Tom Shadyac
Bugiardo Bugiardo

THE REVIEW

"The prince must know, when necessary, how to be a beast as well as a man, must be able to deceive, and must move competently in the realm of evil. The prince is required to do what it takes to win and maintain power..."

Citing "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli, I introduce the review of "Liar Liar/Bugiardo Bugiardo," a hilarious comedy from 1997 by Tom Shadyac starring a larger-than-life Jim Carrey. Success at work and failure with his family. American comedy never tires of rehashing the familiar tale of a social climber willing to do anything for his career, who has burned his marriage and causes suffering with his intermittent presence to the innocent child.

Carrey is a lawyer with strong oratory skills, respected by colleagues and superiors, and he manages to trick everyone, including judges, by making his way with sordid and bizarre farces. Who knows why the ex-wife was not thus deceived. The fact is that the paternal figure he represents is in sharp decline compared to the increasingly disillusioned son and the ex-wife in search of a coveted and necessary family stability for the future.

In a sort of fairytale narration, the child makes a wish that forces the father to tell the truth all day, and once it comes true, lawyer Carrey finds everything and everyone turned against him, risking jeopardizing his career. Understanding the cause of the absurd incident, he rushes to his little son and explains that lies are necessary. Will he then manage to regain control of his work life? Needless to say, the predictable American-style happy ending is the most expected conclusion possible. Who learns the lesson in the end? Who cares!

The story wants to make us believe that the man will come out changed and that the harsh lesson undergone will make him completely rethink everything that, as a skilled and deceitful liar, had brought him fame and career success. However, it seems that, in the end, no one really wants to believe in the truth, and all of us, in one way or another, need our lies.

For better or for worse.