Penn & Teller Get Killed

Being a big Penn and Teller fan, and after hearing about this movie I was looking forwards to seeing it, and was gratified when, on a lonely Friday night, I saw it was showing on TV.

It started a little slowly, but I persevered, watching on. Yes it's a mildly amusing film. Certainly it gives us an insight into the world of the magicians, but when it comes down to it, it's simply a series of magic tricks strung together by a very thin plot. The tricks themselves are quite impressive, but in no way are they comparable to the magnificence of the duos live shows. It just doesn't compete. Worth watching but don't look forwards to anything special.

The idea is promising: is someone actually trying to kill Penn (following his peculiar request), or is it all a big hoax? But the result is a mess. The script that Penn and Teller wrote is unstructured and complex, and it doesn't seem to have a discernible beginning, middle or end. There is a funny and creative scene in an airport, early on, and then the film goes downhill. The VERY last monologue we hear, however, is kind of clever... (**)

Penn Jillette gets a death wish literally in this hilarious comedy featuring our favorite magicians Penn and Teller. Penn announces on live national television that he wishes someone were out to kill him, and on the way to Atlantic City, Penn and Teller get into a lot of mishaps when they are just about to die a gruesome death, the 'murderers' turn out to be people they know! Laugh out loud funny!

The funniest part of the movie was when Teller passes a theater playing a Stooge marathon of Shemp episodes and people walk out angry, and one heckler passes by and says, "Personally, I'm a Joe Besser fan"! In case nobody knew, Penn and Teller are fans of The Three Stooges. Also, Penn is a huge fan of classic rock from the 1960's and 1970's! It even shows how their magic tricks are done, as well!

If you want to see a movie with Penn and Teller that will keep you laughing this one is it! It's a movie anyone will enjoy! I sure did! I give it 4 stars!

This starts with a recreation of their upside-down trick on SNL like a late night talk show. As an off-handed comment to the host's question, Penn says that he wishes someone would try to kill him for excitement. They and their assistant Carlotta (Caitlin Clarke) are off to expose psychic surgery as fake. Her uncle is being tricked by some con-men.

This movie needs a good writer to write an actual script. Instead, Penn & Teller have written a meandering story. It does have some fun with their pranking and their magic tricks but at some point, I wonder when the story finally gets some traction. It tries to go surreal with Caitlin Clarke playing a completely different character. It takes awhile before I realized that it's not a dream sequence and that it is actually Caitlin Clarke. This is a movie where the concept of the ending supersedes the traditional narrative writing. The guys have a wild idea and write a rambling story to get to the finish. I still do like the absurdity of the ending.

This movie is a must see for Penn and Teller fans. The story line reflects a lot about how the Bad Boys of Magic really act while on the road.

The constant pranks are imminently entertaining. The movie drags a bit near the end, but leads up to a great surprise for fans of the magic twosome.

The film may not sustain itself well for viewers who aren't very familiar with Penn and Teller. Still, you can't help but enjoy the frenzied nuttiness of the airport scene.