SummaryAn Honest Liar is a feature documentary about the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James ‘The Amazing’ Randi. The film brings to life Randi’s intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet ... Read More
Directed By:Tyler Measom, Justin Weinstein
Written By:Justin Weinstein, Greg O'Toole, Tyler Measom
An Honest Liar
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Mar 7, 2015
90
Whatever his foibles, An Honest Liar depicts a great American original — a man who has taught a generation of scientists, magicians, and even certain film critics that our senses must be trained to detect the smell of bullshit.
Apr 10, 2015
83
Today, Randi's stooped, gnomish gait and expansive white beard give him the appearance of a Tolkien wizard, but the man's passion for rationality and for exposing fraud and misbelief are stronger than ever. An Honest Liar is a fitting tribute to a figure whose stamina and wit only appear to be magical.
Mar 5, 2015
80
An Honest Liar isn't simply a career recap or a fond portrait; the movie takes exhilarating turns as directors Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom follow present-day developments in Randi's personal life.
Mar 19, 2015
75
Even with my misgivings about some of Randi’s methods, anyone who can challenges faith healers, psychics and mediums who claim a special bond with the dead — and often wins those challenges — deserves a standing ovation. An Honest Liar is an honest portrait of just that man.
Mar 3, 2015
75
The ultimate question in An Honest Liar is whether it’s possible to know so much about the method behind the magic without being fooled into believing your own act.
Mar 3, 2015
70
The film navigates an abrupt turn when it explores an elaborate untruth in the subject's own life. But while that shift could have been smoother and its conclusions more coherent, this is nonetheless intriguing stuff.
Mar 4, 2015
60
The doc makes a hairpin turn into sentiment, as the realities of immigration law impose themselves on Randi’s private relationship with his Venezuelan lover of 25 years. We already know that professional charlatans run from their pasts. Where they head to, though, is the better question: For a while, An Honest Liar brings a captivating crusader into view.
User score
Generally Favorable
60% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
40% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Sep 17, 2024
6
The cunning, confrontational career of James "The Amazing" Randi, who's better known as a professional skeptic of psychics and faith healers than as an escape artist and illusionist of his own right. Randi's career arc is an unexpectedly exciting one - he rubbed elbows with Johnny Carson and Alice Cooper in his prime - and as showy as one might expect from a lifelong performer. I found his transition from the stage into the professional debunking game to be a natural one, not to mention noble (he considers work as a magician to be entertainment, while paranormal hoaxes are just thievery) but some see hypocrisy there. While it stays on the subject of his career, An Honest Liar makes for a fascinating documentary. It switches gears in the final half-hour to focus on his personal life, where he's ironically caught by a private swindle during production, but apart from the obvious parallels to his working life I didn't find that long aside terribly interesting. A good story, though perhaps not one that needed a feature-length documentary to explore.
Production Company:
- Left Turn Films
- Pure Mutt Productions
- BBC Storyville
- part2 pictures
Release Date:Mar 6, 2015
Duration:1 h 30 m
Website:
Awards
Newport Beach Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Key West Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Napa Valley Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
