Magicians

I stumbled across this DVD at my local Blockbuster and was pleasantly surprised with the production qualities along with the acting. The script was a little weak in places but overall it is a nice little fun film about a couple of would be magicians, their assistant and mentor (Alan Arkin)who travel to Las Vegas to make it big.

Being a magician myself, I got a kick out of the film and what these people go through.

I'm a bit of a movie snob, and admittedly, this is in the Godfather or even some Woody Allen classic, but this is a really funny movie and it's also quite heartfelt. It's a real shame that this is basically impossible to find. I'm lucky to still have a used DVD from Blockbuster, but would love to see this streaming somewhere. If you come across it and you like bazaar comedy, I highly recommend this movie.

Yup, some quirky acting here from Arkin. This is his film, and he is a double allusionist. In playing the illusion-master he acts like Pacino playing Paul Newman's role in "The Color of Money."

The rest is ordinary or less, but I like films where the actors act about acting.

This is a quirky little movie, and I have to agree that there is some quirky acting in it as well.

It follows the adventures of a young man who decides that he wants to become a famous Las Vegas illusionist, and is partly about following his dream, partly about the dreams of others, and all about the travails of showbiz. I thought the movie was charming, and it has a moment or two of real magic that make the whole thing worthwhile.

Alan Arkin is terrific as the magician who never was, and his mentoring of Max makes for a funny and touching relationship.

Not for everyone, probably, but if you like movies about the journey, then I think you'll like this one.

This is one of the funniest movies I have seen. I watched it on DVD, and the disc does not have any special features, or even a menu, but that is not necessarily what I care about.

I tend to judge movies on a case by case basis, depending on, among other things, if it is a big studio production or a smaller film. This is a smaller film and I am willing to forgive minor things. That said, I believe it has one of the most imaginative and original title sequences that I have seen.

I enjoyed the acting of all of the major players. I especially enjoyed Til Schweiger and Alan Arkin. Alan Arkin has most of the funniest lines. The character portrayed by Claire Forlani might come across as unrealistic to some people, but I have personally known real people with emotional problems that very readily look at life's decisions as her character does. That helped me pick up the nuances where her hurts could come out through the veneer of her humor.

This is not a movie for children, obviously, but it does NOT engage in gratuitous sex and nudity. There is quite a bit of adult language, though, but it can sometimes be very funny. (In particular, Alan Arkin's character, who can't even swear correctly.)

Also watch for the cameos from known character actors.