Review of The Illusionist (2009) by William W — 24 Mar 2011
An out-of-fashion magician in the 1960s can't compete with rock and roll and finds himself playing to smaller and smaller audiences; he meets a girl who really believes he can perform magic, and she tags along with him as his career continues to decline.
Lovingly animated by Sylvain Chomet (THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE) from an unproduced script by Jacques Tati in a nearly silent-film style; Chomet puts so much love into the noble project that you desperately want it to work out, but it fails to completely satisfy.
The slapstick sequences are underdeveloped and never reach real anarchy (for example, so much more could have been done with the illusionist's incompetence when he tires to wash a car). The film fares a little better when it aims at poignancy, but the ending is just sad without being cathartic---it plays as flat-out defeatist rather than melancholy.
Worth seeing, but I advise muting your expectations.
This review of The Illusionist (2009) was written by William W on 24 Mar 2011.
The Illusionist has generally received very positive reviews.
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