Big Fat Liar 2 (2017) Reviews

• Big Fat Clunker

  catarinaloss2017-04-21

  I apologize in advance- this review is a bit on the scathing side. But deservedly so, as studios need to realize that if sequels/remakes/reboots are going to be greenlit, they need to be at least remotely worthwhile. When I first saw this on Netflix, I was both shocked and excited; I had not heard about a remake of Big Fat Liar being in the works, but BFL was one of my absolute favorite movies as a kid, so I was hopeful about a fresh take on the story. This movie also had quite a bit of storytelling potential as far as explaining why the main character lied so much and why his friend put up with his nonsense for so long. And then I saw no trace of Dan Schneider in the writing/producing credits. That was a hard pill to swallow, as he was the reason the original was so much fun, but still, I went into it cautiously optimistic. After all, I enjoyed Ricky Garcia and Jodelle Ferland in other things... Twenty minutes in, I knew. I kept telling myself it could get better, so I stuck it out 'til the end, but it just didn't. I'll start with the writing. It's awful. There were inconsistencies as glaring as the name of the video game in question; it switched between Bigger Fatter Liar and Big Fat Liar, so after watching the movie, I'm still not sure what the actual name is. Not to mention, I could swear Wolf's first name is Larry in the movie, but on IMDb he's listed as Alan. What? The biggest issue with the writing, however, is that it lacks everything that made Big Fat Liar special: quirkiness, charm, and most of all, LIFE. The remake was devoid of all of it. It didn't help that Wolf went from turning into a brightly colored clown to a black- and-white mime. Ironically fitting, however, as the new Wolf actor utterly paled in comparison to the brilliance of Paul Giamatti. That brings me to the acting. Again, lifeless. The actors in the original oozed charisma and personality, whereas it is the complete opposite here. Ricky Garcia- He's great as the lovable Naldo in Best Friends Whenever, but he clearly struggled with this role. I think Naldo is just easier to play, being the cartoonish Disney Channel sidekick that he is. Jodelle Ferland- She was the one person who turned in a decent performance most of the time, but she is no Amanda Bynes and was held back by a lack of good material to work with. Barry Bostwick- I'm not familiar with his past work, but from his credits I can tell that he's a respectable actor, so it's clear to me that he was more held back than anyone else. His performance was nothing special, but again, his material was nothing special. Basically, this movie was written and directed by a guy who does Hallmark movies, and it showed. Simply put, it just didn't work. Don't waste time on this remake and go watch Big Fat Liar(2002) if you haven't already. You'll thank me later.

• Grows Tiresome

  larrys32017-04-25

  I have not seen the 2002 film "Big Fat Liar" but from what I've read on some sites this latest "version" is quite inferior. It seemed to start out in a rather clever and humorous way but as as the movie progressed it all grew very tiresome for me. Ricky Garcia stars as Kevin, a high school student who has built a reputation of constantly lying and manipulating. When he's caught plagiarizing a paper by one of his teachers, he's given an assignment to write a new paper and cleverly comes up with the outline of a new video game called Bigger Fatter Liar. However, by circumstance his idea is stolen by a despicable video game executive (Barry Bostwick). Bostwick really plays the vile character to the hilt. Of course, due to Kevin's previous reputation virtually no one will believe him. Thus, pretty much the remainder of the movie will involve Kevin and his best friend Becca (Jodelle Ferland) flying to San Francisco and wreaking havoc on the executive's life through a series of pranks and revenge tactics. In my opinion, it just all became too repetitive like a "one trick pony" and contrived, and I was glad when it finally concluded.

• This is a crime against cinema

  singstar45422017-04-27

  I am big fan of the original, but this is word for word the exact same movie with a stupid app idea. I am furious watching this film and how Universal allowed this to be made. Thank god this was not in theaters and I could watch it off netlflix in the comfort of my home. Dan Schnider is sobbing after watching this, Why did you have to reboot something so iconic and perfect. This is a disgrace to everyone who enjoyed the original!

• So poor

  studioAT2017-05-29

  For people of a certain generation like myself 'Big Fat Liar' is fondly remembered as a good funny family film that starred Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle). However I don't think even the biggest fan of the film would have wanted a sequel, or even an absolute rip-off remake like this. Yes, there have been some not so subtle changes to the characters and the plot to make it a bit different, but the powers that be cannot successfully fool us into believing that this is a new film. I can't imagine what the Writer or Director of the original thought when they saw this film. Perhaps they sensibly avoided it, like anyone else would do. Avoid this film.

• They attempted to make the first movie again... except badly

  james_bu2017-05-24

  I think the original movie must have been too successful for the writers/producers/directors/stakeholders because they literally took the script of the first and using copy and replace inserted the words "video game app" instead of "movie". Then they examined the jokes and removed all lead up and background but left the punch lines. They even added a couple of nods to the original which fall completely flat because this movie IS the original if the original were made badly. I'm not exaggerating. Watch it. Lament the bitter taste it leaves in your mouth as it attempts to rewrite your fond memories of Big Fat Liar with it's blatant and very poorly done plagiarism of the original.