User reviews

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.

Four Weddings and a Funeral. The Inbetweeners Movie. Notting Hill. Shaun of the Dead. All well-received British comedy films. Sadly, 'Magicians' will never really be mentioned alongside those greats. The short reason: it isn't as good, or as clever as any of them. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't have a certain kind of charm.

Yes, it's the 'Peep Show' film. Only it's not. It just has the two main stars from the (hilarious) cult TV show, David Mitchell and Robert Webb in the lead roles. And, not only content with starring the two Peep Show stalwarts, Magicians is also written by the team behind the TV show. Many may have thought, how could it fail? But it does. Just.

Despite Mitchell and Webb basically playing the same characters from Peep Show, but with different names, Magicians falls short on laugh out loud moments. And that might come as a surprise as it's a relatively short movie. You also get a lot of other well-known comedy faces all popping up along the way. Some are used to their potential, others don't come close.

I've seen a lot of hate online for this film and, although I can see where it comes from, I don't completely share their sentiment. It's not THAT bad. Yes, it doesn't come anywhere close to Peep Show and falls even further afield from what it could achieve, based on the talent linked with the film.

What you get is an adult comedy which has a few laughs along the way and is a bit predictable. If you've got nothing else to watch and this happens to be on the telly (and you're a fan of Mitchell and Webb) then give it a go. It's the sort of film you'll appreciate more if you haven't had to pay to watch it.

Keep your expectations low and you should get more out of it.

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Karl and Harry are magician partners, regularly wooing their audiences with their brand of mystery and wonder. However two events tear them apart. The first is Harry's discovery that Karl is having an affair with his wife. The second is Harry accidentally beheading that same wife during a mishap with a guillotine. Many years go by and Karl is still working as a magician but is trying to break into the TV niche held by David Blaine, Derrel Brown and others of that ilk. Meanwhile Harry is selling knives in the supermarket to earn his living. With the Magic Shield coming up, Harry turns to Karl to reunite temporarily and win the contest. However barely minutes into it, old tensions resurface and the pair split again to go head-to-head.

It is a little concerning to watch the progress of the career or Mitchell and Webb. I first came across them in the quite brilliant Peep Show, where their delivery was excellent against the strong material. Next I saw their sketch show and, although it was a bit hit and miss, it was still reasonably amusing. Afterwards comes this film which again is a step down even if the move into films appears to be a positive step. The concept appears to offer up potential but somehow the script doesn't really give them the material to work with. For some reason the script keeps them apart too often and gives them romantic subplots (of a sort) to deal with. The film is at its best when they are together, clashing with one another in the awkward and uneasy way they do. However it must be said that these moments are not frequent enough and mostly the film is just not that funny.

The rather British "awkward" humour is OK but not as well done as those used to it will have seen it done other places. Mitchell and Webb are both pretty good when the material is given to them but again, this is not often enough for what they have shown they are able to do. The support cast is full of familiar faces from Spaced, Saxondale, The Thick of It and several other strong British comedies. However nobody really have the chance to shine apart from the wonderfully letchy Edge. Stevenson (now Hynes), Hardiker, Riseborough, Capaldi and others are all OK, but it is the lack of material offered them that limits them.

Overall then an OK comedy but nothing more than that. Viewers get glimpses of what the film could have been or what the cast are capable of and, while these glimpses are occasionally funny they do not make up for the fact that they are only glimpses. Credit to Mitchell and Webb for trying to show that they are much more than just Peep Show actors, but Magicians is not the vehicle that will do that for them.

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.

It's hard to comment on this film. I'm a big fan of Mitchell and Webb and thought this film was really going to make me laugh...it didn't. There are some funny moments but nothing special, and i agree that it falls very short of Peep Show and definitely thought that Armstrong and Bain could have come up with something a lot more exciting and funny. The plot is boring and a few gags enable it to just keep going but the writers have a long way to go until they reach Pegg and Wright, in the British Comedy Films department...Stick to T.V.

I'd say it's a film to rent or go round your mates house and watch if they end up buying it. But my advice is...don't waste your money.

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.

