An Honest Liar
An Honest Liar is the story of world-famous magician, escape artist, and renowned enemy of deception James “The Amazing” Randi, bringing to life Randi’s intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor.
For the last half-century, James “The Amazing” Randi has entertained millions of people around the world with his remarkable feats of magic, escape, and trickery.
Schooled in the techniques of deception, Randi saw his beloved magician’s tricks being used by faith healers, fortune-tellers, and psychics — not for entertainment, but to steal money from innocent people and destroy lives. Enraged by this, he dedicated his life to exposing those frauds, and would do so with the wit and style of a great showman.
A self-described liar, cheat, and charlatan, Randi embarked on a mission for truth by perpetrating a series of unparalleled investigations and elaborate hoaxes. These grand schemes fooled scientists, the media, and a gullible public, but always with a deeper goal of demonstrating the importance of evidence and the dangers of magical thinking. His work exposing faith healers won him the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Award in 1987.
But when dealing with a master deceiver, the truth can often be hard to find. A sudden and shocking truth in Randi’s personal life is brought to light when the tale of multiple identities takes an unexpected and potentially devastating turn. And Randi — who spent his life exposing deception — may have perpetrated another grand hoax, or become the victim of a very personal one.
An Honest Liar is a film ab out deception, told through Randi’s life using never-before-seen historical footage and many of the original people involved. The film also follows Randi and his partner through this latest dramatic, potentially devastating twist.
With appearances by Adam Savage, Penn & Teller, Bill Nye, Alice Cooper, and others, An Honest Liar is part detective-story, part biography, and a bit of a magic act itself.