Real Lawyer Reacts to Liar Liar (Part 1)
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Published 2018-10-24
Jim Carrey (as attorney Fletcher Reede) is struck by a magic spell and can’t lie. But is he a good lawyer? Today we’re going to review one of the funniest legal movies of all time: Liar Liar. Stay until the end for my Legal Realism Grade!
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The last time I watched Liar Liar, I wasn’t yet an attorney myself. I remember watching Liar Liar years and thinking how cool it would be to become a lawyer myself. That was obviously a long time ago. It was great to be able to watch the movie with fresh eyes and know which parts were realistic and which were not. I practiced in Los Angeles for a long time, so I recognized a lot of my old haunts including the office parks and courthouses. Surprisingly, I think the movie is funnier now having years of experience as an attorney.
Stay tuned until next week when I release my reaction to the second half of the movie. I'm going to go in-depth into whether the prenup is void and whether the wife's fraud invalidates the entire marriage.
Would you like me to react to another one? Let me know in the comments!
You can find more Real Lawyer Reacts Here (including my reaction to Suits, Better Call Saul, A Few Good Men and tons more): goo.gl/42fKce
I get asked a lot about whether being a practicing attorney is like being a lawyer on TV. I love watching legal movies and courtroom dramas. It's one of the reasons I decided to become a lawyer. But sometimes they make me want to pull my hair out because they are ridiculous. Today I'm taking a break from teaching law students how to crush law school to take on lawyers in the movies and on TV. While all legal movies and shows take dramatic license to make things more interesting (nobody wants to see hundreds of hours of brief writing), many of them have a grain of truth.
This is part of a continuing series of "Lawyer Reaction" videos. Got a legal movie or TV show you'd like me to critique? Let me know in the comments!
All clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes. See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015).
Typical legal disclaimer from a lawyer (occupational hazard): This is not legal advice, nor can I give you legal advice. Sorry! Everything here is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Nothing here should be construed to form an attorney client relationship. Also, some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. But if you click, it really helps me make more of these videos!
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All Comments (21)
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Objection: you and Jim Carey have the same haircut and outfit
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Just saying, the thumbnail should say “liar liar gets lawyer lawyered”
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Keep in mind, he wasn’t just unable to lie, he was compelled to tell the truth in response to questions. That’s the source of the humor.
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What you are missing in the cop scene is that he said: "let's take it from the top" and therefore to answer him, Fletcher explained everything in compliance with the curse to tell the truth lol
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Fletcher Reed: "I'm a little upset about a bad sexual episode last night." LegalEagle: "This is exactly what happens when a judge comes into a courtroom."
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OBJECTION! Within the world of the movie, the curse doesn't simply stop Jim Carrey's character from lying, it compels him to tell the truth when asked direct questions, therefore he was physically unable to remain silent when the cop pulled him over, and that shouldn't count against his skill as a lawyer because it's the basic premise of the movie.
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Objection: You have no substantial proof that magic isn't real.
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As a legal secretary here in the UK, it made my heart very happy that you showed us some love!
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"Just because you can't lie doesn't mean you have to tell the truth" - lawyers
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Objection: A Lawyer cannot sustain or overrule an objection. We need a judge for that.
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One of the best parts of this movie is the way Fletcher's charisma digs his own grave. When we first meet Jennifer Tilly's character, she's extremely nervous about the concept of lying in court (as one should, given the situation). Fletcher is so good at convincing her she's the victim, she has a complete character transformation. He might have had a chance were it not for this monster of his own making. Also, best legal advice ever, "STOP BREAKING THE LAW ASSH*LE."
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Objection: choosing not to speak when you have relevant information can be counted as a lie of omission. While legally this is perfectly within your rights, within the rules of the “no lying” curse this seems to be a form of lying and therefore one he can’t avoid. He has to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Similarly, he could have said that he needed a continuance because he only recently got the case, but that’s not why he needs it. It would be a true reason for a continuance, but not the true reason he needs it. Despite the short time, he is prepared and ready to do the case now, however it is only his inability to lie that is withholding him from his legal duties, thereby the only truthful reason why he needs a continuance.
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Defense "He's badgering the witness !" Judge "It's his witness."
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He missed the joke where he scoffs at the judge being called honorable, then gestures to the stenographer not to write that down.
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For me, the thing that amazes me the most about lawyers is that they have to manipulate THE TRUTH in order to win a case. Lying would probably be the easiest way out and a lot of people have the idea that lawyers lie to win cases but in reality they just use true events and facts instead. Truly an incredible skill to have!
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It seems to actually be pretty common for someone to assume that being unable to lie means that you must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth at all times. As a gamer, I've noticed that it seems to come up quite often with the zone of truth spell in Dungeons & Dragons, even though the spell description explicitly states that an affected creature is not compelled to speak or answer any question, just that they cannot lie if they choose to speak.
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Liar Liar gets Lawyer Lawyered
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I'm disappointed he didn't cover the scene where he screams at a client "Stop Breaking the Law!!"
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16:06 Fletcher should have been able to argue his was having unexplained neurological difficulties that would render him unable to operate in court that date. Said difficulties could have definitely affected his ability to conceal his client's protected information. In a certain sense, this could almost be like he had a sudden case of Tourette's Syndrome or a similar disfunction. It would probably be good grounds for the case to be delayed as Reede could have had a stroke for all he knew.
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Objection: to the point that he can just stay calm. I think the way it was played and applying some logic, I think he was so accustomed to tell lies that he just tries to lie even after the magic, and as he tries it almost out of habit or necessity by his behavioural nature, he ends up telling other true things! So, that's how Jim Carried that character, I propose...
