Plot: What’s it about?
It’s now been two decades since Ace Ventura: Pet Detective made a household name out of Jim Carrey. Two decades! That’s twenty years, folks. Amazing. I, like most others, knew him from the TV sketch show In Living Color which also featured a rising star by the name of Jamie Foxx. Carrey’s physical humor and antics paved the way for a very good decade for him (the 90’s that is) and though he tried and tried to shed the image of his comic side with roles in The Truman Show, The Majestic and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I feel he’ll always be remembered for his comedic roles. Having proved his worth in films like Dumb and Dumber, Batman Forever, The Mastk and the Ace Ventura sequel, he took on a new role with longtime co-hort and director, Tom Shadayac. In this new endeavor, Carrey was to play a lawyer who was forced to tell the truth for one whole day. Certainly in the wrong hands this could be a disaster, but this was Carrey at his peak and he was in top form. The film opened to critical and commercial raves, and looking back 15 years later we have to ask ourselves if it’s stood the test of time. Well, has it?
Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a lawyer. A good one. He’s a fast talker in the most literal sense of the word and he’s been very successful at his job. His job has taken its toll on his personal life, however, as he’s divorced and as Fletcher gives priority to his job, he tends to break his word to his son, Max (Justin Cooper) once too often. It’s at Max’s birthday party that he makes a wish that his father could tell nothing but the truth for just one day. This isn’t such a difficult thing for most people, but for Fletcher lying is away of life. The obvious pratfalls ensue as we witness Fletcher go off on a police officer, ogle a woman in an elevator and the like. But as the day progresses, Fletcher realizes how good he has it with his estranged son and is now leery of his wife’s (Maura Tierney) new love interest (Carey Elwes). This begs the obvious question: is it too late for Fletcher to rekindle the flame of his family or has he become so engrossed is his work that it’s simply too late?
Liar Liar was, for a time, Jim Carrey’s highest-grossing film. This was a few years prior to him donning a green mask and playing the Grinch and before he played God in Bruce Almighty. I’d wondered how well this film had held up in the 15 years since it’s been released. Certainly I got some laughs and realized how amazingly funny and talented that Jim Carrey was and still is (his performance in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone steals the show), though things just felt a bit…dated. There’s nothing wrong with the film, it delivers and if you’ve never seen it, then I’m sure it still packs a comedic punch. Maybe I watched it too much when it came to DVD or maybe I’ve seen so much of what Jim Carrey has had to offer that I just kind of shrug my shoulders and say “meh.” Carrey has shown us, however, time and again that he’s immensely talented and Liar Liar will most certainly always be a jewel in his crown. There have been masses waiting for this on Blu-ray and that wait, I’m happy to say, is finally over.
Video: How does it look?
It’s kind of odd to think that a movie as popular as this has had to wait nearly seven years for a release on Blu-ray. Granted, Universal pushed this one out in the ill-fated HD DVD format several years ago, but this has now finally been released on Blu-ray. Universal and catalog comedies usually don’t mix too well as they implore a DNR technique that’s almost revolting. Granted, everyone has their own way of viewing a movie and perception is everything, so it was with baited breath that I popped the movie in the player. Universal’s 1.85:1 AVC HD transfer does look good, the best it’s looked on any format and I even used to have a copy of the LaserDisc. Colors seem warm and saturated, detail has certainly been improved but what’s lacking is that “pop” that most new movies have and a plethora of older ones as well. It seems to be a bit on the flat side and though there’s technically nothing “wrong” with the picture, it wasn’t something that blew me away either. Still, we now have the film on Blu-ray which will be more than enough to appease fans.
Audio: How does it sound?
Another advantage of having this film on Blu-ray is the new sound mix. Yes, we get a DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack that sounds a few notches better than its Dolby Digital Plus mix found on the HD DVD, but dialogue-driven physical comedies aren’t always the best examples of dynamic sound. The movie, as is the case with most of Carrey’s body of work, is dialogue-driven and the new sound mix reflects that. Yes, the front stage is overly heavy with some sound effects here and there and the surrounds do chime in here and there, but there’s really nothing impressive here. Yes, it delivers the goods and I doubt anyone will be too upset by the way this sounds, but this is your standard issue DTS mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Universal knows that there’s a built in audience with this movie and this must have been part of their decision to not include anything new on this disc. Not that I was expecting much since most catalog titles that have been previously released don’t really have a lot of (or anything) new to offer. Criterion is usually good at unearthing some new material, but Universal is not Criterion. Thankfully we do have the features ported over from the DVD/HD DVD release which includes a pretty interesting audio commentary by director Tom Shadyac. Again, it’s the same one that was recorded nearly fifteen years ago, so there’s no new material to gleam here. “Bridging the Comedy Chasm” is your typical EPK fluff and we’re also treated to a series of outtakes as well as a very lengthy deleted scene. No doubt people will be giddy to see this film finally available on Blu-ray, but if it’s new supplements you’re looking for, look elsewhere.
