Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Imposter

Play trailer Poster for The Imposter R Released Jul 13, 2012 1h 35m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 120 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Filmmaker Bart Layton chronicles the tale of Frederic Bourdin, a con artist who seemingly tricked a Texas family into believing he was a relative who disappeared years earlier.
Watch on Peacock Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Imposter

The Imposter

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Despite its true-crime trappings, The Imposter is an utterly gripping and sometimes heartbreaking documentary thriller cleverly told with narrative flair.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (120)
Brad Newsome Sydney Morning Herald Director Bart Layton pieces together a story you wouldn't believe if it wasn't true. Sep 19, 2018 Full Review Tom Charity Sight & Sound More than anything it's Layton's storytelling acumen that impresses - the movie unfolds like a psychological thriller, and in the second half effects a chilling twist on its own inherent implausibility. Aug 30, 2017 Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail In the annals of forged identity flicks, this is a towering Everest, dwarfing the deceivers in the likes of Catch Me If You Can and F for Fake. Rated: 3/4 Oct 12, 2012 Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn While entertaining and informative, this documentary did leave a lot of questions unanswered. It's an effective documentary but I wish it provided more clarity on the story of this missing kid. Rated: 4/5 Jun 16, 2025 Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn This was surprisingly entertaining. The story is absolutely bonkers. I do wish it had more of a definitive ending. Rated: 4/5 Jun 16, 2025 Full Review Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film Layton’s documentary lives up to the incredulous material. Rated: 4/5 Aug 9, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+)
Faiz D The Imposter is the best psychological thriller I've seen in recent memory. It is a truly bizarre and unbelievable story told in a compelling way. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/13/25 Full Review Rodney G Unforgettable. I watched this years ago and still think about it. Very well made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/19/24 Full Review Jeffrey P I know it is based on a true story but I had a hard time suspending disbelief. How could anyone think this is the same kid after less than four years? More than anything it is a look into the mind of a con artist, a place I don't want to know, I'm skeptical enough already. For me, it didn't really get interesting until I got curious and wanted to see how he got caught... and then a big twist almost happens, but not really. Sort of a real-life Usual Suspects kind of ending. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Proving once again that truth is stranger than fiction! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/25/23 Full Review wiebe b A chilling documentary that twists your mind. Who is the real imposter? The pathological liar or the family of the missing boy? Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This was a roller coaster . This was shocking . This was a story well told . This was like watching your favorite episode of UnSolVed MySterieS . Well Directed ! A must see . Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Imposter

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Bart Layton

Director

Adam O'Brian

Frédéric Bourdin

Anna Ruben

Carey Gibson

Cathy Dresbach

Nancy Fisher

Alan Teichman

Charlie Parker

Ivan Villanueva

Social Worker

More Like This

View All
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer 90% 83% Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer Watchlist The Tillman Story 94% 91% The Tillman Story Watchlist Tabloid 92% 72% Tabloid Watchlist Finders Keepers 98% 65% Finders Keepers Watchlist TRAILER for Finders Keepers Exit Through the Gift Shop 96% 91% Exit Through the Gift Shop Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The Imposter

The Imposter (2012) The Imposter (2012) The Imposter (2012) The Imposter (2012) The Imposter (2012) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Bart Layton chronicles the tale of Frederic Bourdin, a con artist who seemingly tricked a Texas family into believing he was a relative who disappeared years earlier.
Director
Bart Layton
Producer
Dimitri Doganis
Distributor
Indomina
Production Co
A&E IndieFilms, 24 Seven Productions, Film 4
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 13, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$898.3K
Runtime
1h 35m
Most Popular at Home Now