Big Fat Liar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Fat Liar |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Shawn Levy |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Dan Schneider |
| Story by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Christophe Beck |
| Cinematography | Jonathan Brown |
| Editing by |
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| Studio | Tollin/Robbins Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 8, 2002 |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Money made | $53 million |
Big Fat Liar is a funny American movie from 2002. It was directed by Shawn Levy and written by Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins. The main actors are Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, and Amanda Bynes.
The movie is about a 14-year-old boy named Jason Shepherd. He is known for telling lots of lies. A Hollywood producer, Marty Wolf, steals Jason's creative writing story. Marty then plans to turn it into a big movie without giving Jason any credit. The film is a modern take on the famous fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Jason is like the boy, and Marty is like the wolf. The movie came out in the United States on February 8, 2002.
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Story of Big Fat Liar
Jason Shepherd is a 14-year-old who lives in Michigan. He often tells lies to get out of trouble. One day, he tries to lie his way out of a creative writing essay. His English teacher, Ms. Caldwell, catches him and tells his parents. Jason has only three hours to write his essay, or he will fail English and have to go to summer school.
Jason uses his talent for making up stories to write an essay called "Big Fat Liar." While riding his bike to turn it in, a limousine hits him. The limo belongs to a famous Hollywood producer named Marty Wolf. Marty offers Jason a ride. During the ride, Marty tells Jason that he also tells lies and that the truth is not always important.
In a hurry, Jason accidentally leaves his essay in Marty's limo. Marty reads the story and loves it so much that he decides to keep it for himself. Jason realizes his essay is missing and tries to explain what happened. But his parents and teacher do not believe him. So, Jason is sent to summer school.
Jason's Plan for Revenge
Later, Jason and his best friend Kaylee see a preview for a new movie. They realize that Marty has stolen Jason's essay and turned it into a film. While their parents are away, Jason and Kaylee fly to Los Angeles. Jason sneaks into Marty's office at Marty Wolf Pictures. He asks Marty to confess to his parents. But Marty purposely burns the essay and calls security to remove Jason and Kaylee.
Jason and Kaylee are very angry. They decide to make Marty's life difficult until he tells the truth. Frank Jackson, Marty's limo driver, agrees to help them. Frank has also had problems with Marty in the past. Together, they play many pranks on Marty.
Pranks and Problems for Marty
The pranks include dying Marty's skin blue and his hair orange. They also super glue his headset to his ear. They trick him into going to a child's birthday party. There, people think he is a clown, and the kids beat him up. They also mess with his car controls, making it go crazy.
Marty's car is then hit by an elderly woman. This pushes his car into a monster truck driven by a wrestler called The Masher. The Masher thinks Marty hit him on purpose and destroys Marty's car.
Getting the Truth Out
Marty wants to make "Big Fat Liar" with Universal Pictures. But the president of Universal, Marcus Duncan, loses trust in Marty. This is because Marty's last movie, Whitaker and Fowl, failed badly. Marcus does not want to give Marty money for "Big Fat Liar."
Jason agrees to help Marty get the movie approved. In return, Marty promises to confess. With Jason's ideas, Marty gives a great presentation. Universal approves the movie. But Marty breaks his promise and calls security on Jason and Kaylee again.
Marty's assistant, Monty Kirkham, is tired of his bad behavior. She decides to help Jason and Kaylee. They gather other employees Marty has treated badly. They make a plan to expose him. Jason also asks his parents to fly to Los Angeles.
The Final Showdown
The next morning, Marty goes to the studio to start filming. But his employees cause many delays and problems for him. When Marty finally arrives, he sees Jason. Jason has stolen Marty's favorite stuffed monkey toy, Mr. Funnybones.
Jason runs across the studio, leading Marty to a rooftop. Marty gets his toy back and makes fun of Jason. He says he will never tell the truth to anyone. This whole conversation is secretly filmed. Jason's parents, the media, and Marcus Duncan see it all. Marcus immediately fires Marty.
Jason thanks Marty for teaching him how important it is to tell the truth. A furious Marty tries to attack Jason. But Jason jumps off the building and lands safely on a stunt cushion. His parents finally trust him again.
Universal Pictures makes "Big Fat Liar" without Marty. They use the talented people Marty had treated badly. The movie becomes a huge success. Jason gets full credit for writing the original story, which makes his parents and Ms. Caldwell very happy.
Meanwhile, Marty gets a new job as a birthday clown. At a party, Darren, The Masher's son, kicks Marty in a very painful spot.
Meet the Cast
- Frankie Muniz as Jason Shepherd: A 14-year-old boy who tells many lies but learns his lesson.
- Paul Giamatti as Marty Wolf: A famous Hollywood producer who steals Jason's story. He doesn't care how his lies affect others.
- Amanda Bynes as Kaylee: Jason's loyal best friend who helps him get revenge.
- Amanda Detmer as Monty Kirkham: Marty's assistant who is tired of his bad behavior and helps Jason.
- Donald Faison as Frank Jackson: Marty's former limo driver and an actor who helps Jason and Kaylee.
- Sandra Oh as Mrs. Phyllis Caldwell: Jason and Kaylee's English teacher.
- Russell Hornsby as Marcus Duncan: The president of Universal Pictures.
- Michael Bryan French as Harry Shepherd: Jason's father.
- Christine Tucci as Carol Shepherd: Jason's mother.
- Lee Majors as Vince: An experienced stunt director.
- Amy Hill as Jocelyn Davis: A senior vice-president at Marty Wolf Pictures.
- John Cho as Dusty Wong: The director of the movie "Big Fat Liar" in the story.
- Matthew Frauman as Lester Golub: A computer and special effects expert.
- Sparkle as Grandma Pearl: Kaylee's grandmother.
- Taran Killam as Bret Callaway: A skateboard punk who bullies Jason.
- Alex Breckenridge as Janie Shepherd: Jason's older sister.
- Michelle Griffin as Shandra Duncan: Marcus's wife.
- Pat O'Brien as himself, a newscaster.
- Brian Turk as The Masher: A wrestler and monster truck driver.
About the Remake
A new version of Big Fat Liar was made in 2016. It was called Bigger Fatter Liar. This movie starred Ricky Garcia as Kevin Shepherd, Jodelle Ferland as Becca, and Barry Bostwick as Larry Wolf.
The story was similar to the original. But in this version, a video game executive steals the report. He wants to turn it into a video game to impress his boss. The movie was released on DVD in April 2017. It did not do very well with critics or financially. It was later released on Blu-ray in July 2018.
