Big Fat Liar

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Kids Movie with Superb Acting of Paul Giamatti
Review: This surprisingly entertaining kids film in the tradition of "Home Alone" stars two likable kids stars -- Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes. Adults, like me, will find the film's lack of originality, but still admit that everything is done with good pace.

Of course, as kids movie, Muniz's character Jason, 14-year-old Michigan boy, is a fibber, not "a big fat liar" (meaning not that bad boy), who makes up his own small story to explain why he didn't do his homework before his teacher Sandra Oh. Ms. Oh is convinced at first, but the fib is discovered, and his parents don't like it, let alone being called by angry school teacher.

Then, the real Big Fat Liar appears as Hollywood producer Paul Giamatti, the best reason for adults to see this film. This Hollywood player, who desperately needs a hit, unashamedly steals the idea of Jason thought of as an essay to submit to his teacher, and this guy even tries to make a movie out of HIS idea. Now Jason's got to do something to stop that.

The film is always fast-paced, and because of the good healthy amount of visual gags and humor it is always interesting to see. Some references to Hollywood names and the cameo of Lee Majors make the whole film lively. And you also get a pretty funny John Woo parody.

But the driving force of the film is Paul Giamatti. His dedicated performance as a bit megalomaniac producer is much better than a simple caricature. Giamatti shows unexpected flairs for slapsticks too, and his swimming pool scene (which makes him really blue) is just hilarious.

Unlike Muniz and Giamatti, female characters seem relagated to thankless secondary roles. Bynes is cute without being irritating, and you see equally cute Amanda Detmer as Giamatti's assistant, but they should have been given more chances to do something interesting. I waited for them to do some funny thing, or deliver some good lines, but I didn't get them.

Maybe you realize that no Hollywood producers would live in a house with this minimum security system, where kids can go in and out so freely. And you know, one of Giamatti's friends seems to be Adam Sandler. But if Sandler is your pal, you don't have to worry about making a hit movie. But forget about these things, and let's see the comical actions of the film that never stops.

Rating:
Summary: The Big Fat Movie
Review: This movie is hilarious! I don't know how anyone could ever hate it! If you like the WB's "What I Like About You" and "Malcolm in the Middle", then you will definately like this! Or even if you like any comedy show, there is a very high chance that you will enjoy this movie!

This movie is about a fourteen-year-old boy, Jason Shepard (Frankie Muniz) who has a reputation for stretching the truth, or full-out lying. When a huge Hollywood producer, Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti) steals Jason's english paper and turns it into a huge movie, no one believe's Jason.

Jason decides to go across America with his best friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) to set everything straight, and make his parents believe that he really did write that paper, and it was made into a huge movie. Although Marty Wolf doesn't want to even consider giving a fourteen year old boy credit for his huge movie, both because his last few movies have bombed and because he doesn't want to admit he stole the idea from a kid, Jason eventually brings him down with the help of Marty's assisstant, Kaylee, and the rest of the crew that hate Marty Wolf. It's payback time when Jason and Kaylee both do hilarious things to Marty to make him tell Jason's parents about stealing his essay.

This movie is hilarious! Amanda Bynes and Frankie Muniz make a great pair! I'm so happy they were put together for this film! This is indeed a movie for the whole family to watch together!

Rating:
Summary: Slapstick humor in the "Home Alone" tradition
Review: BIG FAT LIAR is a family oriented slapstick comedy which is written by Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins (Robbins also Co-produced); perhaps best known to audiences as Dennis and Eric from the 1980s sitcom HEAD OF THE CLASS.
MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE star Frankie Muniz plays Jason Shepard, a 14 year old perpetual liar who is caught out when fibbing about doing a school English assignment. He is given the ultimatum of writing the paper or being sent to summer school. So Frankie starts writing a fact-based story titled BIG FAT LIAR (clever). He completes the task and heads off to school to hand it in.
However while biking to school he is struck by a limo; whose passenger happens to be Marty Wolfe (Paul Giamatti) a famed Hollywood producer.
To make amends, Wolfe offers to give Jason a ride to school... but on arriving Jason discovers he's left his assignment behind. Of course when Jason tells his teacher the story, she doesn't believe him and she calls a meeting with his parents. So to prove to his parents that this time he's really telling the truth Jason must try and get his paper back from Wolfe.
But Wolfe has other plans, like turning Jason's paper into a major film (which he steals all credit for). A pretty smart move for a guy currently making a movie starring Jaleel "Urkel" White as a cop with a chicken for a partner. Sure-fire blockbuster material.
So in order to get his script back Jason and his friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) fly to L.A to try and let the truth be known. But Wolfe, nice guy that he is; sets fire to Jason's script. Is that the end? No. Because as even the most dimwitted Hollywood types know, you always make a back-up copy.
So Jason and Kaylee have no option left but to play dirty. With the help of downtrodden film industry employees who've been burned by Wolfe one time too many; they set out to teach him a lesson once and for all. Which means loads of clumsy slapstick humor, which will really appeal to the kids.
Adults will enjoy seeing the PSYCHO house and other setpieces from movie classics on display here. Some of it's funny, some of it's feeble, but you could do far worse.
DVD Extras include commentary by the director and Muniz, location doco, deleted scenes, trailer and a pretty tacky "tour" of the Universal Studios lot with scenes from the film. Lee Majors; formerly TV's Six Million Dollar Man, also has a glorified cameo appearance.

