Why Jim Carrey's Liar Liar Earns a Place Among the Great Feelgood Films
A Guardian writer names Jim Carrey's 1997 comedy Liar Liar among their favorite feelgood films, crediting Carrey's "unbelievable" performance and a "smart and peppy" script.
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- A Guardian writer named Jim Carrey's 1997 blockbuster Liar Liar among their favorite feelgood films
- The film's premise: a lawyer and father cannot tell a lie for 24 hours after his son's birthday wish
- The writer credits Carrey's "unbelievable" performance and a "smart and peppy" script for the film's success
Jim Carrey's 1997 blockbuster Liar Liar deserves a place among cinema's great feelgood films, according to the latest entry in a Guardian series in which writers pay tribute to the films they watch when they need a lift.
The writer behind the appreciation admits the choice surprises people. Their personal list of favorite movies includes the expected standbys: Goodfellas, It's a Wonderful Life and the holiday classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. But alongside those titles sits one unlikely entry — Carrey's manic 90s comedy.
"To be completely honest, whenever anybody asks what my favorite movies are, my list has some typical standbys," the writer notes, before revealing the pick that always raises eyebrows.
The film rests on a simple premise: a lawyer and doting father becomes physically unable to tell an untruth because of a birthday wish. In the hands of a less competent creative team and cast, the writer argues, Liar Liar "would have been yet another forgettable piece of 90s comedy junk" — destined for the bottom of a discount VHS bin, forgotten as the years trudged on.
Instead, the film "ascended into rarefied air," and the writer credits two elements: Carrey's performance, described as "unbelievable," and a script the writer calls "smart and peppy." Carrey, who was at the peak of his 1990s stardom, delivered work that the writer suggests should be taken seriously — a performance capable of lifting formulaic material into something memorable.
The tribute forms part of the Guardian's ongoing series on comfort viewing, in which contributors champion films that serve as emotional pick-me-ups. The choice of Liar Liar — a broad studio comedy rather than a prestige title — signals the series' willingness to elevate popular entertainment alongside canonical favorites.
The piece appeared in the Guardian's film section on September 28, 2026, and joins a growing catalog of personal essays arguing that the films we return to in low moments often reveal more about taste than any carefully ranked list of classics.
Original: youtube.com
