Jakob the Liar

Sappy sentimentality dominates this insistently uplifting fable of a Jew (Robin Williams) in Nazi-occupied Poland who keeps the spirits up in his prison-like Jewish ghetto by making up news broadcasts about the course of the war. Although we're treated to one of those rare occasions in which Williams really acts (as opposed to playing a variation on himself), this is a film that not only has "please take me seriously" written all over it, but also one that ultimately eschews its art film aspirations for warm, fuzzy, medicinal Hollywood conventions. Optional. (R. Blackwelder)