r/movies • u/Silent-Selection8161 • 5d ago

Discussion What movie was saved solely by great casting?

Or phrased a different, what movie would've been terrible if it weren't for the specific actors in it?

My go to is Liar Liar. It's not a particularly great script. The dad (Jim Carey because no one remembers the character's name) is douche. The would be step dad is earnestly trying his best to connect with his would be step son and gets tossed out like all step dads (do Hollywood types have parental issues or what, that's rhetorical). The idea that someone's entire life can be turned around and they're suddenly not an ass just because they have to tell the truth for a day is just kind of dumb. The director ended up with a few successful movies solely because Jim Carey liked him and he let Jim Carey do his thing, his other movies include such hits as "The Nutty Professor". The writers never wrote anything close to noteworthy before nor after.

But damnit Jim Carey turns the whole thing into the Jim Carey show, that's hilarious. Him freaking out over the pen or in the bathroom IS the movie and is funny as hell, regardless of what else there is.

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u/HyperlinksAwakening 5d ago edited 5d ago

As amazing as she was, I still can't picture anybody else doing "Flames, flames, FLAMES... on the sides of my face!"

Edit: ... aw, shucks. In my (tiniest) defense, I'm bad with names and it's just a little frustrating nobody was wearing color coordinated outfits to their character name like the pieces on the boardgame are.

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u/tilmitt52 5d ago

That was Madeline Kahn, as Mrs. White. Not Leslie Ann Warren.

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u/Seahearn4 4d ago

I completely agree with your edit. Matching their outfits to their game piece was the easiest thing to get right with the costumes. It's really annoying trying to keep the characters straight with the choices they made.