Based around the book of the same name, "A Liar's Autobiography" is about Graham Chapman, the comedian in the Monty Python team best known for taking humble lead roles in their films and for dying before any of the others. After a tour at various small film festivals, this was finally released on DVD (not Bluray, which was canceled for some reason for the North American release), and got mixed reviews from most people. However, if you consider yourself a true Monty Python fan, you owe it to yourself to watch this.The "story" is about Graham Chapman's life, mostly narrated and written by him (the original book had an audio version read by Graham, recorded only years before his death). We see a series of memoirs told through narration, skits, and montages. We see Graham dealing with fame, guilt, alcohol, and homosexuality (or bisexuality, I'm not sure which one he ended up being). In Monty Python style, everything is told as loosely connected skits and stories, each animated by a different studio, created a large array of styles throughout. If you were hoping for Monty Python gags, you would want to skip this movie. Yes, there are references to some (lesser known) sketches, but mostly to enhance the story of Graham's life, not to make you laugh. If you must know, the structure and humor here is best compared to "The Meaning of Life," the Monty Python film best known for sex and extreme violence and gore, although nothing here seems out of place or unnecessary. While the movie is quite humorous and witty (albiet not always exactly to the Python style), it is also very serious, despite the lack of an actual clear story. It should be seen as a bio-pic and nothing more. But if you go in expecting this, you may be pleasantly surprised at how deep the experience is. I didn't know much about Graham going in, but I certainly do now, and this remains one of the most fascinating biographies I've ever seen (enough so to make me actually want to read the book, whether or not all the events described are actually true, as the film's title suggests). Overall, it was well thought out, and anyone who truly cared about the actors behind Monty Python will find an emotional experience about an intelligent, uncomfortable, very naughty boy. Being animated by 14 different animation studios is nothing to scoff at: to my knowledge, no other films have such a wide array of visual styles. I was impressed that everything actually looked surprisingly good (although one or two styles looked a little ugly), animated with care and flair. Interpretations of Graham himself never seem consistent, but appearances from other Pythons such as John Cleese or Terry Gilliam are immediately recognizable. Voice acting is done mostly be Graham's old recordings, but also by living people in his life, including most of the Pythons. Cameron Diaz and Steven Fry also have short voice roles, but you'll probably miss them. Some audio excerpts from Python sketches are also in there, but most of them so obscure that only the most die-hard fan will recognize them.
I'm happy I saw "A Liar's Autobiography," and it gives me renewed insight in one of the world's greatest comedy actors. If you were hoping for a funny tribute to Monty Python reliving the old sketches, you might be disappointed. But if you are geniunely interested in Chapman specifically, and like the idea of watching an animation tribute to him, then you will have a great appreciation for this effort.