An Honest Liar (2014)

The life and career of the renowned stage magician turned scientific skeptic of the paranormal, James Randi.

Directors:

Tyler Measom, Justin Weinstein

Writers:

Tyler Measom, Greg O'Toole

Stars:

James Randi, Deyvi Peña, Penn Jillette

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Randi	...	Himself - Magician
Deyvi Peña	...	Himself - Artist (as Jose Alvarez)
Penn Jillette	...	Himself - Magician (as Penn)
Teller	...	Himself - Magician
Jamy Ian Swiss	...	Himself - Magician & Author
Richard Wiseman	...	Himself - Magician & Psychologist (as Prof. Richard Wiseman)
Ray Hyman	...	Himself - Experimental Psychologist
Adam Savage	...	Himself - Mythbusters
Alice Cooper	...	Himself - Rock Star
Banachek	...	Himself - Mentalist (as Steve Shaw)
Alexander Jason	...	Himself - Surveillance Expert (as Alec Jason)
Bill Nye	...	Himself - The Science Guy
Michael Shermer	...	Himself - Publisher, Skeptic Magazine
Michael Edwards	...	Himself - Project Alpha Psychic
Uri Geller	...	Himself - Purported Psychic

Storyline

AN HONEST LIAR is a feature documentary about the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, the artist Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru named Carlos. But when a shocking revelation in Randi's personal life is discovered, it isn't clear whether Randi is still the deceiver - or the deceived.

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Plot Keywords:

magician | deception | straitjacket escape | gullibility | ends with biographical notes | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Comedy | History

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC Storyville page Official Facebook

Country:

USA Spain Italy Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

An Honest Liar: The Amazing Randi Story

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$13,821 (USA) (6 March 2015)

Gross:

$124,031 (USA) (3 April 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Left Turn Films, Pure Mutt Productions, BBC Storyville

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 58 min (TV) (2016)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Uri Geller no longer identifies himself as a psychic, rather a "mystifier".

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Quotes

James Randi: Magicians are the most honest people in the world. They tell you they're going to fool you, and then they do it.

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Crazy Credits

Before the final copyright in the end credits it states, "No spoons were harmed in the making of this film."

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Connections

Features In Search of... (1976)

User Reviews

A compelling character study in a fantastic industry that deserves his protection.

I've always loved magic. I study films and music to the point that while I still appreciate art at its best, the secrets have been spilled. I want to keep the secrets of magic under wraps so the best showmen can still captivate me. I'd actually never heard of James Randi, a self- proclaimed substitute for Houdini after his death, or maybe I had but forgotten him, so it was a delight to find out he'd been involved in significant events in magic that I looked into - such as Uri Geller's live exposé. Even in his 80s he's a charismatic entertainer who's fun to watch. He knows the value of the secrets of magic, and hates when it's abused to manipulate people for profit, rather than entertain them for profit. It's very satisfying to watch Randi's successes as frauds are exposed and the filmmakers have a wealth of footage to illustrate their points. The chapters may seem to end prematurely, but it culminates in its crisis point in the third act in a way that keeps a balanced argument as to whether what Randi is doing is justice or invasive of people's freedom and hope. But what's most engaging about the doc is Randi's own life and the hidden side of him of his partner. An Honest Liar is a very well put together doc about an important figure in magic everyone should know about.

8/10