Jakob the Liar

1999 Comedy Drama

This remake of the 1975 German film Jakob der Lügner stars Robin Williams in a dramatic role as a man who uses his active imagination to bring a ray of hope where hope was all but unknown. Jakob Heym (Robin Williams) is the owner of a small café during the Nazi occupation of Poland; he has little money and is struggling to keep body and soul alive in the shadow of the Third Reich. One day, he overhears a radio broadcast, forbidden to Polish ears, that reports a major victory for Russian troops over the German army. Enthusiastic about this good news, Jakob begins spreading word of the Russian army's progress through the Polish ghetto. He notices that the story gives people hope and makes it easier for them to get through the day. So Jakob begins inventing stories and passing them along, creating fictional war reports that suggest that the occupation may soon be ending. However, when the occupation troops get wind of these stories, they become convinced that someone has communications equipment stashed away somewhere, and they're determined to find both the radio and its operator at all costs. Jakob the Liar was the first American feature for director Peter Kassovitz; the supporting cast includes Armin Mueller-Stahl, Alan Arkin, Bob Balaban, and Liev Schreiber. more..

Director: Peter Kassovitz

Starring: Robin Williams,Alan Arkin,Bob Balaban, Michael Jeter, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Reviews

  • Deserves a place alongside "Life Is Beautiful" and, yes, even "Schindler's List."

    Jay Carr - The Boston Globe

    26 April 2013

  • Of course, there's still the Williams schmaltz factor.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • I prefer "Life Is Beautiful," which is clearly a fantasy, to Jakob the Liar, which is just as contrived and manipulative but pretends it is not.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • What it isn't ... is a particularly compelling contribution to the impressive and by now enormous collection of Holocaust movies.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    26 April 2013

  • I never lost awareness that I was watching actors speaking lines, not real people --a problem I didn't have in the more unreal "Life Is Beautiful."

    - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Drama

    Golden Trailer Awards (1999)

     
  • Worst Actor

    Razzie Awards (2000)

     
  • Peter Kassovitz

    Valladolid International Film Festival (1999)