MovieChat Forums > Liar Liar (1997) Discussion > I'm surprised Fletcher got away with say...

I'm surprised Fletcher got away with saying this

posted 11 years ago by sjcobert
23 replies | jump to latest

When Max makes his wish, whatever "higher power" is administering the wish sure is damn strict. Fletcher cannot tell a deliberate innicent lie (like saying the pen is red), he cannot remain silent and feign innocence (when he farts on the elevator) and he cannot even allow a lie told by someone else to go unchallenged (all through the final court scene).

With that in mind, I am a little surprised by one quasi-truth that Fletcher got away with.

After Fletcher beats himself up and is carried into the courtroom, the jusdge asks, "Who did this to you?" And Fletcher replies, "A mad man, your honor, a desperate fool at the end of his pitiful rope."

Okay, that TECHNICALLY wasn't a lie.. but it was definitely a cleverly worded truth so that its meaning was deceiving. As strict as Max's wish was in all the rest over the movie, it hardly seems possible that he was able to get away with this one, without at least saying something to betray what really happened.

Did this line seem a little suspect to anyone else?

[–] RyanWOOT 11 years ago

That line was completely truthful, I don't see how it was weird that he was saying it.

[–] bhilburn 11 years ago

I concur. Fletcher was completely truthful in his response. If the judge would have asked if he knew who did this, then that's a different story (response) altogether.

"check the imdb cast list before asking who portrayed who in movies"

[–] oh_no_mrbill 10 years ago

The problem is, it wasn't COMPLETELY truthful. The pure truth would have been "I did it to myself", not "A mad man did this to me". What he said was technically true, but it was deliberately worded to deceive the judge, so the spirit of his statement was still deception. Based on the rules of "truth telling" in the film, he could not even get away with remaining silent in the face of someone else telling a lie, so how could he get away with this?

I mean, but it's just a comedy, so I don't really mind this or any of the other ridiculousness that happens.

[–] RhiaAki1185 10 years ago

Yes but both are true. They aren't mutually-exclusive.
Just like I can say, "I have dark-brown hair down to my butt." and, "My 3-foot length mane is the color of BBQ sauce." I would never say the 2nd one in the course of a normal conversation but I could if I had a reason to.

[–] smoko 10 years ago

@RhiaAki1185 Just like I can say, "I have dark-brown hair down to my butt."
I'd recommend washing your hair.
*rimshot*

[–] SamMerlotte 11 years ago

I always figured that he was finding loop holes as time went on. He found a way to tell the truth without revealing his own secrets.

That's your problem, welcome to Philly.
- Danny Devito

[–] stevenscottoddballz 10 years ago

What about when he went Max's school, & asked: "Can I borrow him for just 1 second?" ~ when he was planning to get a cake out, put candles in it, have Max make a wish...which would OBVIOUSLY have taken more than a second.

Eight divided by one-half equals four squared!

[–] smoko 10 years ago

@sjcobert I can't believe the people on this thread who say that Fletcher was being completely truthful - BS. If he was being truthful, then his answer to, "Who did this to you?" would've been, "I did."

I'm OK with the mini-deception because it's funny when he describes the depths that he has sunk to (call it the Rule of Funny), but let's not pretend that it wasn't deceiving.

[–] mikeyg24 10 years ago

Completely agree. The OP makes an accurate point in that not only did the wish prevent Fletcher from lying but it compelled him to tell the truth even when he need not have said anything at all. The wish precluded ALL forms of deceit including lies by omission. When Fletcher only told part of the truth in describing the assailant he lied by omission. His description misled the Judge into thinking another man and not Fletcher himself committed the act.

That being said I agree it's one of the funniest lines so I don't mind. 'A MADMAN YOUR HONOR! A desperate fool at the end of his pitiful rope'.

There's a moral to this story Del Boy but for the life of me I can't find it!

[–] avortac4 (3419) 3 years ago

"...but it compelled him to tell the truth"

Compelled?

How is what he said NOT the truth?

Also, did it, really? All he wishes is 'he couldn't tell a lie for one day'. There was no mention about truth.

[–] actionmanrandell 7 years ago

the rule of the wish was" i wash my dad couldn't lie for one week" he didn't lie

[–] jhdenneracc 10 years ago

Hi,

I don't have a problem with that particular one.

