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Movies / On DVD / Jakob the Liar
Jakob the Liar

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Jakob the Liar (1999)

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Reviews Counted:71

Fresh:21

Rotten:50

Average Rating:4.7/10

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

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: In Nazi-occupied Poland at the height of World War II, impoverished cafe owner Jakob (Williams) keeps hope and humor alive in the Jewish ghetto by reporting fictitious news bulletins about the... In Nazi-occupied Poland at the height of World War II, impoverished cafe owner Jakob (Williams) keeps hope and humor alive in the Jewish ghetto by reporting fictitious news bulletins about the Allied forces' advances against the Nazis to his fellow prisoners. Meanwhile, the Germans learn of the mythical radio and begin a search for the resistance hero who dares operate it. A remake of the 1974 German film, JAKOB, DER LUGNER. [More]

Starring: Robin Williams, Liev Schreiber, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Alan Arkin

Starring: Robin Williams, Liev Schreiber, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Alan Arkin, Hannah Gordon, Eva Igo, Bob Balaban

Director: Peter Kassovitz

Director: Peter Kassovitz
Screenwriter: Peter Kassovitz, Didier Decoin
Producer: Steven M. Haft

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Jakob the Liar

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/03/02
Peter Matthews
Peter Matthews
Sight and Sound
N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

So sternly manipulative that it becomes a chore to watch.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/03/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Jakob the Liar isn't nearly as intolerable as you might expect of a Holocaust fable starring Robin Williams.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/24/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

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Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

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Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/22/02
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sober drama about hope as a postive spiritual force.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/04/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
N/R

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Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
01/09/02
Movieline
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Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/24/01
Greg Muskewitz
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com

Jakob will have audiences wondering why they're sitting through two hours of Holocaust horrors with so little to drive the plot.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
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Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Reel.com
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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