Okay, here's the deal. Ever had one of those freaky dreams where you're lost? You know, you're wandering around aimlessly, not really sure where you are or how you got there. And the worse part, you have no idea how to get back to safe ground. You look around madly for any clue as to a path, but there just ain't a yellow brick road in sight.

Then you wake up with a jolt. You realize you're home, safe in bed, in familiar territory. Back where you know where everything is.

Guess who just woke up?

"Mr. Carrey, this is the career wake-up call you requested."

I know, I know. Carrey's still raking in the gross national product of India with each film, but his last outing, The Cable Guy wasn't just a slight trip-up. Offering up a dark comedy disguised as a feel-good summer blockbuster was more like stumbling over your camera bag and falling into the Grand Canyon. It flopped big, in the glaring light of the summer sun, making rival studio chiefs ruddy with glee.

But now, friends and milkmen, Brother Jim has returned to the fold, back safely in the front pew of the Church of Buttcheek Comedy. His new movie, Liar Liar, is a return of sorts for Jimbo, back to the rubber-faced foolishness that made him a star. It also shows us a surprising hidden side, one that might be an interesting peak at a glimpse of snippets of bits and hints to come.

Carrey plays Fletcher Reede, a lawyer who will say or do anything, nay everything, he can to come out on top. He lies in court, he lies to his colleagues, he lies to his family. His fibs have already cost him his wife, played by "NewsRadio's" Maura Tierney (last seen on the bigscreen as Richard Gere's assistant in Primal Fear.) And it's about to cost him the love of his son, Max, portrayed by spunky young Justin Cooper. When Fletcher's fabrications leave Max fatherless on his fifth birthday, the boy takes matters into his own hands and while blowing out candles, wishes that Fletcher would go a whole day without telling a lie.

Liar Liar is a mixture of slapstick comedy and soul-searching revelation. Carrey does his wildebeest best as he fights his truth-telling curse, even going so far as to beat the living crap out of himself rather than tell the truth in court. However, the curse also makes him face up to his parental deficiencies. He's pushed to see that, for all his affection for Max, he's a poor excuse for a dad.

Carrey the Clown is a no-brainer. It's all in a day's work for the $20 million dollar man. It's Carrey the Caregiver that gives us a pause. His smiles soften, his motions lose that certain sharpness, and he becomes a caring person. The realities of his situation make Fletcher reign himself in, just as Carrey reigns in his manic intensity to show some real acting chops.

Hang on there, Sparky. I'm not comparing Jim Carrey to Henry Fonda or nothin'. Not by any stretch of the tape measure. Heck, he doesn't even make it to Jane Fonda yet. But it's coming. That ability to "act" rather than "flail" is more than evident. With some time, and a bit of luck, we'll see Jim Carrey pull off a straight dramatic role. (He showed a hint of it in the 1992 TV movie Doin' Time on Maple Drive as a supporting character.) Heck, I'll predict that Jim Carrey will evolve into one of Hollywood's more versatile leading men before long. Before you folks start mailing me loaded weapons and razorblades, remember that Robin Williams, Michael Keaton and Tom Hanks all did time as over-the-top TV comedians before reinventing themselves as well-rounded thespian types. Okay, I won't go so far as to guarantee that the man who mooned the Academy will actually be honored by them, but this is Hollywood, and stranger things have happened. And that's the truth.