MikeH

20th Aug 2021

Liar Liar (1997)

Question: Does Fletcher also have the ability to know everything? Just think about this dialogue: Fletcher : Your honor, would the court be willing to grant me a short bathroom break? Judge : Can't it wait? Fletcher : Yes it can. But I've heard that if you hold it you could damage the prostate gland, making it very difficult to get an erection, or even become aroused! Judge : Is that true? Fletcher : It has to be! That dialogue implies that he had never heard that fact, but he still knew it.

MikeH

Answer: There's a lot of things people hear that aren't true (myths, old wives tales, etc), Fletcher only HEARD that it could damage the prostate, but it's not a real fact. Since Fletcher did hear the myth, he technically wasn't lying, even though he was wrong. While holding in your urine for extended periods of time can lead to some issues, like an infection, enlarging the prostate isn't one of them.

Bishop73

And, just to expand: Fletcher says it has to be true, but this is just due to his own imperfect understanding of what is happening to him. As the answer says, he says he HEARD it, which allows him to say it even if it's not a true fact. The important thing about the curse is HIS OWN perception of what he says. If he believes it himself, he can say it.

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