ChicDragon
It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Arianna Moses
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
Amy Adler
Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) is a 14 year old with a terrific imagination. But, alas, he uses it to make up lies when it is convenient to him. One day, late to school, his English teacher (Sandra Oh) asks him before he sets down to read his paper. Its not done. Therefore, Jase launches into a song and dance about how his father choked on a meatball and the whole family spent the evening in the ER. Undaunted, teach calls his dad but a friend covers for Jason. Nevertheless, the truth comes out. That afternoon, Jason's parents, the teacher and Jase all sit down to discuss the consequences. The ONLY way to avoid an "F" is for Jason to write the paper in three hours and hand it in to the teacher's moonlighting job in adult education. Since there is no other choice Jason does it. Alas, his bike breaks down and he pleads with a limo driver to take him to the school. In the back seat, Hollywood producer Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti) makes it clear this a great favor for him to bestow. Mr. Wolf is overseeing the final scenes of a cop with a sidekick chicken movie. It's lame. But, ho ho, Jsaon leaves his paper, a Big Fat Liar, in the limo and Wolf reads it. Here is the idea for his next movie! The teacher and his parents refuse to believe he wrote it but, give him a couple of days. Next, Jason's parents take a long needed vacation, Jason's older sister rides off with her boyfriend (no babysitting for her) and Jason convinces his friend, Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) to trek with him to California so they can get his paper back! Nasty man that he is, Mr. Wolf says no, no, no. But, he has not counted on the determination and the imagination of Jason. From blue dye in the swimming pool to sabotage on the movie set, Jason MUST have Wolf call his parents and tell him how he got the film idea. In a test of wills, who wins, a hotshot producer or a 14 year old whiz? This very enjoyable, funny movie was made before Giamatti became a star in American Splendor and Sideways. Muniz and Bynes, however, were at their apex. All three are terrific. Amanda Detmer, Donald Faison, Oh, and the rest are great as well. The sets are wonderfully colorful and interesting; especially great is a scene which unfolds on different sets of the movie studio. A chase channels through the Wild West to the North Pole and back again. Costumes, script and direction are likewise way above the norm. Yes, the story has its implausibility but that doesn't matter in the least. Want some Big Fat Fun tonight or very soon? Get your hands on this fine family flick.
KineticSeoul
I remember seeing this trailer and thinking it might be a passable family flick...This is not a family flick, it's strictly for ONLY children that are under 10 to enjoy. Because this flick is super lame and cheesy, and doesn't have a sense of direction. It seemed like an average 12 year old wrote the script to the whole thing in one sitting. Actually even that 12 year old could probably write a much better script than this. It makes the "Captain Underpants" books more readable as an adult than watching through this childish movie. All the acting in this movie is uber childish even for a kids movie. Maybe I am being a bit too harsh on this suppose to be family flick, but this movie is just childish fantasy (so again it might work for kids under 10). The message is about telling the truth, but the direction and journey to get to telling the truth is a real headache. This is a definition of a cardboard movie. The main reason I was able to get through this flick, is because I was doing my homework while watching this. And guess what? I enjoyed doing the homework more.2.3/10
g-bodyl
Big Fat Liar is a good movie for the children but may not have enough life in it to please the adults. Personally, I thought this was rather mediocre and over-the-top, but Paul Giamatti is the saving grace of the film. There are some funny scenes including the famous scene where Giamatti turns blue. This is not a laugh-out-loud riot, but there are some mild chuckles to be had.Shawn Levy's film is a take on the legend of "Boy Who Cries Wolf." After a 14-year old kid has his essay stolen from him by a Hollywood producer and turned into a movie and no one believes him, he goes all out to prove that his essay was indeed stolen.The acting is okay. Paul Giamatti is very good and is very funny! He can just appear in nearly everything and do a great job. Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes sometimes seem to be a little over-the-top, but at least they are not terrible.Overall, this is an average film that kids will love. Adults on the other hand, may find this to be too boring and safe. There is nothing new here but it could be some fun entertainment. I rate this film 7/10.
bob_meg
It's hard to hate on a movie that has a blue-dunked Paul Giamatti rocking out to Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf. It's not so hard to hate on the standard Disney kids-against-the-mean-adults Home Alone booby trap nonsense.Big Fat Liar manages somehow to walk the tightrope between those two extremes quite well, never OD'ing us on anything particularly tiresome. Seeing the trailer for the movie, it seemed to be one long torture fest for Giamatti, who plays the dirtbag slimeball producer trope for all its worth (and overall looks to be having fun with it).It's strength really comes (shockingly) from its two leads. As Jason, Frankie Muniz combines just enough breezy charisma and ah-shucks appeal to perform his Ferris Bueller gag quite well, but the really impressive stuff comes from Amanda Bynes, who delivers some truly hilarious vocal impressions, usually when on the phone.This is all really tame stuff, will not change the world or ruin it (or the art of film) in any way. It's a good genre picture and can be enjoyed for just what it is, a trifle...which actually, is not that easy to come by these days.
