Studios Hated Liar Liar So Much They Warned Screenwriters That Pitching It Was Hurting Their Career

As a film enthusiast with a deep appreciation for comedies that leave a lasting impact, I must say that the 1997 gem “Liar Liar” stands out as one of the most memorable and entertaining movies of its era. The way it cleverly plays with the theme of honesty, while showcasing the extraordinary talent of Jim Carrey, is nothing short of brilliant.

Why do people lie? This question has intrigued screenwriter Paul Guay, who considers himself as one of those “really naive individuals” who can’t comprehend why someone would look him straight in the eye and tell a blatant untruth. Fascinated by this phenomenon, he pondered what might occur if an individual known for dishonesty was compelled to speak truthfully for an entire day. He wrote down his idea on a napkin (as shown below) and later shared it with his writing partner, Stephen Mazur, in the early ’90s.

Initially, the story revolved around a young child who vowed not to lie and found himself in numerous predicaments. However, we felt that limiting ourselves to children’s films wasn’t what we wanted. So, we transformed it into a tale about an adult.

It’s likely not hard to figure out by this point, but here’s the gist: The final product turned out to be the movie “Liar Liar,” which is currently streaming on Peacock. This film follows Fletcher Reede (played by Jim Carrey), a dishonest lawyer with an extraordinary talent for deceit who, after repeatedly letting down his son, suddenly can’t tell a lie on the eve of a crucial case due to a strange turn of events. Looking back, it seems like a slam-dunk idea for a major studio, but at the time, no one in Hollywood wanted anything to do with it.

For More on Jim Carrey Movies

20 years ago, in a tale that never unfolded on the silver screen, I found myself holding my breath for an intriguing twist in the world of Jim Carrey. If you recall, it was about “Bruce Almighty” and the tantalizing prospect of “Brucifer,” where our beloved comedian might have wielded Satan’s powers!

Liar Liar‘s inauspicious start

After several initial presentations, Guay and Mazur received a grim call from their manager. She said, “‘This is a catastrophe. Not only are they unwilling to purchase this movie, but pitching this concept is damaging your careers. They utterly dislike this idea,'” Mazur disclosed. As a result, they decided to cancel the remaining meetings.

As a gamer, I can’t quite remember why our concept didn’t sit well with folks, but Mazur suspects it could’ve been linked to a recurring character on Saturday Night Live infamous for spinning tall tales (he’s probably referring to Tommy Flanagan, portrayed by Jon Lovitz from 1985 to 1997). I guess people assumed we were discussing that iconic character. They seemed to zero in on the popularity of this character and believed that was the topic at hand.

Guay, a screenwriting instructor at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, admits that when they first presented their pitch in 1990, it may not have been particularly compelling. Since they were likely presenting multiple pitches to the same company at the time, a common response might have been, “What else do you have?” In hindsight, while they had given some thought to their pitch, they may have only provided an abbreviated version. This suggests that they didn’t fully communicate what was needed for others to appreciate their idea. Although it would be easy to assume everyone in Hollywood is unintelligent based on this experience, Guay acknowledges that he cannot make such a claim.

Brian Grazer Comes to Liar Liar‘s Rescue

Regardless, the authors paused the production of ‘Liar Liar’ for many years. During a casual visit to Imagine Entertainment’s offices, they coincidentally met David Friendly, a close associate of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the co-founders of Imagine Entertainment. Among other topics discussed during this encounter, Mazur’s past as a prosecutor for Los Angeles County was brought up, which sparked Friendly to mention that Grazer was intrigued by the idea of creating something centered around a lawyer.

In a brief moment, we shared our concept for a movie called “Liar Liar,” which had previously flopped. This time, it was well-received, and the person said he’d pass it on to Brian. Eager to confirm its potential, we waited in the parking lot. As we were validating our ticket, we saw David approach Brian in the hallway. Although we couldn’t hear their conversation, we noticed Brian was quite animated and excited. David then called us over, and together, we entered Brian’s office. There, we likely shared a two-minute summary of the idea, and he seemed to be on board with it.

