(star)(star)(star)
`Pants on Fire’ is a curious little screwball comedy about the virtues of deceit versus the pitfalls of honesty. It concerns the shaky marriage between Julie, a young and attractive kindergarten teacher with dreams of becoming a children’s book illustrator, and her district attorney husband, Max, who has aspirations for political office. As the film begins, Julie is already having an affair with Barry, her co-worker and the man who pens the moral stories for her books. In a moment of brutal openness, Barry tells his wife he is leaving her for Julie.
The problem is that Julie apparently still loves her husband and that her afternoon trysts are just a cry for attention.
Once all the cards are on the table, the movie dexterously takes off in inventive directions — involving in-laws, a marriage therapist and a distracted motel clerk, all well-crafted characters.
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“Pants on Fire” returns to Facets Multimedia for a one-week run. Running time: 1:47. No MPAA rating (strong language, nudity, sexual situations).
