The truth shall set you free — or get you into a lot of trouble! Comic genius Jim Carrey pulls out all the laughs in Liar Liar as a fast-talking attorney and habitual liar who, forced by his son’s magical birthday wish, must tell the truth for the next 24 hours. He soon discovers that his biggest asset — his mouth — has suddenly become his biggest liability in this heartwarming and “outrageously funny” (New York Post) smash hit!

For thoughts on Liar Liar: 25th Anniversary Edition, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

This new Blu-Ray from Shout! Factory gives Liar Liar a fresh AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 that is derived from a new 2K scan of the interpositive that offers a vast improvement to the previous Universal Blu-Ray. The previous release was a visual travesty with heavy digital manipulation and no nuance to be found in the artificial presentation. The new transfer provides a very pleasing viewing experience overall that is much more natural, stable and detailed in all respects.

The film has a solid grain structure that preserves the filmic look of the picture, showcasing subtle details in the production design of the office and the courtroom, in particular. The textures really pop under the scrutiny of high definition with each setting providing much to marvel over. Skin tones look natural, and the vibrant color palette is rendered faithfully. The natural foliage and some of the outfits really pop off the screen. Black levels hold up pretty well with some admirable depth to the image. There is still an underlying softness inherent to the cinematography, but the transfer represents this as faithfully as can be. There is no apparent damage to be found in this presentation. Shout! Factory has made the film look the best it ever has on disc.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that handles this material flawlessly. With this being more of a straightforward comedy, dialogue is the most prevalent feature of this track by and large. Everything sounds perfectly clear without sound effects or the momentous score trouncing on important information. The surrounds aim to provide some ambient details to certain environments, but it is not a standout in that respect. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately placed so that nothing ever feels off. Moments of banter in the courtroom are employed appropriately in precise channels in the front and rear. The subwoofer is mostly given a workout in the finale where Fletcher is trying to chase down the plane. Overall, this is a pleasing track that does everything it needs to do.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Tom Shadyac provides a fact-filled commentary track in which he discusses the scenes he cut from the movie and why, the elements that Jim Carrey brought from his real life to the story, the casting process, the pacing of the film, moments that were improvised, the physicality of Carrey, the concerns they had about the script and more. Shadyac is a wealth of information and really thorough in his relaying of anecdotes.

In Session – Looking Back At The Writing Of Liar Liar: A new 21-minute piece with screenwriters Stephen Mazur and Paul Guay in which they discuss their early success as screenwriters, pitching Liar Liar to the studios, the initial negative reactions, how Brian Grazer rescued the project, how the project almost ended up being led by Hugh Grant, evolutions within the script, the ways in which Carrey completely changed much of the dialogue, the accuracies of the legal content and more.

The Case For Comedy – Looking Back At The Cast Of Liar Liar: A new 19-minute interview with actresses Swoosie Kurtz and Jennifer Tilly in which they both reflect on the experience working opposite Jim Carrey, how they had to adapt to his style, the numerous takes that amplified the comedy, acting opposite an immensely talented pool of character actors, the humanity injected into the film, their character choices, the film’s legacy and more.

Deleted Scene: A four-minute unused opening which finds Fletcher spinning a false-but-flattering portrait of his violent client. There are some really good moments worth checking out here.

Outtakes: A minute-and-a-half collection of flubbed lines, silly moments, malfunctioning props and more.

Bridging The Comedy Chasm: A 16-minute vintage piece which takes a look at the making of the film including interviews with director Tom Shadyac, producer Brian Grazer, and actors Jim Carrey, Justin Cooper, and Jennifer Tilly. There are some decent anecdotes about the making of the film, but the true gift is the behind-the-scenes footage where you get to see Carrey yucking it up on set.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Liar Liar remains one of the better Jim Carrey comedies to be released during his impressive ‘90s run. He might not be playing a larger-than-life character, but he brings his unhinged physicality to an everyman role that both makes you cry with laughter and touches your heart. The film is immensely quotable, especially to those who grew up watching this one on repeat. There are a couple of dated elements, but largely this remains an immensely satisfying watch from one of the comedy greats. Shout! Factory has released a new 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray that sports a far superior A/V presentation and a fun array of new and legacy supplemental features. This is a disc well worth a spot in the collection of comedy fans. Recommended

Liar Liar: 25th Anniversary Edition is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shout! Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.