Jakob The Liar

It begins with a stale Hitler joke and ends with a miraculous quick-save that demonstrates just how poorly the Holocaust is served by the life-affirming requirements of Hollywood features. But along the way, there are flashes of hope that this awkward remake of the 1974 German film JAKOB, DER LUGNER, might not become the feel-good movie about the Final Solution it ultimately is. Once a happy latke vendor, Jakob Heym (Robin Williams) has, during the bitter Polish winter of 1944, precious little to be happy about. His wife has been murdered by the Nazis and his neighborhood turned into a ghetto, a prison where Jakob and other Jews are forced to work before their inev...