Jakob the Liar

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Jakob the Liar

PG-13

1999

1h 54m

Comedy

Drama

War

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Popcornmeter

30%

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70 Reviews

63%

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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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Critics Consensus

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

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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

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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

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

So sternly manipulative that it becomes a chore to watch.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 3, 2009

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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

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Film Threat

Rated: 2/5

Dec 6, 2005

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Steve D

You know what happens even before you see it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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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

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Peter Kassovitz

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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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