Bigger Fatter Liar Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Bigger Fatter Liar Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 5, 2018

Bigger Fatter Liar released to DVD about 15 months ago. Why Universal chose to release the film to Blu-ray now, with ample time for any release-day hype to fade, is a mystery, but here it is anyway, part of the studio's budget-built, but not budget-priced, line of Blu-ray catalogue titles. As a new film the Blu-ray production does not suffer from the technical shortcomings often associated with some (many) of the studio's previous back catalogue releases that are more or less dropped onto Blu-ray with little effort and from dated masters, but even comparatively spiffy video and audio can't elevate a film that is admittedly fun in isolation but ultimately feels superfluous in a world where the original Big Fat Liar exists. Why? Because it's the same movie. It took more than 15 years to make a sequel, which is really just a remake, of the popular 2002 picture with only a few specifics changing along the way. The film might work better for viewers who have not seen, or don't necessarily recall much about, that original hit, but for fans this one may not go over well, despite some positives that emerge along the way.

Telling another fat one.

Kevin (Ricky Garcia) is a serial liar. Everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie. He starts his day with them and ends his day with more and breezes through life by embracing the power of the falsehood. He’s slick, he’s very good at doing what he does, and his golden tongue, not to mention his prowess behind the keyboard, is always his ticket out of a jam. When a school report is due and he hasn’t done a lick of work on it, he simply downloads a prewritten paper off the Internet. When his teacher grows suspicious, she calls his father to inquire about his work, but the wily Kevin has the call forwarded to him, and with voice-masking software he smooth talks the teacher out of the jam. He’s a regular Ferris Bueller, but she remains suspicious and a little Internet sleuthing on her part reveals the lie and lands him in hot water. He’s caught plagiarizing red-handed, and if he cannot re-write the paper -- without the aid of the Internet -- he’ll have to attend summer school.

The resourceful Kevin, desperate to maintain his freedom for the lengthy vacation, actually puts pens the paper, designing a video game he calls “Big Fat Liar” which is as much a personal reflection as it is a research assignment. He’s proud of the work but, as fate would have it, he’s struck by a limousine on the way to school. Inside is none other than Larry Wolf (Barry Bostwick), a hotshot corporate type looking for a big boost for his company that will land him a much-desired promotion. He finds that boost in Kevin’s game design, which he steals for himself, fleeing with the papers and leaving Kevin empty-handed and marked for summer school. During a particularly dull day in school in front of an aging computer, his best friend Becca (Jodelle Ferland) sends him a link to a hot new mobile game...his game! And he’s not going to take the thievery lying down, but he will lie it all the up to Mr. Wolf. He and Becca take advantage of the emergency credit card his father issued him, fly to San Francisco, and angle to confront Wolf and get the credit Kevin deserves. In the City by the Bay, Kevin and Becca face new challenges that will require their combined skills as expert liars if they are going to successfully complete their mission to confront Wolf and, if all else fails, humiliate and ruin him like only Kevin can.

If that plot lines sounds at all familiar...it should. It's the exact same plot line from the original with any changes being only cosmetic. Different names and faces, San Francisco replaces L.A., and a video game is swapped in for a movie, but this is a cookie cutter recreation with different colored frosting slapped on top. The movie works on its own merits, chiefly the joy of watching Ricky Garcia play the lead part with guile, grace, and a legitimate sense of humor. He embraces the role and runs with the opportunity to throw caution to the wind, though to be fair that's the character's specialty. Kevin is a special kind of liar, one who thrives on it but also enjoys the benefits and reaps the rewards with little concern for things like fraud and identity theft along the way, or even the health of his target. The film is at its best when he's out on the town having fun at Wolf's expense; it's a nifty little fantasy escape, living-large on another's dime, and a mid-movie montage in which he and Becca go shopping and live it up is really quite fun. Otherwise? This is a straightforward, unimaginative (obviously!) Comedy banking on the name of a 15-year old film and essentially recreating it for a new generation. There's enough charm to make it a worthwhile watch for anyone new to the franchise, but longtime fans of the original might very well find this a poor substitute.

Bigger Fatter Liar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bigger Fatter Liar features a generally strong 1080p transfer, limited by the modest, seemingly midlevel digital shoot parameters. The image reveals a fairly regular accompaniment of noise, even in better light but particularly in lower light (a restaurant scene 33 minutes in being a good example) and a few shots exhibit some banding and macroblocking. Some establishing shots, particularly ones that look stock and/or shot by a drone, struggle with resolution, sharpness, and clarity, but the image proper is fortunately fairly strong. General detailing is high, with facial textures, hair, clothes, and environments -- from high school classrooms to high rise San Francisco offices -- appearing sharp and well defined down to finer points that the 1080p resolution reveals with commanding efficiency. Colors are accurate with enough neutral pop and punch to please, finding a positive middle ground where the palette is never overextended and gaudy or faded and dull. Neither black levels nor flesh tones raise any alarms. This is an imperfect image but perfectly serviceable for a small-time DTV film.

Bigger Fatter Liar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bigger Fatter Liar's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is not particularly invigorating but it's not particularly stale or in a constant state of struggle, either. Somewhat middling, maybe, with an edge to the positive side of the ledger. The opening title music lacks verve and swerve. There's some surround activity but the presentation struggles to find substantial energy. Much the same holds true throughout. Intermittent bursts of Pop/Rock songs enjoy good stretch and adequate clarity but are otherwise fairly pedestrian in terms of raw delivery, though a Jazz-y Pop tune during a montage in chapter four is pleasantly improved in all areas. Lighter notes of instrumental score enjoy a more balanced delivery. Office ambience is impressively fluid and immersive, as is light city din and location-specific ambience, all making good use of every speaker within the configuration. Dialogue is of course the primary sonic driver, and it's presented with quality front-center placement and prioritization above most any competing element.

Bigger Fatter Liar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bigger Fatter Liar's pair of supplements must be accessed in-film via a pop-up menu. No top menu screen is included. This release does not ship with DVD or digital versions and a slipcover is not included, either.

• The Making of Bigger Fatter Liar (1080p, 6:01): Fans demand for a new movie, the world of phone-based gaming, jokes and gags, characters and cast, story themes, and more.
• Bigger Fatter Liar: The Players (1080p, 4:38): Kevin and Becca's friendship in the film, the actors' enjoyment of the original film, character costuming, performances and screen presence, and more.

Bigger Fatter Liar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anyone who has seen the original Big Fat Liar has seen Bigger Fatter Liar. This is almost a straight recreation with only some fine print details changed along the way. Newcomers might be pulled in by the movie's (read: Ricky Garcia's) charms, but fans of the original will wonder why there's not a change beyond scenery. Universal's Blu-ray isn't bad despite its budget construction. Video and audio are perfectly acceptable and a couple of extras are tossed in as well. Rental.