Die Magier

Mitchell & Webb have done some very funny material in the past. This film is, at best, mildly amusing.

The premise is amusing, in a black comedy way.

The characters are amusing, occasionally.

The script is amusing, in places.

Individually all of the contributors are capable of so much more and it is disappointing to end up with a film that aspires to be funny but falls short in so many ways. It simply fails to sustain any interest. Much of the humour is hackneyed and its predictability takes away so much of the punch that you find yourself hunting for humour that ultimately is not there to find.

Overall the best I can bring myself to recommend is if this comes round on TV and you have little else to do on a rainy day give it a try.

I've seen lots of bad to so-so reviews for this one, but I gotta say, I keep going back to it because the funny bits really are funny. For me, Peter Capaldi absolutely steals every scene he's in; he can do more comedy with one facial expression than many comedians can pull off in an entire stand-up act, and he's perfect for the role of the bureaucratic petty tyrant in charge of the magic contest. Daren Boyd (my GOD does he look like a young John Cleese!) also steals his scenes, as does Alex McQueen as the stooge: amazing what really good comedic actors can do with even the smallest roles.

The Brits can deliver regarding comedy at the cinema, no, no, i don't mean "Carry On... ". But i mean films like "The Full Monty". "Magicians" deliver completely. Despite some rude and bad language, highly forgivable, the whole thing is charming, cute, without any pretension and funny. Typical from the brits regarding the subject. I enjoyed it completely, and recommend it. If you like " The Full Monty", you will like this one. The actors, quite unknowed, do their part well. And there is not "space", no moment of waiting. It just delivers from A to finish. You won't laugh every seconds, but the over whole of the movie is funny. While I have been very disappointed with brits-com like "Love actually", one of the worst movie i have even seen in my life, the little budget "Magicians" manages far better. A nice surprise, wonderful. Thank you !

Hmmm...I saw the screening last week in Dublin, and although it was quite funny, it wasn't "brilliant". I had lots of fun, but there was just something missing I think. Mitchell and Webb were great (as ever), Jessica Stevenson, Darren Boyd and Peter Capaldi were also great (as ever)...but there was just something about it. Too slight? Not enough meat? No Mark Heap? I dunno. All this talent and - it pains me to say this - it didn't seem to be much more than the sum of its parts. Maybe further viewings will reveal more. Now having said that, there were plenty of great jokes, nuances, the odd subversion, and so forth - not to mention magic tricks. Despite my minor reservations, it's still a cut above the rest of the tripe that passes for comedy these days. Armstrong and Bain have made the leap to film confidently and convincingly. They still deliver the goods. Go see it! Incidentally, Jessica Stevenson just gets more gorgeous as time goes on (sigh).

(Notice I didn't mention Peep Show! Surely I deserve some kind of award!)

Oh, and there was a Q&A session with David and Rob after the screening and they were hilarious. Sharp as tacks, took time to answer even the stupidest questions, and hung around long enough for fans to mob them (well, ask for autographs and photos anyway). Great guys.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

David Mitchell and Robert Webb, who became cult favourites with the TV classic Peep Show, failed to re-capture that magic with this hugely disappointing big screen outing. Taking aim at the world of stage act magicians, this has them as one time best friends in the same profession, who fall out when the one has an affair with the other's wife and subsequently he accidentally kills her. Years later, they find themselves rivals in a magic competition and it's all set for fireworks.

The same formula Mitchell & Webb worked in Peep Show (and even That Mitchell and Webb Look) is here, Mitchell as the hesitant, well spoken guy who suddenly explodes in fits of rage and Webb as the more outspoken, confident guy with a ruthless, selfish edge to him. It all plays basically like Peep Show The Movie but somewhere towards the beginning you lose interest, the laughs fail to flow and you find it a huge slog to the end. Definitely without the 'magic' touch. **