday, Jason and Kaylee use Jason's savings to fly to Los Angeles in order to confront Wolf, leaving a local bully to attend Kaylee's absent-minded grandmother. At the studio, Jason tricks the receptionist into leaving her post to allow Jason to speak with Wolf. Wolf agrees to return the essay, but then burns it and has Jason removed his office.
In response, Jason and Kaylee plan to inconvenience Wolf until he admits to having stolen "BFL". Taken to Wolf's house by Frank Jackson, an actor formerly mistreated by Wolf, they add dye to Wolf's pool and shampoo, giving him blue skin and orange hair. Kaylee, impersonating the studio president's secretary, sends Wolf to a child's party, where he is mistaken for a clown and attacked by the children present. Meanwhile, Jason and Kaylee modify the controls to his car, causing various controls to perform the incorrect function and playing Blue (Da Ba Dee), resembling his blue skin. Struggling to control his car, he crashes into a monster truck, whose driver destroys Wolf's car in response.
As a result of these pranks, Wolf misses his appointment with Marcus Duncan (Russell Hornsby), president of the studio. Wolf later meets Duncan at a party celebrating the premiere of his film "Whittaker and Fowl", which proves to be a box office failure. Duncan, as a result of that failure, distrusts Wolf to create anything better and tells him that all the fundings for "Big Fat Liar" will be withdrawn unless Wolf can convince him otherwise. Duncan also warns him that should any mishap occur during production, the film and Wolf's career will be terminated. Jason agrees to help Wolf in exchange for a confession of the truth to Jason's father. Wolf, guided by Jason, makes a successful presentation; but rather than fulfill his promise, he calls his guards and has Jason and Kaylee removed.
Jason is about to accept defeat when Wolf's secretary Monty appears and states that because many of Wolf co-workers and employees (including Monty herself) have been abused, they are willing to help Jason and Kaylee take revenge on him. Together, they all devise a plan by which to do so. By now, Marty has removed or concealed the blue color of his skin.
En route to the studio, Wolf falls into several traps organized by his former co-workers. Upon arriving at the studio, bedraggled and desperate, he finds that Jason has taken hostage his prized toy chimpanzee, Mr. Funny-Bones. He pursues Jason, until a climactic rooftop confrontation wherein Wolf admits to stealing Jason's story, thinking they are alone. Immediately, it is revealed that he has been under video surveillance throughout the confession. As a result, he is exposed and shamed before all those whom he has abused, Jason's parents, and Marcus Duncan himself. Duncan is outraged at Wolf for his act of plagiarism and fires him, while Jason's parents re-establish their trust in Jason. Jason thanks Wolf for having taught him that "The truth" (as he tells Wolf, in a reverse of his own advice) "is not overrated". The film Big Fat Liar is later re-produced and shown at the movies, utilizing the talents and skills of all those whom Wolf had abused. Jason is credited for having written the original story.
The unemployed Wolf finds a job as a clown, in which role he is assigned to entertain the son of the monster truck's driver whom he insulted. Recognizing him, the father orders his son to utilize a newly-learned prizefighting technique as a means of avenging the earlier offence. This concludes the film.
[edit] Cast
- Jordan Holohan as Jordan
- Frankie Muniz as Jason Shepherd
- Paul Giamatti as Marty Wolf
- Amanda Bynes as Kaylee
- Amanda Detmer as Monty
- Alex Breckenridge — Janie Shepherd
- Rebecca Corry — Astrid Barker
- Donald Faison — Frank Jackson
- Jaleel White — Himself-Often called Urkel by Marty Wolf
- Sandra Oh — Mrs. Phyllis Caldwell
- Russell Hornsby — Marcus Duncan
- Michael Bryan French — Harry Shepherd
- Christine Tucci — Carol Shepherd
- Lee Majors — Vince
- Sean O'Bryan — Leo
- Amy Hill — Joscelyn Davis
- John Cho — Dustin 'Dusty' Wong
- Taran Killam — Brett
- Jake Minor — Aaron
- Sparkle — Grandma Pearl
- Ted Rooney — Summer School Teacher
- Michelle Griffin — Shandra Duncan
- Shawn Levy — Wolf Party Guest
- Kenan Thompson as a partygoer
- Dustin Diamond as a partygoer
[edit] Literary References
- The Disney Channel removed all insignias pertaining to Coca-Cola to avoid lawsuits, as well as censoring the labels on the bottles of liquor in Marty's office (although this may have also been to avoid complaints from viewers).
- Marty Wolf offers to Jason Shepard that he will tell his (Jason's) father that Jason not only wrote "Big Fat Liar", but also Saving Private Ryan, a movie wherein Paul Giamatti starred.
- Marty Wolf makes reference to child star Jaleel White's character on the 90's sitcom Family Matters.
- Most of the movie was filmed in the Universal Studios Backlot. The crew also sneaked onto the set of The Scorpion King and shot some footage while that film's crew was away.
- Dan Schneider, the screenwriter for this film, also created Nickelodeon shows such as The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly.
- The film takes a strong reference/allusion to Aesop's fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf in its naming of the protagonist and villain.
- Movie actor Adam Sandler and director Steven Spielberg are mentioned as acquaintances to Marty Wolf. The Disney Channel changed the name "Spielberg" to "Sodaberg", in order to prevent any lawsuits.
[edit] Reception
The film received mixed reviews, gaining a "Rotten" rating at Rotten Tomatoes of 44 percent. [1] Some critics praised the film as energetic and witty; others called it dull and formulaic. Nevertheless, it grossed $47 million at the box office. This film was rated PG for some language.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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