Big Fat Liar review

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Pals Jason and Kaylee (Frankie Muniz and Amanda Byer) head to Hollywood to stick it to shyster producer Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti), who's swiped Jason's English essay and plans to turn it into his latest crapola movie. Gentle movie biz bashing abounds, as the kids steadily dismantle the unrepentant exec's life...

Muniz is fine in a Ferris Bueller-lite kind of way and there are some nice supporting turns: Lee Majors as a craggy stunt co-ordinator and John Cho as action director Dustin Wong, who - "Bam!" - peppers his speech with sound effects. Yet this is Giamatti's show. His narcissistic egomaniac Wolf is as well observed a mogul monster as Kevin Spacey's Buddy Ackerman or Tim Robbins' Griffin Mill, and Dan Schneider's full-on script gives him full license to let rip. Consequently, the viewer can really wallow in each humiliation as the kids bring him down - smack! - with an almighty bump.

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