An Honest Liar (2014)

An absolute waste of money

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

James Randi is known as a master magician, escapologist and illusionist. In recent years he is better known as a man who exposes fake psychics and faith healers.He regards conjurers as honest people, psychics and faith healers as being dishonest, who swindle people from their money and at worse dangerous with their quack medicine.The film traces Randi's life from downtown Toronto to when he first saw his magic show and his interest in Harry Houdini. He was a regular in the American late night talk show circuit since the 1970s.However from the 1970s onward when the likes of Uri Geller and Peter Popof showed up on television with their amazing feats, Randi felt the need to expose these charlatans. Geller's spoon bending was just good conjuring and in The Johnny Carson Show, Geller was stumped that night because the producer had followed Randi's advice in setting up the props.Popof used Jesus to cure people but he knew their ailments because it was all fed to him on a mic wired up to him as his researchers talked to the audience before hand.Still as Geller said these days despite people being more rational and educated, despite Randi's efforts there are more psychics, faith healers and flimflam men than ever before. Both Geller and Popof are plying their trade.The last part of the film delves into Randi's personal life. The film hints at his sexuality and his relationship with a young Venezuelan José Alvarez who has been his companion for several decades. However Alvarez suffered an expose of his own with immigration authorities causing Randi no end of troubles and heartache as to what he really knew.This was an enjoyable watch, nice to see him embarrass the likes of Geller and Popof but really they are coated with some kind of Teflon as they have no shame. The money is out there and Geller and Popof just reinvented themselves and still grabbed it. The film hints was this all for nothing?

This is an interesting biography about James Randi (a.k.a. 'The Amazing Randi') but it's also one that seems very muddled and confusing towards the end--such that I really wasn't sure WHAT the filmmaker intended with this movie. Most of the film is about Randi's crusade to expose charlatans who prey on people by using magic tricks and labeling them either psychic powers or powers from God. When talking about this, the film was at its best and the first 85% of the film makes SANE viewers admire and love Randi and his work. However, towards the end, Randi's partner gets in trouble with the law for identity theft. His reasons seemed understandable but instead of just leaving the story there, the filmmaker ODDLY chose to then include a bunch of interviews with Uri Geller--all of which was left unchallenged by Randi or his associates. Giving a questionable character like Geller this opportunity just seemed bizarre as well as ran counter to the spirit of the rest of the film. I didn't understand this at all and it completely confused the film--and seemed unnecessary and, perhaps, a bit underhanded. Overall, I say watch the film but just turn it off near the end or read up on Geller--he's certainly no saint!!

For me, this is a movie about a great professional magician, sadly spoiled by a secondary personal relationship plot line introduced about 1/2 way though. This action erases the early cinematic and plot perfection leaving the whole experience flawed. The movie started aimed at one outcome, but then switches to a different target. The switch comes across as contrived, sort of a mixed metaphor.The genre switches from comedy to tragedy, without an epic hero; the second half tragic protagonist is not Randi. The movie shot a lot of scene arrows, but at different targets, unnecessarily watering down the entire effort.I came away liking and profoundly respecting the art and science of James Randi, who is quite the magician in his own right and time, turned detective and debunker of charlatans. His personal life was artfully dealt with at first, then paraded like dirty laundry when it wasn't. Maybe the storyteller's intent was to debunk the debunker, but the magic of the reveal was lacking, not consequential, but incidental. Therefore, the original comedic genre became a tragedy without pity or fear.I recommend it for the first half alone, the part about the Amazing Randi, his acclaimed magic and debunking. Still, maybe walk out 1/2 way though when the protagonist shifts character unnecessarily in a spoiling way, turning a great wine of a movie sour.

"An Honest Liar" (2014 release; 95 min.) is a documentary about the life and works of James "The Amazing" Randi, a magician and escape artist along the lines of the infamous Houdini. Like Houdini, Randi later becomes a fierce opponent/prosecutor of those who lie to and manipulate the public for personal and monetary gain (such as the so-called faith healers and those who proclaim to channel the dead).Couple of comments: this documentary is co-directed by Tyler Measom (previously of "Sons of Perdition") and Justin Weinsteiny (previously of "Being Elmo"). In the early part of this documentary, we get an introduction as to Randi's background. Let me admit upfront that I had never heard of him. He left school at age 17 after having seen a magician's show in Toronto, deciding that he wanted to become "the next Houdini". By all means, Randi built a fabulous career (there are multiple clips from the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson). But things get a lot more interesting of course, once Randi decides (in the 1980s) to devote his efforts to exposing the cheaters and manipulators. The expose on self-proclaimed faith healer Peter Popoff is nothing short of brilliant (and stunning). "We're fighting the fakers", exclaims Randi. Towards the end of the documentary, when we get a taste of Randi's current personal life, there are a couple of further twists which I did not see coming."An Honest Liar" recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I finally had a chance to see it on its second weekend. The early evening screening where I saw this at was quite well attended, somewhat to my surprise. In the end, I found "An Honest Liar" an okay documentary, but not as compelling as certain other recent documentaries like "Finding Vivian Maier", just to name that one. Still, if you are into documentaries, "An Honest Liar" is worth checking out, be it in the theater, or eventually on Amazon Instant Video or DVD/Blu-ray.