Magicians

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.

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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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.

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.