Liar Liar

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

There are a lot of movies where you could see the scenario happen like that if it concerns the musical accompaniment. Surely for a comedy movie with Jim Carrey, if he has one of his days nothing strikingly good will come of the score in question. I'm glad I didn't saw the scenario coming of Liar Liar, respectively a movie out of control but packing a hack of orchestral speed with the usual Mickey mouse interpretations. For John Debney it isn't anything new but the way it probably sounds for the fans of his music it must be an insult for his talent when they find out the main theme isn't even his. James Newton Howard, a man with equal experience in the comedy / family business got the honor to compose the main theme of Liar Liar, while Debney didn't really got any space because the theme surely makes an appearance far too many to make Debney the man purely responsible for the scoring assignments. You could consider the first track, which has the first version of the main theme entirely Howard's contribution to the score. It surely sounds totally Howard and it definitely makes up for the material you would encounter in the next 26 minutes (again a short but overall satisfying listening time). The second track 'To Court' is most definitely Debney's music, with the first use of Mickey mouse techniques to represent Carrey's moves, actions and circumstances.

'Pulled Over' is the first full comical performance of the main theme while 'Bathroom Folly' is no different while Carrey beats the hell out of himself. The finest moments of the otherwise short release of MCA Soundtracks are 'Airport Chase' were Debney can finally have a bit of fun, followed closely by 'It's Fletcher'. The last tracks all make the end result a satisfying one but at the end I feel the theme is used a bit too much for all my liking. But on the whole comedy scores like Liar Liar don't receive any more bombast then Debney and Howard's interpretation. It surely takes away the mushy romance cliché sound and the overall Mickey Mouse nature which doesn't show itself that much. Debney fans and I would consider also the fans of James Newton Howard in part of this request will definitely enjoy the short soundtrack of Liar Liar, not entirely the biggest sensation but satisfying for its running time, amusing on disc and making at least the whole concept of comedy movies a better original one then the cliché "god knows what follows next" sound we face in any other movie of its type! Well worth a try, even if its not your biggest request of the year.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. My Dad's A Liar (2.40)

2. To Court (1.03)

3. The Pen Is Blue (3.02)

4. I'm A Bad Father (1.45)

5. Pulled Over (1.16)

6. The Unwish (1.40)

7. Bathroom Folly (1.47)

8. I Love My Son (2.36)

9. Airport Chase (1.45)

10. It's Fletcher (1.29)

11. Together (2.25)

12. The Claw Returns (1.39)

13. End Credits (3.36)

14. Outtake Montage (2.34)

Total Length: 29.27

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: John Debney ===