Jakob the Liar

I thought the movie was sad and slow. This movie is not for kids, not even for teenagers. I thought this movie should have been rated r. It was very hard to watch. I will never see it again. I don't think they should make a movie like this again.

I liked the movie but felt it was uneven and lacked consistency. I did not expect the movie to be constantly intense. Jacob's lying was actually a small portion of the movie and he spent too much time worrying about the impact of his lies. Clearly his lies became beneficial under the circumstances he was in as a Jew in occupied Poland during 1944. He also spent to much time worrying about what others would think and this made him appear indecisive and often uncertain. This was especially true after he learned the positive affects of his lies which gave his fellow Jews hope.

After viewing "Jakob the Liar", I would say it was an excellent movie about a dismal time in history. From beginning to end, the scenes of the ghetto, German officers headquarters and the work cite formed a good, quality background for the plot of the movie. Although the movie was dark and gloomy, this appearance was necessary to convey the everyday lifestyle of the Jews during that time period. Even during this stressful and disheartening time, Robin Williams, as Jakob, adds some much needed comic relief.

To think I avoided watching this film because of one or two tepid reviews. One actually called it a "pointless" drama. What can be a bigger point than, are humans better off facing dark truth or false hope? Everything about the production was first-rate, led by Robin Williams, who masterly kept the tone of despair sprinkled with a few sanity-saving "one-liners." (Spoiler alert): Obviously the director couldn't and didn't insult us with a "happy ending," as he skillfully showed us that even underneath the direst of circumstances, human spirit and imagination cannot be extinguished. And even paying the ultimate price, Jakob looked at peace, finally, choosing not to deprive his fellow ghetto-dwellers of their desperately-clutched hope. The best movies not only make us think, but take us inside ourselves, in what it means to survive. Recommend it wholeheartedly.

Though there are some memorable scenes in the final 1/3 of this movie, and the finale is presented well, the interminably bad dialogue and unfortunate tone keep this movie from being only "pretty good", whereas it could have been very good. Robin Williams is superb, as usual, but the rest of the cast is sometimes bizarre and even sitcom-ish. Not bad, but recommended only for Williams fans.

I've seen Wild Wild West, I've seen Orgasmo, and I've even seen Roseta. NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING is as bad as Jakob the Liar. This film had no drama, a terrible story, poorly developed characters, bad accents, you NAME IT this film had it. I'm sorry I saw it, I wish I could wipe its memory from my brain permanently. I love movies, I love Robin Williams, I even love Alan Arkin BUT THIS WAS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!

Jakob The Liar is an excellent film, I could not see it at the cinema last year as the film was not on at many cinemas and if it was shown it was not on for very long. I rented the film out the first day it came out for rent and have seen it about 6 times already. This film did not deserve the awful criticism it received. It is a film that has everything, sadness, some lighter moments and history and like Robin Williams said people should be reminded the awful going ons of that time. Robin Williams's performance in this film was wonderful and he deserved more praise than he got. But I have to say I did not like seeing him getting beaten. Well done Robin.