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Jakob the Liar

Play trailer Poster for Jakob the Liar PG-13 Released Sep 24, 1999 1h 54m Comedy Drama War Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
30% Tomatometer 71 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In 1944, Jewish shop owner Jakob (Robin Williams) overhears a radio broadcast on the movements of the Soviet army while he is shuttled to Nazi headquarters from the Warsaw, Poland, ghetto where he is imprisoned. Upon his return, he whispers what he's heard to his friend Mischa (Liev Schreiber), and before long the whole ghetto is alive with rumors and hope that the long war will soon end. Determined to keep up their spirits as best he can, Jakob continues to lie with the best of intentions.
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Jakob the Liar

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Critics Consensus

Any real story is buried by awkward performances and contrived situations.

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Critics Reviews

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Steve Murray Atlanta Journal-Constitution A plodding, well-intended comedy-drama drowned in a muddy palette of grays and browns, thick with the odd sound of American actors using fake Polish accents. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Jay Carr Boston Globe Jakob the Liar deserves a place alongside Life Is Beautiful and, yes, even Schindler's List. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times I prefer Life Is Beautiful, which is clearly a fantasy, to Jakob the Liar, which is just as contrived and manipulative but pretends it is not. Rated: 2/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com So sternly manipulative that it becomes a chore to watch. Rated: 2/4 Jan 3, 2009 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault "Jakob the Liar" isn't nearly as intolerable as you might expect of a Holocaust fable starring Robin Williams. Rated: B Sep 24, 2007 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 2/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Funny in 1 hour and 54 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $5,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/14/25 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/20/25 Full Review Diva L Absolutely loved the movie. Loved the humour, the story line and Robin Williams' subtle performance. At least the movie wasn't being 'milked' for tears and the horrors that took place during WWII like all the other holocast movies before this one and no doubt the ones that will come after. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/24 Full Review Gregg B Movie had a lot of heart. Exceptional cast lead by the always unbelievable Robin Williams, Alan Arkin, Mark Margolis and Liev Schrieber. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/24/23 Full Review Steve D You know what happens even before you see it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member It's too comedic in nature for such a serious topic. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Jakob the Liar

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1944, Jewish shop owner Jakob (Robin Williams) overhears a radio broadcast on the movements of the Soviet army while he is shuttled to Nazi headquarters from the Warsaw, Poland, ghetto where he is imprisoned. Upon his return, he whispers what he's heard to his friend Mischa (Liev Schreiber), and before long the whole ghetto is alive with rumors and hope that the long war will soon end. Determined to keep up their spirits as best he can, Jakob continues to lie with the best of intentions.
Director
Peter Kassovitz
Producer
Marsha Garces Williams
Screenwriter
Peter Kassovitz, Jurek Becker, Didier Decoin
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, Columbia Pictures
Production Co
TriStar Pictures
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy, Drama, War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 24, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.0M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Surround, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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