According to Guay, they were brought on board based on a brief two-sentence summary. Initially, they considered various professions for Fletcher, but eventually decided on a lawyer. Previously, they had pondered whether Fletcher was in real estate, politics, boxing promotion, or another field. However, a lawyer seemed fitting because A) Steve is a lawyer himself and B) There are numerous ways the legal profession can influence people’s lives.

Jim Carrey: The biggest name in comedy

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In creating the character Fletcher, Guay, Mazur, and others thought Tom Hanks or Steve Martin would be perfect for the role due to their ability to deliver physical comedy and tug at heartstrings, with a touch of dramatic depth. Hugh Grant showed interest in joining the project as the main character, but had to withdraw due to the Divine Brown scandal. The script eventually attracted the attention of Tom Shadyac and Jim Carrey, the team behind 1994’s “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

According to Guay, it’s said that Jim Carrey was set to star in “The Truman Show,” but the script wasn’t finalized as promised. In a turn of events, Brian Grazer provided him with our script, and since Carrey was annoyed about “The Truman Show” not being ready, he agreed to our project instead. This made Guay ponder, “Wouldn’t it have been intriguing to see how the film would have unfolded had Hugh Grant played the role? The contrast between the subtle, sophisticated British gentleman (played by Grant) and the ‘I must outdo Jerry Lewis’ flair that Carrey brought to the table is quite striking.

After Carrey agreed, things progressed quickly as he was a “sign or get paid” kind of actor (he earned an impressive $20 million from this deal). From then on, it was about rejuvenating and reinventing the story to cater more to Carrey’s exceptional knack for physical comedy, according to Guay. In terms of finding the perfect leading man, Liar Liar couldn’t have made a better choice. Carrey delivers convincingly when portraying a man who fights himself, figuratively speaking, since he can no longer rely on dishonesty, which has become his defining trait.

Guay explains, “He’d constantly request more takes.” Then, starting with the scripted lines (which I must say, he did a fantastic job on), he’d improvise, then improvise again. Everything was top-notch. With roughly 41 cameras trained on him – a slight exaggeration, but who knows what surprises he might pull off and when? It’s like bottling lightning to have someone like that in front of the camera, and you just want to seize them at their best. Truly, he gave everything for his $20 million worth.

Objection, Your Honor!

Initially, Guay and Mazur put Fletcher in a tricky situation by accusing him of lying about a murder, only to change the focus of the courtroom debate to divorce issues. In the film, a driven lawyer named Fletcher decides to take on the case of Samantha Cole (portrayed by Jennifer Tilly), who had blatantly cheated on her spouse. Despite this infidelity, she demands half of the marital possessions and joint custody of their two children.

In simpler terms, this legal battle is an apt portrayal of the deceitful lawyer central to the narrative, who’s known for his dishonest ways. These habits led to the breakdown of his marriage and almost ruined his bond with his son Max (Justin Cooper). An extraordinary event – Max’s birthday wish – compels the lawyer to tell the truth for a day, exactly 24 hours.

Mazur clarifies that while the show is comedic, goofy, and full of wild moments, it’s crucial to maintain an emotional thread throughout. To do this, they focused on making Fletcher’s court case the most challenging because it’s a divorce case – a situation involving a husband, wife, and children who are all affected by the separation. This mirrors Fletcher’s real life struggles. As he navigates between these two worlds, the theme of his ongoing struggle remains relevant at any point in time.

Guay points out that it’s not uncommon for people to experience discomfort when they lie or are lied to, and to witness the heartbreaking results if dishonesty continues, such as infidelity leading to divorce and reduced time with children. He suggests this scenario resonates due to its familiarity and emotional impact.

The reason Max’s birthday wish comes true is more of a mystery rather than a definitive answer. Instead of focusing on the specific means (such as a turkey wishbone), the writers chose to emphasize the emotional aspects, finding it more significant in creating the overall impact.

According to Mazur, what matters most to audiences is not the method of delivery, but rather its clarity and comprehensibility. A prime example of this is the movie “Groundhog Day“. In the early stages of its production, there was a character like a Gypsy woman who supposedly placed a curse on Bill Murray’s character. However, as they progressed with the project, they recognized that such an element wasn’t essential at all. The audience can grasp what’s happening without explicit explanations.

