2013 magic comedy
Rating: 9/20
Plot: A magician partnership turns sour when, in an effort to compete with a hotshot Internet sensation street shock magician, they try and fail to perform a David Blaine-esque stunt on the streets of Las Vegas. The arrogant titular showman has to rediscover the magic and get back on top.
Look–somebody made all the humor disappear! Wait, I’m sure that one was used before. Let me try again. This feels like a trick on the audience? I’d rather be sawed in half? It’s a wonderstone this even made it to theaters? The only thing incredible about this is how bad it is? Abracrapola? This plot that took place in Las Vegas should have stayed in Las Vegas? A few less laughs than Nolan’s The Prestige? It’ll be hard to find a volunteer in the audience because they’ll probably leave halfway through the movie? Worst magic-related accident since Houdini’s death? Is this why Ric Ocasek sang “Uh oh!” when he sang about magic? Somebody pull a better script out of a top hat–quick!? The Statue of Liberty will be begging David Copperfield to make her disappear again so that she can avoid seeing this movie? I know where director Don Scardino can stick that magic wand? A movie bad enough to make somebody vomit an endless stream of colorful scarves out their mouth? Not even that Sorcerer in that Mickey Mouse movie could clean up this mess? Here’s a film that will make you stop believing in magic in a young girl’s heart? About as entertaining as your perverted uncle who smells like he lives in a porta-potty doing that got-your-nose trick at a family reunion? Something-something Harry Potter losing his virginity something-something at Hogwarts?
I can’t imagine a comedy being less funny than this one. Just giving Steve Carell a mullet is not going to do it, Hollywood. The funniest things about this were Steve Buscemi’s on-stage facial expressions although he otherwise looked kind of lost in this thing. The late James Gandolfini very nearly made the entire movie worth the trouble when saying, “It’s gonna smell like ass in there.” And there was a scene with a guy juggling ventriloquist dummies. Other than that, this was just disappointing from top to bottom. For a movie about magic, this was just so bland. One of the main issues might actually be that there was no magic. It was all special effects. You can’t have a movie about magic without showing some magic.
