Stars:
Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, Amanda Bynes, Amanda Detmer, Donald Faison, and
Lee Majors
Writer:
Dan Schneider
Based
On A Story By: Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins
Director:
Shawn Levy
Feature
length: 1 hour and 28 minutes
Extras:
Commentary Tracks, Deleted Scenes, Spotlight On Location, Trivia Challenge,
Universal Studios Back Lot, Are You A Big Fat Liar Game, Production Notes, Cast
And Filmmaker Bios, Spyro-Video Game Features & Preview
Languages:
DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound and English and French Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and French and Spanish Language Trailers
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 18
Sound:
DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 2002/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Universal Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: PG
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Frankie
Muniz plays Jason, a 14 year old slacker with a bit of an overactive imagination
who has his 1000 word creative essay stolen from him by Marty Wolf, a Hollywood
Producer. When Jason discovers that
his essay has been pirated by the producer as the basis of a big summer picture,
he and his friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) fly out to California and sneak onto the
Universal Studios lot. They only want the truth so that Jason doesn’t have to
go to summer school, but Marty is too full himself to give the kid an honest ear
because as the title says he is a “Big Fat Liar!” So with the help of
disgruntled people who have it out for Marty, the kids proceed to destroy
Marty’s career while vindicating everyone he’s ever hurt in the process.
I
remember seeing the trailer for this film in theaters and for some reason I
thought it was a Nickelodeon feature film, but in fact just happens to star one
of that network’s alumni Amanda Bynes. Now the first thing one has to take
into consideration is that if you are over 14, there is no way you are going to
buy into this pre-teenage revenge fantasy except maybe to satisfy your own
children who you might buy this for. So while if I were 14 and in Hollywood with
Amanda Bynes, I could think of 1000 better things to do than go after some fat
frumpy producer, this is a PG rated motion picture and is pretty light hearted
at that so viewers never take too much of anything seriously since we know in
the end Jason and Kaylee expose Marty for what he truly is and the bad are
punished and the good celebrate like any other picture of this type.
For
reasons not entirely clear, Universal Home Entertainment has decided to release
“Big Fat Liar” only in a full-screen (1.33:1) aspect ratio instead of the
(2.35:1) aspect ratio in which it was shot. Now granted I understand that
perhaps the target audience is those who don’t mind their films panned and
scanned, but if you are going to make a film like this, why not shoot it
(1.78:1) or (1.66:1) and then release it in anamorphic widescreen and satisfy
everyone who might buy or rent this film? At least the image will not be so
letterboxed on four by three televisions that it would distract viewers who
prefer full-screen presentations and then widescreen fans, which make up the
majority of buyers, will not be alienated. For a full-screen transfer though,
the image on “Big Fat Liar” is nearly flawless with bright colors and no
over saturation and compression grain. The image is consistently sharp
throughout. A very well mixed English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround
Soundtrack is provided and even has a surprising aggressive quality to it as
well. In addition a comparable English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack as
well as a French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack are provided
along with English Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish
Language Subtitles encoded on to the dual layered DVD as options.
Universal
has done a great job with providing extra features for this standard edition DVD
that do enhance the value greatly, which include a feature length commentary by
Director Shawn Levy and another commentary track with young actor Frankie Muniz.
In addition Amanda Bynes interacts with the animated DVD menus much like the way
Mike Meyers as “Austin Powers” did on New Line’s “The Spy Who Shagged
Me” DVD. These menus are well rendered and easy to navigate.
A
number of extra features include a 15-minute reel of deleted scenes presented in
a letterboxed (2.35:1) aspect ratio from a videotaped source along with a trivia
challenge game that gives winners access to another (2.35:1) letterboxed blooper
reel. There is a 12-minute “Spotlight On Location” featurette as well as an
interactive Universal Back Lot Map where the viewer highlights spots on the map
and sees the scene in the film where the location is featured. There is a
“Q&A” game that reveals whether or not you are a “Big Fat Liar” and
DVD-ROM exclusive materials for users with Windows 95 or higher. Production
notes and Cast and Filmmaker Bios are included along with the (1.85:1) Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Theatrical Trailer, a few recommendations of other
titles available on DVD from Universal Home Entertainment, and a TV spot for the
new Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth sitcom “What I Like About
You,” which I
just happened to review recently and debuts on The WB Fridays this fall. A
trailer for the “Spyro – Enter The Dragon” video game for the Sony
Playstation 2 as well as some exclusive tips on how to turn “Spyro” Blue
complete the vast extra features that add up to the approximately ten hours of
bonus materials included on this DVD.
As
a family film and because of the extra materials as well as great sound and
transfer, despite the fact that there is no widescreen version provided, I think
“Big Fat Liar” was actually a lot better than I expected as a whole and have
no problem recommending this DVD when “Big Fat Liar” debuts on DVD-Video
from Universal Home Entertainment on Tuesday, September 24, 2002.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.