76
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinWhatever 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.
- 88Boston GlobePeter KeoughBoston GlobePeter KeoughIt would violate a taboo to relate how this movie magic, masterfully orchestrated by Weinstein and Measom, is done. Their film is as smooth as Randi’s patter and demonstrates how the documentarian’s camera is quicker than the eye.
- 80The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisDirectors Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom have produced a jaunty, jovial portrait with a surprising sting in its tail.
- 80Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenLos Angeles TimesSheri LindenAn 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.
- 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.
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlThe film's heart, like Randi's, is in the penetration of illusion, rather than its manufacture.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe 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.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyAn Honest Liar is a highly entertaining portrait of James “the Amazing” Randi.
- 70Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternThe film deserves to be seen, and admired, for its own revelations, and for its unlikely, yet deeply affecting, transformation into a story of abiding love that, in its own turn, involves a deception. At the age of 86, Mr. Randi is a small, gnomish figure who walks with a cane. What seems entirely undiminished, though, is the power of his mind, driven more than ever by the dictates of his heart.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe 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.