I can honestly say that I love magic. No, not the hoodoo
spooky stuff where people do incantations but the entertaining style of magic
with card tricks and floating women. Doug Henning and David Copperfield style
magic. And one of the most legendary performers of magic has been the Amazing
Randi. Not only has he performed with amazing skill he’s also taken the task of
exposing flim flam man and con artists who would prey on the innocent and
gullible. This makes him a hero in my book.
The title of this film involves a play on words of sort.
We’re told that magicians are actually liars to the nth degree but that unlike
those who prey on people they are up front about it. They tell the audience in
advance I’m going to lie to you and make you believe I have powers that don’t
exist when in fact I’m playing a trick on you. But there is something else to
James Randi that many never knew about that made him an honest liar of a
different sort. It wasn’t something he quite hid but it wasn’t something he
talked about either. It was the fact that he was gay.
But the movie doesn’t focus solely on that. Instead it
covers the life of this amazing magician from early no through his rise as a
performer of note, appearing numerous times on programs like The Tonight Show
with Johnny Carson. He appeared on stages around the world. And at the height
of his fame he stepped back and began a crusade to stop people from abusing
tricks and skullduggery to harm folks into believing they could actually
perform miracles they could not.
The biggest scam he uncovered (and one I’d heard of prior to
seeing this film) was a television minister who claimed her could heal the
sick. This man would encourage people to toss away their prescribed medicines
claiming they no longer needed them once he healed them. It turns out he was
using an earpiece and the information he had on members of the audience was
being fed to him by his wife in the back, information taken from cards people
in the audience had filled out when they arrived. Randi exposed him for what he
was and how he did what he was doing. Sadly for those who believe in the
healing powers of faith it is charlatans like this that besmirch the name of
those they claim to represent. Randi knew this and set out to shine a light on
them.
The movie not only talks about his life as a performer and
debunker of false mystics, it talks about his life long relationship with his
partner Jose Alves. This becomes another form of an open lie taking place as
well. Having read about it before I wasn’t stunned when it becomes known in the
film just what that hidden piece of information is but I won’t reveal it here
for those unaware.
What is nice about the topic of Randi’s being gay in this
film is that it doesn’t turn it into a political stance. Their affection for
one another is not something that they feel needs a huge display on film. You
know by the end of the film just how much these two mean to one another and
that’s fine. Whether you agree or disagree with people who are gay doesn’t make
a difference in this film. It never becomes an issue. It is accepted and
discussed and that’s all there is to it.
The work that Randi did in stopping charlatans who preyed on
the weak was a noble effort. When he’s gone I wonder who will be left to take
up his cause. I’m hoping someone will do so, someone who has as much knowledge
on the topic as he does. As for magicians there are always those who will amaze
us with their abilities. Watching this film you witness just how great a
magician he truly was/is and appreciate him for how amazing a performer he has
been.
You will also see that he has and always was an honest liar.
He told us up front he planned on deceiving us. He did just that in more ways
than one. And yet it never affected how we viewed him or how much we enjoyed
what he was able to do. After watching this an appreciation for all he provided
will be the end result.
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