Big Fat Liar

This topic contains:

• details about Big Fat Liar’sclassification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Big Fat Liar completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 17 August 2002.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Big Fat Liar contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence and material that may scare children
• sexual references, nudity, use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie’s message
• overall comments.

A synopsis of the story

Jason Shepherd is an over confident fourteen year old and a compulsive liar. He makes up fantastic stories in order to get himself out of trouble with his parents and teacher. He is given a deadline to hand up a 1000 word assignment or face summer school. His father says this should be no problem for him as he is so good at creating stories. After much deliberation, Jason writes ‘Big Fat Liar’ but while delivering it to school on his sister’s bike (because his skateboard had previously been taken by the school bullies) he is knocked over by a limo. He convinces the owner of the limo to drive him to school as his bike is now wrecked. The owner turns out to be Marty Wolf, a big Hollywood movie director with an over-inflated ego and a bigger liar than Jason. Jason inadvertently leaves his assignment in the limo and ends up having to go to summer school.

One day, to relieve the boredom, he takes his friend Kaylee to the movies where he sees a preview of a new movie entitled Big Fat Liar. Jason recognises this as his own work and sets out with Kaylee to Hollywood to confront Marty Wolf. Jason wants Marty to acknowledge that Big Fat Liar is his creation but of course Marty won’t admit to it. What ensues is a funny, if far fetched, plot by Jason to make Marty admit the truth. Jason’s tactics are more of a mind game designed to frustrate and embarrass Marty and sabotage his career. Along the way he gains many supporters in people that Marty has humiliated and cast off as the “nastiest director in Hollywood”. Jason also learns that the “truth is not overrated”.

Use of violence and material that may scare children

There is little violence in this film but there are a few scenes which could cause concern such as:

• at the start of the film Jason is set upon by bullies, is verbally harassed and has his skateboard stolen.
• Jason is hit by the car, not actually seen, but his bike is wrecked.

There is also cartoon type violence, set in a comic context, when Marty is being hounded by Jason such as:

• Marty is being driven at high speed through a desert in the opposite direction of where he needs to go and he decides to jump out of the car, landing heavily and rolling on the ground
• Marty is washed down a ‘river’ of water
• Jason sabotages Marty’s car by rewiring all the electronics causing much mayhem and almost an accident.

Also Marty dishes out verbal abuse to everyone with whom he comes into contact.

There is really nothing scary in this film. The only scene that could possibly disturb some children is a scene at the end in which Jason and Marty are in their final confrontation on the top of a tall building. When Marty is defeated, Jason decides to copy a stunt he had previously watched, and jumps off the top of the building. For a moment there, Jason is shown falling through the air but he lands safely on a huge rubber mat. He apparently does it just for the thrill.

Sexual references, nudity, use of substances

The movie has very little of any of these elements.

Coarse language

There is very little coarse language.

• On a couple of occasions Marty yells ‘Oh my God’
• Marty yells ‘Up your arse Grandma’ at a female driver.

The movie’s message

The take home message from this movie is that ‘the truth is not overrated’. It is also that the Davids can defeat the Goliaths if they use their wits and cunning rather than rely on physical strength.

Some values that parents may wish to encourage include:

• it is better to tell the truth
• being hurtful to others makes enemies

Some values that parents may wish to discourage include:

• lying to the teacher makes you look ‘cool’ in front of your peers
• leaving home without permission or knowledge of parents
• Jason and Kaylee both lied to and deceived their parents and, in Kaylee’s case, her grandmother, to get to Hollywood and achieve their ends.
• Jason and Kaylee stay in the props department at Universal Studios and help themselves to property and equipment they need.

Overall comments

This is a reasonable family film that most adults could enjoy. It is well acted, funny, and quite entertaining. The stunts are well thought out, although far fetched and the visual effects are very good. The main criticism that could be levelled at the film is that it glamorises lying and pranks and it is not certain that Jason actually learns that it is better to tell the truth. In fact Jason is not a lot more likeable than Marty.

This film is suitable for all ages as there is nothing scary in it, no sex and little coarse language.