He did tell an outright lie, though.

Gretha doesn't believe him when he tells her about the "curse". She tests him, and to her anger, when the truth about certain things in the past comes up, she decides to quit.

Fletcher is in a state, saying that he is on his knees in a $900 suit.

She turns around, starts telling him about her friend who had to pay a robber that tried to break into her house $6000 because he got hurt in her house in the process. She asks Fletcher if that is in his view fair.

Fletcher promptly says NO (to her initial surprise), adding that he would have gotten him TEN!!!!

Gretha angrily turns around, saying GOOD BYE MISTER REEDE.

Fletcher blubbers a bit, but then he says, "I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION"~!

Now THAT is an outright lie!

LOL!😂

[–] EightiesKid 9 years ago

^ I don't think he actually lied to Greta. He was just thinking from his defense attorney's perspective (i.e. that the burglar didn't get enough money), rather than from Greta's friend's perspective. So him saying he didn't understand the question was true.

I also was always a little surprised he got away with (vaguely) describing himself as the man who beat him up, but I agree he would've been in trouble if the judge had specifically asked him WHO did it.

When he cuts one on the elevator, I always assumed he was just having fun with it and probably would've said "It was MEEE!" even when he was allowed to lie. We don't know if he had to say it, but that's actually interesting.

[–] Can_a_bitch_get_a_donut 8 years ago

Good point. He really must not have understood the question, since he answered as if the burglar had not gotten justice, rather than Greta's friend.

\o/ STEVE HOLT!

[–] avortac 9 years ago

"innicent lie"?

No such thing.

First of all, I wouldn't trust anyone who can't spell "innocent" correctly.

Secondly, I wouldn't trust anyone who thinks lying is normal and acceptable thing to do (unless it's an extreme situation, which never happens usually anyway).

Third, there is no such thing as 'innocent lie'. Lies can't be 'guilty' or 'innocent'. The word means an utterance that has been expressed in order to deceive someone.

Deceiving is wrong.

Why don't you know this?

[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 8 years ago

"innicent lie"?

No such thing.

First of all, I wouldn't trust anyone who can't spell "innocent" correctly.

Secondly, I wouldn't trust anyone who thinks lying is normal and acceptable thing to do (unless it's an extreme situation, which never happens usually anyway).

Third, there is no such thing as 'innocent lie'. Lies can't be 'guilty' or 'innocent'. The word means an utterance that has been expressed in order to deceive someone.

Deceiving is wrong.

Why don't you know this?

What about me telling a very overweight woman that she looks pretty?

Green Goblin is great! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1L4ZuaVvaw

[–] raynorgo 8 years ago

So you'd tell someone you thought was ugly or fat the harsh truth, not caring about their feelings?

[–] mrssutherland2013 8 years ago

You must be quite a two faced dishonest person

There are ways of saying the truth WITHOUT hurting people's feelings, its in the wording.

And I know I, like a lot of people would rather be told how I really looked than a fib.

You would be the type to say oh yes that dress fits you perfectly and let me go out for the night in it, even if rolls of fat are hanging out and i look ridiculous. And then when i ask why people are pointing at me and sniggering, you'd be like oh nothing, or i dont know!!!

My feelings would be hurt far more this way than if you'd been honest from the start so that I had the chance to change the outfit. Feelings hurt for about 2 minutes in this instance. The former, I'd spend all night hurt and possibly some time after that. I wouldn't want to trust you so readily again after either.

**cArNiVaLs oF fAyGo**

[–] roadkill988-1 9 years ago

Just got done watching this movie after not seeing it for a long time and surprised to see this topic on here because I thought the same thing on that scene. However I disagree with the whole thing technically being a lie (or whatever) but after he describes his own teeth, he closes his mouth to cover his teeth. Isn't that in some kind of way 'hiding the truth'? Lol crazy thought I know but it's just what I thought of it.

[–] sduck 9 years ago

You guys put too much restriction on man's complex ability to tell a lie. There also seems to be a threshold involved. The stronger he perceives the lie, the harder it is to hold back the truth. Jim Carrey is also trying to adapt throughout the movie on how to control his outburst or express the truth in a more pleasing manner. Mostly without success, but at times with some success.