Rating:
Summary: Watching the grass grow is more enjoyable
Review: Parents, if you have teens, or pre-teens, who are fans of Frankie Muniz (Malcom in the Middle) or Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes, chances are they will ask to buy/rent "Big Fat Liar." And you probably will do so, expecting a light kid's movie.

Spawned by former "Head of the Class" regulars Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins (both of whom have been involved in various Nickelodeon shows), what will follow for an adult watching is increasing degrees of drowsiness, until you've collapsed onto the floor in a stupor. The kids will love it (the movie and watching you fall to the floor).

The plot: Pathological liar Jason Shepherd (Muniz) finds himself in a bind: it's the end of the school year, his grades are bad, and he needs to compose an essay in order to avoid summer school. He rushes home, pens an essay called "Big Fat Liar," and rushes back to school (on a girl's bike, ho-ho) to turn the essay in. On his way to school he crashes into a limo. The occupant is Marty Wolf, hotshot Hollywood producer, played with some glee by Paul Giamatti. Wolf is your stereotypical Hollywood producer, who does a lot of yelling at people, whether in person or on the phone. You see, Wolf is mean. Shepherd convinces Wolf to give him a ride to school, which he does. And now, the plot begins its descent into fantasy land. Jason's essay was left behind in the limo, and Wolf ends up stealing it to create his next big movie.

And so it goes. Jason and his girlfriend Kaylee (Bynes), while watching a movie, see a preview for the next Marty Wolf production: "Big Fat Liar." What follows is a series of ever increasing inexplicable events, as the two teenagers somehow get their way from Michigan to LA without anyone being suspicious (Jason pays for the tickets with a big wad of cash. Wouldn't a ticket agent be slightly suspicious?)

Once in LA, Jason confronts Wolf and asks him to tell his father that the essay was indeed written by Shepherd and that Wolf had stolen it. Wolf refuses. So it's up to Jason and Kaylee to get their revenge, which they do through a number of "funny" revenge bits. Virtually every action they take against Wolf is illegal, but the movie ignores that so we can laugh (well, the kids will laugh) as Wolf is turned blue, has his expensive car crushed, etcetera, blah blah blah. The teens enlist the help of what seems to be dozens of adults, all of whom had been victimized by Wolf, and in the end, the mean old Wolf has his life ruined and the young vandals/thieves get their reward.

At this point, you may have emerged from your state of semi-consciousness. And that's when the kids will ask you to rent "Pluto Nash."

Rating:
Summary: Higer quality kids flic
Review: Not as dumb as it looks. Actually can hold itself up and is pretty funny. Enjoyable and good acting by Muniz and Bynes.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This movie wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I actually really liked the plot- Jason (Frankie Muniz) writes a paper for school that he desperately needs to turn in, but this famous producer takes it and turns it into his own movie that only he will take credit for, but all Jason wants is his paper!

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie, must-see
Review: My friend and I went to Blockbuster, looking for something to rent and be enjoyable. We found Big Fat Liar. It was excellent, overall a great little flick. The whole overall plot was excellent and not overused at all. I love Universal stuff so when i heard that music, I just wanted to be at Universal. Some people think this film was inappropriate for children. Please, with everything children see in the news and reality TV and police shows, they should be able to handle a little bit of slapstick comedy.

Rating:
Summary: Big Fat laughs
Review: I love this movie. It's so funny and has a good plot. While i watched this i wasn't at all confused which i am a lot. The actors did such a great job making the characters seem like real people and really shoeing the way the character was feeling. It was even sad at some points. I also thought that they did a good job making these characters different than what they play on TV. For example Frankie Muniz wasn't at all like Malcolm. I also found the specail features really good. I felt like after hearing the comintaires i knew a lot more about the movie. I think this is a good movie for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: When I first saw this movie, I thought it was going to be stupid. Surprisingly it wasn't. It was acctually quite entertaining unlike most recent disney flics. Its apretty good movie, thats all I can really say and its really funny.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie for everyone
Review: This is a very cute movie. Although I normally don't like Amanda Byrnes, she was good in this movie. It is a comedy that can have little kids and their parents (or babysitters) both rolling on the floor in laughter. There are very few parts that are inappropriate, or could be mimicked by young kids that would cause real damage, so it is great in that aspect. I would really recommend it for 2-10 year olds, and older.