Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar is a 2002 American teen comedy directed by Shawn Levy. It stars Frankie Muniz as Jason Shepherd, Paul Giamatti as Marty Wolf, and Amanda Bynes as Kaylee Garrett. The story was written by Dan Schneider from a tale by Schneider and Brian Robbins.
Plot
Jason Shepherd, 14, lives in Greenbury and loves making up stories. For a school assignment, he writes a story called “Big Fat Liar.” A Hollywood producer, Marty Wolf, steals the tale to turn it into a movie. When Jason’s parents and teacher think he’s lying, he and his girlfriend Kaylee travel to Los Angeles to confront Marty and force him to tell the truth. After a series of pranks and chaos at Marty’s studio, the truth is exposed when a broadcast shows what really happened. The movie goes ahead, Jason gets credit for the idea, and Marty’s career suffers as the truth wins out.
Cast (selected)
- Frankie Muniz as Jason Shepherd
- Paul Giamatti as Marty Wolf
- Amanda Bynes as Kaylee Garrett
- Amanda Detmer as Monty Kirkham
- Donald Faison as Frank Jackson
- Sandra Oh as Ms. Caldwell
Release and reception
Big Fat Liar hit theaters on February 8, 2002. It grossed about $53 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. Critics were mixed: Rotten Tomatoes around 45%, Metacritic around 36/100, while audiences gave it a solid CinemaScore of A-. Some reviewers enjoyed its energy and humor for kids; others found it predictable or overly silly. The film inspired a direct-to-video sequel, Bigger Fatter Liar, released in 2017, which was not successful.
Production notes
Screenwriter John Hamburg did rewrites during production, but final writing credits went to Dan Schneider (screenplay/story) and Brian Robbins (story). Filming took place largely at Universal Studios Hollywood and nearby California locations.
Sequel and future
In 2022, director Shawn Levy spoke about a possible direct sequel focusing on Marty Wolf’s revenge tale, but no major release has occurred to date.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 21:50 (CET).