The Big Picture

  • Paul Giamatti's performance in Big Fat Liar showcased his comedic talent through physical comedy and facial expressions.
  • Giamatti's portrayal of Marty Wolf, a larger-than-life villain, turned up the volume and set the stage for future memorable villain roles.
  • The iconic 'Hungry Like the Wolf' scene exemplified the seamless blend of Giamatti's comedic and dramatic sensibilities, establishing him as a versatile actor.

Once upon a time, Hollywood did not take the talents of Paul Giamatti as seriously as we take them today. Though this Oscar-nominated actor has been working in Hollywood since the 1990s making appearances in hit films like Saving Private Ryan and The Truman Show, it wasn’t until the 2000s that audiences really began to see him for the leading man he would become. Prior to then, Giamatti was featured in comedic supporting roles in movies such as Private Parts and Big Momma’s House. However, it’s not until he took on the role of evil movie screenwriter-producer Marty Wolf in Big Fat Liar that audiences were given a true showcase of his talents.

Directed by Shawn Levy, Big Fat Liar is about Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle fame), a fourteen-year-old who’s a compulsive liar. After his English essay is stolen by Marty Wolf and gets adapted into a film script, Jason enlists his best friend Kaylee, played by Amanda Bynes, to track Marty down in hopes he can prove to his father (Michael Bryan French) that he can tell the truth. The film allusion to The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Aesop includes an impressive supporting ensemble with the likes of Sandra Oh, John Cho, Donald Faison, and Taran Killam.

Though the movie gained its primary draw from the star power of Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes, Big Fat Liar introduced audiences to Paul Giamatti in a way that put him front and center as the primary antagonist. In an industry where movie villains are operating at a ten, Giamatti in Big Fat Liar is turned up to eleven in every aspect of his performance. This larger-than-life role catapulted him into the limelight that showed Hollywood he was a talent worth noticing.

Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar
PG
Adventure
Comedy
Family

Fourteen-year-old Jason Shepherd has a reputation for stretching the truth. So, when big-time Hollywood producer Marty Wolf steals his class paper and turns it into a smash hit movie, no one believes Jason's latest tall tale.

Release Date
February 8, 2002
Director
Shawn Levy
Cast
Frankie Muniz , Paul Giamatti , Amanda Bynes , Amanda Detmer , Donald Faison , Sandra Oh

Paul Giamatti's Physical Comedy Makes 'Big Fat Liar' One of His Best Movies

In the past, Paul Giamatti has been able to show off his comedic chops in small doses. Thanks to Big Fat Liar, he’s able to show off a variety of comedic talent. For instance, he takes a cue from his Man on the Moon costar, Jim Carrey, as he rips out the earpiece that was glued in his ear and exclaims “God bless Big Fat Liar!” during his impassioned speech selling his movie to the studio president (Russell Hornsby). Not only can he deliver comedic lines in calmer moments, like the way he interacts with his assistant Monty (Amanda Detmer), but he also displays great physical comedy. Marty Wolf takes a beating psychologically and physically for crossing a fourteen-year-old, and this movie lets him have it. After being beat up by a group of kids at a birthday party, he rear-ends a monster truck and the owner (Brian Turk) decides to run over Marty’s convertible. The abject terror Giamatti displays while trying to physically protect his prized vehicle is nothing short of comedic gold. Plus, the monkey noises Marty makes for his best friend/stuffed monkey companion, Mr. Funnybones, are priceless. Whether this is a nod to his role in the Planet of the Apes directed by Tim Burton remains a mystery.

Another aspect of Paul Giamatti’s physical comedy that adds to his performance is his facial expressions. Whether Marty is mocking Jason in his limo or he’s bewildered yet annoyed by how a helicopter appears out of nowhere to rescue him from the desert, Giamatti is taking his comedic performance to the next level with his facial expressions. For one, it adds an extra layer of humor in the midst of the extreme hijinks being pulled on him. It’s also a great character detail that Marty Wolf is very expressive in his abrasive behavior but lacks any depth or connection with anyone else that isn’t Mr. Funnybones. Marty Wolf may think the truth is vastly overrated, but his facial expressions are seriously underrated.

Paul Giamatti Plays One of the Most Over-the-Top Villains of All Time

Paul Giamatti as Marty Wolf with his face covered in blue dye in 'Big Fat Liar'
Image via Universal Pictures

Just as Paul Giamatti’s physical performance in Big Fat Liar leans in to his comedy, it also plays into the drama of his character. Marty Wolf is as over-the-top of a villain as they come. A sleazy Hollywood producer sets a teenager’s essay on fire and “puts it out” with alcohol and a cigar (It doesn’t get more sinister than this). As he continues to go low and treat people with utter disrespect, the volume of his voice only goes up, like when he’s on the phone with Monty after being stranded in the desert. It’s not until Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) steps onto the scene in Tropic Thunder that you find an arrogant, ill-tempered executive producer on the level of Marty Wolf, and this is solely due to Paul Giamatti leaving it all out on the table. Marty Wolf walked so Les Grossman could run.

Giamatti also displays a quieter, dramatic side during his final showdown with Jason Shepherd while on a Western movie set. As an ode to the dramatic Spaghetti Western films, Jason takes out Mr. Funnybones from his backpack. With complete seriousness and without raising his voice, Marty demands for Jason to give him back his monkey. Giamatti raises the stakes and the tension through his dramatic delivery and intense staredown with his adversary.

Paul Giamatti's Best Moment in 'Big Fat Liar' Is the Iconic Pool Scene

The moment that really brings Paul Giamatti’s comedic and dramatic sensibilities together seamlessly is during the “Hungry Like the Wolf” scene. From the moment he starts to play the hit Duran Duran song and dances his way over to his pool, Giamatti brings Marty Wolf alive in a way that villains in kids movies rarely do. Marty dances like no one is watching before he jumps into a pool that’s been filled with blue dye. His obliviousness to being dyed blue even as he’s in the shower truly showed the audience he really does live in his own world apart from everyone else. Once he does realize what’s happened, the horror on his face as he screams alone in his mansion is peak comedy. In addition to being just a memorable scene, by getting airbrushed with blue dye is a subtle nod to producers that Giamatti is an actor willing to be placed in uncomfortable situations and still deliver. Marty Wolf faces his hubris and gets his comeuppance by the end of the movie, but this scene in particular is iconic for a reason — it’s the total package.

Two years after his performance in Big Fat Liar, Giamatti went on to star in Sideways, where he plays a divorced unpublished writer who takes a trip to wine country. He received critical acclaim for his performance, even going on to be nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. It wouldn’t be until his supporting role as Joe Gould in Cinderella Man a year later that he would receive his first Oscar nomination. He would later star in the HBO miniseries John Adams and receive critical acclaim for his dynamic performance as America’s second president.

Though Paul Giamatti has gone on to bigger and better roles across film and television, like Billions, Straight Outta Compton, and 12 Years a Slave, there’s no denying the big role Big Fat Liar played in his career. He proved he had both the comedic and dramatic talent to carry his own and stand out from the rest. Marty Wolf will always be famous to us because it helped make Paul Giamatti famous to the world.

Big Fat Liar is available to stream on Hulu.

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