There has been a sudden stream of movies revolving around magic, of course there's the obvious fantasy stuff with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, but what I am really on about is movie revolving around stage magicians. Last October we had the simply amazing Prestige, a dark movie that had one of the best twists I have ever seen in a movie. Next came The Illusionist, an inferior movie to The Prestige, but a movie once again extremely good. So now we have Magicians. Although most notably there is a huge difference between Magicians and The Prestige and Illusionist. You see Magicians is a comedy, its not a period piece like the last two, and this movie in all honesty couldn't give a toss about magic. Magicians is the first movie outing for Mitchell and Webb, stars of cult TV Show Peep Show. I personally have never seen Peep Show, but from what I've seen of the pair on chat shows I can tell that they are very funny people, and thankfully aren't as one note comedically like the Little Britain duo are. The trouble with comedians going into movies is the fact the movies usually fail miserably. This was proved specifically with last years dire Alien Autopsy starring Ant and Dec. I was looking forward to Magicians, but was also aware it was probably not going to be that good. However, what a nice surprise it is to say that Magicians is a very funny movie. Its hit and miss as times, and I am still not one hundred percent certain that the storyline should have been stretched out into a feature length movie, but the movie itself is very funny. Yet it has one ultimate flaw, its not in the least bit memorable. Already, just a few hours after seeing it I'm starting to forget a lot of it. By this time next week I might have forgotten it completely!

The lead duo of the movie, David Mitchell and Robert Webb are what make this movie great. The pair are extremely talented comedians, and any scene they share together in the movie is a true blessing as they have some hilarious sequences with each other. Unlike Ant and Dec they also seem to work very well on the big screen as well as the small screen. The pair might just be able to make a big break in the movie business, this would be brilliant as the pair are very talented, and with a few more movies in their bag they might just become comedy icons. The supporting cast also very much surprised me, as its the supporting cast who threaten to steal the entire movie from the two leads. Jessica Stevenson is a joy to watch as the dippy assistant, and she gets some of the best scenes in the movie. My personal favourite is a dance scene that is actually funny to watch (yes Spiderman take note, we want dance sequence in comedies, not superhero movie!). Peter Capaldi runs over the hills with the movie as the compère of the magic show, a role that was so brilliantly written. Darren Boyd also has a great role as Webb's agent.

The comedy rate of the movie is pretty high, yet there is still a lot of misses dotted about the movie. The trailer for this movie had me slightly worried since it seemed a bit more child friendly than I imagined, with the notable exception of the "suck my wand" line. Thankfuly the movie is as crude as I wanted it to be. But the movies comedy really sparks when Mitchell and Webb are on screen together. Unfortunately this happens all too infrequently and is one of the major reasons this has got a lower rating than it would have done. The pair have such great sequences together, that when they're taken apart it seems like the movie is desperately filling in a large gap with other characters. Sometimes these characters manage to distract the audience, but it is noticeable at times, and some of the jokes fail quite miserably to hit the right note. Matters cannot be helped when it is unavoidable that the movie isn't memorable. I had a good time while watching the movie, but by the end I became aware that I couldn't remember a lot of it. The comedy never reaches great heights, its a movie full of small laughs and the occasional bigger laugh. But there's nothing here that will really have you rolling in the aisles. In this respect this movie never really suits the talents of Mitchell and Webb as its always noticeable that the actors are funnier than the movie they're in.

Magicians in the long run is a good, solid piece of fun. It features brilliant performances and will hopefully propel Mitchell and Webb's career to greater heights. But its not the best movie for the pair, and its essentially an elongated sketch for a movie. But it'll give you a laugh.

I'm not joking. This is not a throwaway 1 out of 10. It's midnight, I'm tired and want to sleep but I have to write this before I forget tonight's cinematic shocker. This is hands down the worst film I have ever seen, and I have seen The Avengers and Not Now Comrade, so that's really saying something. I had to leave this film half way through, such was its appalling suckiness, and come to think of it I managed to stay all the way through Ghost Rider so don't think I don't have willpower. This film just truly blew.

First of all, to the other reviewers who rated this god-awful tripe anything more than 1 out of 10 (apart from the 10/10 scorer who is obviously with the film's marketing team) - have you actually ever seen a funny film? Saying "suck my wand" on its own isn't good enough. Go and rent out This Is Spinal Tap, Ghostbusters or Planes, Trains and Automobiles - that, my friends, is how to make a funny film.

So what is wrong with it. First of all, why magicians? Everyone hates magicians. Magicians think they are smarter than you. Oh look, you fooled me with your MAGIC TRICK. Always remember that magicians are terribly lonely OCD cases who will obsessively learn how to flick a card up their sleeve for days at a time. They are worse than mime artists, at the bottom of the entertainment barrel. So why do I want to watch a film about them? Answer: I don't. Unless it's The Prestige. Shhh, move on...

