An Honest Liar
A lively, emotionally layered portrait of James Randi, the magician who devoted his life to exposing deception while confronting illusions in his own private world.
Overview
A master of deception reveals the truth behind the tricks and the man himself.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- jaunty
- thoughtful
- documentary night
- curiosity viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a thoughtful, layered, and entertaining tribute to James Randi, while some found its late shift into personal revelations abrupt and less coherent.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Randi's skeptical investigations and staged personas are set against uncertainty about his own private life.
The film shifts from exposing psychics and con artists to examining Randi's relationship with José Alvarez and legal troubles.
Randi's career centers on publicly investigating psychics, faith healers, and con artists.
Randi's late-in-life coming out and 25-year partnership with José Alvarez become a major emotional and narrative focus.
Films like An Honest Liar, and why
The Imposter
biographical documentary portrait of a charismatic public figure confronting deception and personal contradictions
Tickled
investigative documentary about fraud, performance, and the unstable boundary between truth and illusion
The Unbelievers
engaging documentary centered on skepticism, belief, and the exposure of extraordinary claims
Searching for Sugar Man
layered portrait of a flamboyant entertainer whose public persona conceals complicated private realities
Movie Details
- Directors
- Justin Weinstein, Tyler Measom
- Release Date
- 2014-04-18
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (243)
Cast
- James Randi
- Adam Savage
- Bill Nye
- Uri Geller
- Penn Jillette
- Alice Cooper
- Harry Houdini
- Richard Wiseman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Brew, Curiosity Stream, Magellan TV, CuriosityStream Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Xive TV Documentaries Amazon Channel, CuriosityStream Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Brew, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Brew, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is An Honest Liar about?
- A lively, emotionally layered portrait of James Randi, the magician who devoted his life to exposing deception while confronting illusions in his own private world.
- What is An Honest Liar like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of An Honest Liar as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is An Honest Liar violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in An Honest Liar.
- What did critics think of An Honest Liar?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a thoughtful, layered, and entertaining tribute to James Randi, while some found its late shift into personal revelations abrupt and less coherent.
- Which films are like An Honest Liar?
- Films with a similar feel include The Imposter, Tickled, The Unbelievers, and Searching for Sugar Man.
- How long is An Honest Liar?
- An Honest Liar runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch An Honest Liar?
- In United States, An Honest Liar streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Brew, Curiosity Stream, Magellan TV, CuriosityStream Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Xive TV Documentaries Amazon Channel, CuriosityStream Amazon Channel.
