One has to rate movies like this against other documentaries. Its certainly better than the bevy of Netflix NAZI documentaries out there and it manages to hold up without a narration, which can be a test of documentary storytelling. So kudos for that.
It's well shot and has a modestly coherent story line following 3 "magicians" and one "illusionist". The movie has 3 major problems however:
1. It's a slice-of-life documentary, 75% of which could have applied to anyone in any occupation. Relationship problems, bankruptcy, dogs needing to be put down, living on the road, hustling for the next job, etc. Pretty boring and uninteresting stuff given that we're ostensibly following the lives of "magicians" who might have something interesting up their sleeves. But no.
2. The most interesting questions raised as we follow each of these guys is largely, if not completely ignored.
How did the guy who was "Johnny Carson's favorite magician" manage to end up broke, living in a studio apartment while his ex-lover/female assistant lives in a castle?
Why did the close-up card trick magician only really perform in magic shops and, although managing to "reach all his dreams" was dropped by his wife after only 2 years of marriage? Did she not know he was a road warrior?
Why didn't we get to watch all the preparation needed by the other close-up artist as he prepped for his breakout TV appearance - and then be treated to how it all came out? We don't.
And finally, what was with the whole idea of including a popular, gay illusionist in the line- up amongst the loser card trick magicians? Since he was the only one who had made it big, we have to assume the moral of his story is either a.) choose big production illusionist gags over close-up work to make it big or b.) maybe best to shack up with an aging ex- illusionist who can produce your shows? Who knows.
One thing that really irked me about the illusionist storyline was that we learn that apparently a rival stole his prestige illusion but had evidently never thought to protect the IP related to the trick. He and his "partner" go see a lawyer who nonsensically tells the pair that an illusion is only "owned" if it gets associated with a particularly big personality.
Obviously this is ridiculous.
Everyday, famous Hollywood producers have to pay off nobody screenwriters after stealing their intellectual property and making a pant load off of their screenplay. How is the illusionist biz any different? Just because someone is more famous doesn't mean they can steal then claim as their's, someone else's IP.
But the documentary makes no effort to follow up on this obvious intrigue. One is left to assume that our subject illusionist gave it up because he, himself stole the trick from yet someone else and that's why he didn't pursue the lawsuit.
All this to say, a whole lot of interesting subject matter was left unaddressed while we followed each magician from sad venue to sad venue and meanwhile, watched the rich illusionist and his lover do a great impression of the two gay guys in Best In Show. Blech.
All in all, could have been a solid 8 in the genre but it got caught up in the mundane and ended up a weak 6.
BTW, whoever rates most ANY movie a 10 much less a maudlin docudrama like the "Magicians" is just being dishonest.
Only a few movies rate a 10 (or a 1 for that matter) and this isn't one of them.
It's well shot and has a modestly coherent story line following 3 "magicians" and one "illusionist". The movie has 3 major problems however:
1. It's a slice-of-life documentary, 75% of which could have applied to anyone in any occupation. Relationship problems, bankruptcy, dogs needing to be put down, living on the road, hustling for the next job, etc. Pretty boring and uninteresting stuff given that we're ostensibly following the lives of "magicians" who might have something interesting up their sleeves. But no.
2. The most interesting questions raised as we follow each of these guys is largely, if not completely ignored.
How did the guy who was "Johnny Carson's favorite magician" manage to end up broke, living in a studio apartment while his ex-lover/female assistant lives in a castle?
Why did the close-up card trick magician only really perform in magic shops and, although managing to "reach all his dreams" was dropped by his wife after only 2 years of marriage? Did she not know he was a road warrior?
Why didn't we get to watch all the preparation needed by the other close-up artist as he prepped for his breakout TV appearance - and then be treated to how it all came out? We don't.
And finally, what was with the whole idea of including a popular, gay illusionist in the line- up amongst the loser card trick magicians? Since he was the only one who had made it big, we have to assume the moral of his story is either a.) choose big production illusionist gags over close-up work to make it big or b.) maybe best to shack up with an aging ex- illusionist who can produce your shows? Who knows.
One thing that really irked me about the illusionist storyline was that we learn that apparently a rival stole his prestige illusion but had evidently never thought to protect the IP related to the trick. He and his "partner" go see a lawyer who nonsensically tells the pair that an illusion is only "owned" if it gets associated with a particularly big personality.
Obviously this is ridiculous.
Everyday, famous Hollywood producers have to pay off nobody screenwriters after stealing their intellectual property and making a pant load off of their screenplay. How is the illusionist biz any different? Just because someone is more famous doesn't mean they can steal then claim as their's, someone else's IP.
But the documentary makes no effort to follow up on this obvious intrigue. One is left to assume that our subject illusionist gave it up because he, himself stole the trick from yet someone else and that's why he didn't pursue the lawsuit.
All this to say, a whole lot of interesting subject matter was left unaddressed while we followed each magician from sad venue to sad venue and meanwhile, watched the rich illusionist and his lover do a great impression of the two gay guys in Best In Show. Blech.
All in all, could have been a solid 8 in the genre but it got caught up in the mundane and ended up a weak 6.
BTW, whoever rates most ANY movie a 10 much less a maudlin docudrama like the "Magicians" is just being dishonest.
Only a few movies rate a 10 (or a 1 for that matter) and this isn't one of them.