Pure Entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2014)

The movie starts out with an interesting premise and an intriguing cast of characters. I am not a fan of Jesse Eisenberg. His quick talking, over confident jerk does not get me all that much (although the scene where he gets his card is hilarious). I do, however, enjoy the performances of Woody Harrelson and Isla Fisher. The interactions of the two are near on perfect, getting me to chuckle more than a few times. Dave Franco is practically nonexistent, for everything that he brings to the film. Melanie Laurant is there to be a pretty face and go oooh and aaaaah over the magic tricks. Mark Ruffalo's character is a bit harder to judge, as the character is acting, after all. The scenes where he is being his normal natural self, like the end, seem a bit more natural, so yeah.
A lot of people are complaining about the character development, but seriously... you are walking into a movie with Eisenberg and Harrelson as the main actors. Were you really expecting something deep and meaningful, with the world rocked over the magic mystery that this film is?
No. I saw those two names among the cast, and I went in knowing that it would be a shallow magic flick. And I was pleasantly surprised. Not about the shallow flick part, but because I found myself actually enjoying how... meaningless it was. They had the chance to make it deep and meaningful with the whole 'Eye' aspect, but they decided not to. This film does not put out any serious message, Oscar-nod-worthy portrayals. It is simply there to make you get lost in this fictional world for about two hours and nothing more.
Of course, there are plot holes and the capability of a watcher to suspend belief is a little stretched at times, but do you seriously go to see a magic show because the magician is a deep and complex character, with a tragic backstory and is capable of change if only the right woman were to step into his life and set him straight through a long and drama filled quest to find out the true meaning of life?
If so... don't you ever talk to me. You sound like a very boring person to be around. This movie, when it comes to pure entertainment value, I give it a ten. Acting I put on an 8. plot comes at an even 6, which makes for an 8 average, and that's what I'll give it. Fun to watch, but don't watch it if you are looking for drama or Nolan-worthy plot twists and character development. That's for other genres.