Guay acknowledges that the thought-provoking question arises: “Why are everyone else’s desires not granted?” To which he has no response. If this idea were presented to my student, I would suggest, “It’s quite compelling, let’s just hope it doesn’t lead people to wonder why others’ wishes don’t materialize.” However, the underlying idea seemed to be that due to the heartfelt nature of the wish from such an innocent child, there was so much sorrow and yearning in the request, a kind of miracle might happen.

Lies are lucrative

In simpler terms, the movie titled “Liar Liar” premiered in theaters on March 21, 1997. This was only two weeks after Howard Stern’s “Private Parts” hit the screens. Jim Guay, recalling those days, admits he felt quite down, thinking that “Private Parts” would easily outperform “Liar Liar” at the box office. However, when “Liar Liar” recorded the highest opening weekend of any movie in March, it was a reassuring sign for him.

Mazur believed the movie would be successful when Carrey agreed to portray Fletcher. “Given his string of major successes, we had confidence it would turn out splendidly. He was destined to excel in this role.

Three days on, Carrey graced the 69th Academy Awards, presenting the Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. Kicking off with a playful “How was your weekend?”, he sparked a wave of laughter among the star-studded Hollywood crowd. This light-hearted greeting subtly referred to the film’s impressive domestic box office earnings exceeding $31 million.

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As a gamer, I can’t help but reminisce about the thrill when either The Hollywood Reporter or Variety made a headline: “This movie could potentially rake in $200 million!” Hearing such praise, we were overjoyed and thought, “That sounds fantastic!” The weekly declines during our opening were remarkably smaller than usual for a big premiere. Consequently, we ended up with the largest March opening at that point in time, which was truly flattering, a real feather in our cap!

The movie “Liar Liar” finished its box office journey with a massive $302.7 million earnings worldwide, compared to its production cost of $45 million. This kind of massive profit often triggers one idea in Hollywood producers’ minds: SEQUEL. Thinking this might be the plan, Guay and Mazur did consider a second film and presented it to Grazer. He then relayed the proposal to Carrey’s representatives. However, during that period, Carrey wasn’t keen on making sequels, with “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” being the only exception.

I proposed a question to both Brian and our agents, saying, “I recall mentioning this point – it might have been to Brian specifically or perhaps to the entire team. ‘The concept of this photo never envisioned Jim Carrey in it. Could we potentially create a sequel with another actor?'” Their reactions were taken aback, as if I had suggested something blasphemous. So, it was either Jim Carrey or no sequel at that time, and he wasn’t interested in making more movies at that point.

In a polite manner, Guay refrains from disclosing specifics regarding the as-yet-unmade “Liar Liar 2,” hinting that it might be adapted for another project down the line. However, I can assure you that it promises to be just as amusing as its predecessor and will further capitalize on Carrey’s physical comedic abilities from the original film.

Liar Liar‘s honest legacy

Perhaps it was best that a sequel never materialized. Even after 27 years, the original film remains an enduring symbol of Jim Carrey’s comedic prowess and a flawlessly executed comedy. As Mazur puts it, “Liar Liar” is often used as an example for those unfamiliar with the truth. The truth, however, is that the pitch for “Liar Liar” was a dismal failure. It couldn’t have flopped any harder than the “Liar Liar” pitch did.

In the second season of the TV show “Chucky,” broadcast on both SYFY and USA Network, the movie received numerous references. The character Tiffany Valentine (portrayed by Jennifer Tilly) was frequently seen immersed in watching Jennifer Tilly’s timeless films throughout this season.

Guay expresses his pleasure when we bring up the Chucky reference, saying he finds it very gratifying. He’s glad people still recall it after all these years. As a child, he aspired to be immortal and create something timeless. Nowadays, he teaches students who are not familiar with The Beatles, which makes him realize his own mortality. However, the thought that a movie can outlast just a few months and still have an audience 25 years later, as evidenced by the release of Blu-ray and our current conversation about it… well, that’s incredibly flattering to him.

2024-11-22 19:02