From The Truman Show to The Grinch, Jim Carrey’s filmography is uniquely varied. However, as any Jim Carrey lover will be able to tell you, his 1997 film Liar Liar is the underappreciated gem that has spent too much time lost in the Netflix archives.
The film sees Jim Carrey, a lie-prone lawyer, forced to tell the truth for 24 hours. And as someone who doesn’t shy away from a white lie myself, I was inspired, so I set myself the challenge to do as Jim does and embrace honesty for one whole day.
While the challenge may seem all fun and games, the reality is that sometimes a lie is easier. For example, a lot of people order a beer in an attempt to fit in with their mates. One sip later and they're folding like your ex’s excuses and admitting that they actually want a drink they'll actually like: Canadian Club. Served with ginger ale and a slice of lime, it might be good to be honest for once and abstain from the lie we all tell ourselves — that beer tastes good.
So, did telling the truth take me far, or is a little white lie sometimes the way forward? Here’s what went down.
I trauma dumped on my co-worker when they asked me “how are you?”
Aren’t we off to a good start?
As I strolled into the office, my lovely coworkers asked how I was doing and I couldn’t lie. I unloaded on these poor people just trying to have their morning coffee, telling them the whole story of my terrible morning.
I won’t go into details here, but it involved a peeling foot mask and a Hot Pilates class. I’ll let you fill in the blanks.
Though an embarrassing start to the day, they took it in their stride and actually had me laughing at myself rather than cringing, which is a pretty good outcome, if you ask me.
I gently banned my co-worker from the office AUX
I don’t know if your office has an AUX (I assume other corporate jobs are a little more formal than us here at PEDESTRIAN.TV), but in my office it’s a hotly contested commodity.
You can get judged pretty heavily if you put on the wrong stuff — for example, my OG Justin Bieber and One Direction playlist was not appreciated — and finding the niche between our broad range of tastes can be tricky.
One lovely colleague in particular struggles with this and will sometimes subject us to Billy Ray Cyrus at 9am. Today, I finally let her know that perhaps it was best for someone else to jump on.
Was it awkward? Yes. Was I a hero in the eyes of the office? Also, yes.
I finally told my best friend I didn’t like her boyfriend
Sorry, queen! At dinner with a friend, I sat through the typical rant about her boyfriend doing the bare minimum (seriously, the bar is in hell and he can’t even clear it).
I typically try to keep quiet when it comes to partners, since I dread being at their wedding having talked badly about them. On this occasion, though, I spoke my truth and told her to “DUMP HIM!”
Will she listen? Who knows, but at least I got to say my piece.
Told my partner I hated his outfit
You know what my boyfriend has never done? Ask me to comment on his outfit. You know what he did on the one day I couldn’t lie? Ask me to comment on his outfit.
When I got a pic asking for my opinion, I unfortunately had to break his poor little heart and tell him the truth. But seriously, what's a girl to do? Blue chinos and black shoes are not it.
While an unfortunate casualty in my day of honesty, it’s a chat we’ve been needing to have and now we can finally step up our game on date night. Thank God!
I ordered a drink I actually enjoyed
After-work drinks are typically a jug at the pub across the road. Depending on whoever’s ordering, the drink on offer can vary but, thanks to the sales guys, it’s that week’s beer of choice.
Well, not today. As the team headed over, I put my foot down and, for the first time, stood my ground against a measly pot of draught to round out my week. Instead, I opted for a drink I actually like: a CC & Dry. Canadian Club served with ginger ale and a slice of lime, it felt good to be honest for once and abstain from the lie we all tell ourselves — that beer tastes good.
So, what were my takeaways after 24 hours of honesty? Well, one was that I typically lie a bit more than I realised. A lot more, actually. From wins at work to sharing my feelings, turns out honesty may actually be the best policy. And while I may not be doing this strict of a challenge again (no offense, Jim Carrey), I think taking a little more honesty into my everyday life isn’t a bad idea.
The biggest and best takeaway, though? I don’t actually have to pretend to like beer. Ordering drinks I genuinely enjoy makes things a lot simpler, and for me, that’s a Canadian Club. No pretending, just choosing what I like.
Image source: Universal Pictures & HBO
