An Honest Liar

Parental Rating: No Rating

Contains: Language    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens April 10, 2015

Runs 90 minutes

This is a documentary about James "the Amazing" Randi, a world famous magician and escape artist similar to Houdini. The Amazing Randi performed all kinds of crazy escape tricks from hanging upside down in a straight jacket over a waterfall to breaking out of a barrel filled with water. He appeared on the Tonight show with Johnny Carson numerous times and even made an appearance on Happy Days. In his later years, he became much more interested in exposing sham psychics, mystics and faith healers. He especially had it in for Uri Gellar, forcing him to reinvent himself and his act. Randi even had his partner, Jose Alvarez, pose as a fake mystic who drew a huge following. Randi always said that magicians are honest liars because at least they tell you up front that they are gointg to deceive you but pyschics and mystics were just liars. At the age of 81 Randi finally came out of the closet and admitted that he and Jose were actually a couple. And, then there is a crazy twist that makes you wonder if Randi was really quite as honest as he said he was all along.

I had never heard of the Amazing Randi. He is quite a character. The movie really draws you in because you feel drawn to Randi. He had quite an act and a huge following. Once he starts debunking some of the pyschics and faith healers, it is amazing the lengths that he went to to expose frauds. The twist at the end was interesting but not really that earth shattering in today's climate. Anyway, if you like documentaries, this one is a pretty good and entertaining one. Go see it.

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