Of course, there's still the Williams schmaltz factor.
60
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Washington PostStephen Hunter
But the best thing about Jakob the Liar is that it's not "Patch Adams at Auschwitz."
50
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
More altruistic would be if Williams stopped torturing us with weepy endearments so he could look for that complex clown who used to mug just for laughs.
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
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.
50
Miami HeraldCurtis Morgan
Miami HeraldCurtis Morgan
Flat and forced, Jakob the Liar aspires to be a poignant parable about the power of hope but instead uses one of humanity's greatest tragedies for trite melodrama.
The latest in what feels like an endless string of movies ... in which the actor's parts have ruinously overdosed on sentimentality and schmaltz at the expense of humor and even sanity.
10
L.A. WeeklyJohn Patterson
L.A. WeeklyJohn Patterson
Just avoid this ghastly, insulting farrago at all costs.