Secondly, how did the writers (who have previously done such quality work as Peep Show, The Thick Of It and Smack The Pony) not notice that they had forgot to put any jokes in it? This "comedy" is resolutely chuckle-free until at least an hour in - when my girlfriend and I gave up and watched Spiderman 3 instead, which at least justified its ticket price with some impressive special effects. Which brings me to:

3. Mitchell and Webb. Apparently the only super power they have these days is the power to stomp all over their incredible comedic potential by doing every job they're offered. They're everybloodywhere! I used to listen to them on Radio 4 and they did some of the most genuinely hilarious sketches I have ever heard. But since they took the Apple shilling I just can't get away from them. They seem to have the whole voice-over industry to themselves now! Death from overexposure. But just putting them into something does not *magically* make it funny.

Finally, what really takes the biscuit is that this film was part financed by the National Lottery. Which means that some good cause somewhere has had to go without funding so that Mitchell and Webb can not be funny in this crappy film.

And that really sucks.

I've just got back from seeing Mithcell and Webb's new 'out of this world, hilarious' movie and I have to say I'm more than disappointed.

Firstly, the format is very tepid, with the old 'two mates fall out and then compete against each other before coming together to succeed in the end'...reminds me quite of a Will Ferrell film. Its predictable down to a tee and doesn't drawn you in at all.

Its fair to say there are no 'laff-out-loud' moments at all, with the biggest cheer (apart from the one in my head when the credits started) coming from the sight of a 'stooge' practising his fake laugh and trip. Sums it up really....

Sure, Mitchell and Webb work well together and give the film a little extra (god help us if they hadn't been in it) but overall, considering this was written by the same team as the great Peep Show, this is very poor with very little to shout about.....

Stick to telly guys!

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 !

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. **

This movie, for the wife and I at least, was very hard to connect with. Maybe it's the fact that we are Americans, and we are just too ignorant to get the Brit Wit. Although we do love almost every Monty Python, and Benny Hill that we have ever seen.

This one though is just..... I don't know...obtuse? It seems like a wanna-be documentary and not a real 'film'. Comparing it to 'The Prestige', or 'The Illusionist' is quite unfair to this movie. If you liked those, then don't expect the same from this. It's quirky, somewhat non-linear, and quite frankly, just not that great.

If it pops up on the tele, then maybe give it a watch over dinner. But I honestly can't even say rent it.

The reason I watched this movie is because of the actors, Robert Webb and David Mitchell. I heard of many rave reviews about these two actors in their show, Peep Show, so I gave this movie a try.

Man, I was so disappointed. I really thought that the show is gonna make me laugh, but it didn't. Somehow, something went utterly wrong with the movie. The jokes is far in between and the jokes is very hard to understand, too. Maybe it is because of the British jokes. Man, I really don't know.

I expect a lot more from Webb and Mitchell, and a lot more from the character development of their character.

My wife decided to rent this film as she is a fan of "Peek show" and "Mitchel and Webb".

Neither of us completed the film, we were bored from start to finish (or in our case the middle), the attempts at humour were obvious, there were jokes which were just crude and not funny (this comes from someone who watches South Park!)

Wouldn't recommend this film to anyone unless they are hardcore Mitchell and Webb fans.

It is a shame to see the British market produce such a low grade comedy, this film really dropped my opinion of the two main cast members, and i feel ashamed as people in other countries will just think it is British awkward humour, lets get another Simon Pegg comedy out there quick to make up for this pap.

Uwe Boll could of done a better job!

Well, I haven't seen Peep Show and I don't know how great Mitchell and Webb are in that production, but evaluating on the basis what I saw on Magicians - I have only one message to those guys: "Don't quit your day job!"

Script wasn't good - jokes were boring and dumb, characters stereotypical and obnoxious. Whole idea behind the script was immature and incomplete. I had two or three laughs when watching this movie - and I'm grateful for those, but everything else was just clumsy and predictable.

David Mitchell's character(Harry) was just silly and irritating. If I would ever meet that kind of rambling fool I would beat him up just to shut him up. :) Karl (Robert Webb) was a little bit more likable character - but still quite boring.

There are two kinds of people - those who like British comedies and those who don't. If you belong to the first category then you MIGHT get something out of this film... but I doubt that.

Magicians is fine. If you enjoy Mitchell and Webb you will probably enjoy this more than the casual viewer.

There isn't much character work, it's basically Mitchell and Webb.

The story is predictable and though it is amusing at points, it's not that funny that you'd watch it again.