Summaries

Synopsis

Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a particularly career-focused lawyer and divorced father. He has a habit of giving precedence to his job, breaking promises to be with his young son Max (Justin Cooper), and then lying to both Max and his ex-wife Audrey (Maura Tierney) about the real reason he missed the get-together. Due to this Max believes that Fletcher is a liar.Audrey is dating hospital administrator Jerry, who is moving to Boston is a few weeks for his new job. Jerry proposes to Audrey and wants her and Max to move with him. Audrey refuses as she knows that Max is really connected to Fletcher.

On Max's Day with him, Fletcher takes Max to his office, and Max sees firsthand how Fletcher lies to everybody to their face. He even agrees to take a on a new client, recommended by senior partner Miranda, where he knows that he would have to lie to win. Fletcher is aiming to be partner in the firm and is desperate to keep everybody happy. Due to the new case, Fletcher reneges on taking Max out for a wrestling match that he had promised him. Fletcher has to work really late into the night, preparing case notes, and has no time for Max. It was Greta who bought the present for Max's upcoming birthday, which Fletcher hands over Max at midnight of Max's Birthday.

The next day Fletcher meets his new client Samantha Cole in Miranda's office and convinces her that she is the victim, even though she cheated on her husband with 7 different men. Miranda is impressed with Fletcher and promises to make him partner if he wins the case, and then proceeds to have sex with him in her office.

Fletcher lets Max down once too often, missing his birthday party, and has to deal with the consequences of a wish Max makes while blowing out the candles on his cake. Max wishes, "I wish that for just one day, Dad can't tell a lie." Immediately, that wish actually and magically comes true.

Fletcher soon has several embarrassing instances where he blurts out exactly what he is thinking, like a Tourette's Syndrome twitch, and figures out that he is unable to lie or even withhold a true answer. Some of these instances include: Immediately after Max makes his wish; Fletcher has just had sex with his law office colleague Miranda (Amanda Donohoe) and when she asks, "was it good for you?" "I've had better," he responds.

The next morning, when an attractive girl says everyone is so nice to her, he says "Well, that's because you have big jugs! I mean... your breasts are huge! I mean... I want to squeeze them'!"Also, when he walks out of the elevator at his office and everyone is plugging their nose, he admits "It was me!". When an obese man asks, "What's up," he says, "Your cholesterol! Dead man walking'!" He also tells a co-worker he doesn't know his name because he's not important enough. When he tries to explain his situation to his secretary Greta (Anne Haney), she doesn't believe him, so he sets himself up good. He tells her to ask him something she thinks he would normally lie about. She asks him about a raise she wanted a couple months ago. Fletcher had told her if he gave her a raise it would make the other secretaries jealous. She asks if that was true or if he just didn't want to "pony up the dough". His secretary immediately quits and threatens to sue him.

Fletcher's newest client is Samantha Cole (Jennifer Tilly), a gold digger who wants a net sum from her soon-to-be ex-husband, Richard Cole (Eric Pierpoint). The period of Max's wish is also when Fletcher has to defend Samantha in court. Fletcher asks for a continuance but is denied as he has no good reason. Fletcher learns that Samantha already has an offer to settle for $2.4 Million from her husband Richard, which she has refused. The judge keeps the hearing at 1:30 PM the same day.Due to this, Fletcher cannot go to school to pick, like he had promised Audrey and tells her so. Audrey is angry with Fletcher and tells him that she is moving to Boston with Jerry (Cary Elwes). Fletcher rushes home to talk to Audrey, but he is caught speeding. He gets his car impounded when he confesses all of his traffic infractions and unpaid tickets to a policeman.

Fletcher reaches home and tries to make Audrey stay in town so he can be close to Max. Fletcher gets Audrey's help to get his car released and Audrey has to pay $1654.11 for the same. Fletcher promises to come by and play ball with Max after his court hearing.It is here that Fletcher learns about Max's birthday wish and now realizes that he cannot tell a lie for 24 hours which will mean that the magical ability (or curse) will expire on the 24th hour when Max made the wish at his birthday party; at 8:15 pm.Fletcher goes to Max's school and wants him to take back his wish. Max says that he doesn't want Fletcher to lie as his lies make Max feel bad.

At the court hearing, the main witness, Kenneth Falk (Chip Mayer), with whom Samantha has been cheating on Richard, is eager to lie in court to win, but Fletcher cannot even ask him a question, when he knows that the answer will be a lie.Fletcher tries desperately to delay the case, even beating himself up in the bathroom, but is unable to lie his way into a continuance. Knowing that he cannot deny the proof of Samantha's adultery, he successfully disputes the validity of her prenuptial agreement after overhearing her reveal her actual age, discovering that she signed it as a minor without parental consent (Samantha was 17 at the time of her wedding).This entitles Samantha to 50% of Richard's marital assets, allowing Fletcher to win the case truthfully. However, Samantha also insists on contesting custody of their children for an extra $10,000 in monthly child support payments. A disheartened Fletcher, realizing that he corrupted Samantha with his lies, watches as she pulls her crying children out of Richard's arms. Horrified, Fletcher demands that the decision be reversed, but the judge holds him in contempt.When telephoning Audrey to bail him out, she refuses and decides to leave with Jerry as this was yet another broken promise from Flecther to Max. Greta learns of this and, having realized that Fletcher turned over a new leaf, pays his bail.

Recognizing Max as his highest priority, Fletcher rushes to the airport, but Audrey and Max's plane has already left the gate. In desperation, he hijacks a mobile stairway to pursue the plane onto the runway. After throwing one of his shoes at the plane's windshield, he is able to get the plane to stop, but is injured after he crashes the mobile stairway and gets thrown off. On a stretcher, Fletcher vows to Max that he will spend more time with him. He says that despite the fact he is free to lie now that the 24 hours have elapsed, it feels better to be honest. Max believes him, and Audrey, encouraged by Jerry, decides to remain in California.

One year later, Fletcher and Audrey are celebrating Max's birthday. Max makes a birthday wish, only to find that Fletcher and Audrey are kissing when the lights come back on. Fletcher asks Max if he wished for them to get back together, but Max says he only wished for roller-blades. The family returns to normal as Fletcher chases Audrey and Max around the house with "the Claw", a game that Fletcher often plays with Max.