Summary

Before I even sawBig Fat Liar, I knew it would be a defining movie of my younger years, and that was without even knowing who Paul Giamatti was.Big Fat Liarcame out in February 2002, starring two of the most important people in my life at the time: Amanda Bynes and Frankie Muniz.Amanda Bynes was the Nickelodeon it girl, a newcomer onAll That; so popular she got her own, and I think better, sketch showThe Amanda Show. What’s funnier than ending a courtroom session with a bunch of dancing lobsters?

Malcolm Wilkerson, played by Frankie Muniz, and his oddball family inMalcolm in the Middle, that’s what. So to have those two stars in one movie, what more could any ’90s kid ask for? Then there was this villain played by “Paul Giamatti” but I didn’t really care. Who did about the flavorless antagonists in kids' movies? Little did I know that he would not only become my favorite part ofBig Fat Liar, butPaul Giamatti would be my favorite part of most movieshe showed up in.

Paul Giamatti’s Big Fat Liar Character Was My Favorite Kids' Movie Villain

Giamatti Actually Cared About What I Cared About

InBig Fat Liar, Paul Giamatti plays Marty Wolf, an unscrupulous Hollywood executive who stumbles upon a story, “Big Fat Liar”, written by teenager Jason Shepherd (Muniz), a compulsive liar. Marty steals the story, intending to turn it into a movie, and Jason and his best friend, Kaylee (Bynes), chase him to LA and prank him until he confesses to stealing. Two of these pranks, promoted heavily in the marketing of the movie,involve dyeing Marty’s skin blue and his hair bright orange.

It was that wild visage that got me immediately interested inBig Fat Liar. I may not have known who Giamatti was, but I knew that an angry, professional-looking man covered in blue paint was the height of comedy. In most movies aimed at kids, the villains were always secondary — it was the young stars that were the draw — butGiamatti inBig Fat Liarshowed me what a real, talented actor could bring to the table.

And boy does Giamatti bring it. Just look at the Charlie Brown-like face he makes when he discovers his new look. Later in the film, after Jason reveals he’s behind all the pranks,Giamatti loses it in his car in a full-body freakout rivals peak Jim Carrey. Giamatti himself had a blast on set, and it came through in his performance. In an interview withGQ, he said,

“Really, at that point with something like that, he [director Shawn Levy] just was letting me do so much ridiculous stuff, and I enjoy being big like that. It’s really fun, you know? You don’t get the opportunity so much to just go over the top like that.”

While some actors may have been embarrassed by the role, Giamatti was totally down,

“So I’ve always been physically comfortable doing stuff like that in front of people. I mean, there’s obviously an exhibitionist element to actors that you kinda don’t care or think about it or you like it.”

I always appreciated it when grown-ups were not embarrassed by the things I liked, and Giamatti made it clear he was all about childhood “foolishness”.

Jaleel White has an uncredited appearance as himself inBig Fat Liar, playing a character in one of Marty Wolf’s films. Marty refers to him as Urkel, much to White’s annoyance, as he played Urkel onFamily Matters.

Big Fat Liar May Not Be Giamatti’s Best Movie, But It Informed His Other Work

Marty Wolf’s Anger And Sliminess Can Be Found Throughout Giamatti’s Filmography

In the grand scheme of Paul Giamatti’s career,Big Fat Liarprobably doesn’t even crack his top 15 performances, but it kicked off his rise to stardom. A year later, he starred inAmerican Splendorand if you look at his Wikipedia page after that, you’ll probably know 90% of his performances. My favorite is his role inRobotsas the gate guard Tim. Kidding. (Though I likeRobots.)

12 Years a Slave(2013)

The Holdovers(2024)

Paul Hunham

I’m a sucker for boxing movies andhis performance as boxing manager Joe Gould inCinderella Man— which earned him his first Oscar nomination — has always gotten me. It’s both sides of Giamatti, that explosive anger that can be seen inBig Fat Liar,Sideways, andBillions, and which he doesn’t always like doing,

“Well, what starts to happen is people want you to explode with rage. I don’t necessarily want to explode with rage all the time.”

And it’s the soft, sweet side that he shows in performances inThe HoldoversandLady in the Water, and which he showcases inBig Fat Liarwhenever he’s, well, lying.

Big Fat Liar

Cast

Big Fat Liar is a family comedy directed by Shawn Levy. The film follows Jason Shepherd, a 14-year-old student whose school essay is stolen by a sleazy Hollywood producer, Marty Wolf, and turned into a blockbuster movie. Starring Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, and Paul Giamatti, the story unfolds as Jason and his friend Kaylee travel to Los Angeles to prove his authorship and expose Wolf’s fraudulent behavior.