Tremendously entertaining and completely absurd

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2016)

There is so much to complain about in this movie. The approach to hypnosis is patently absurd, the plot is full of holes, the denouement makes little sense, and in spite of all its twisty twists, much of it is predictable (oh look, the police are stupidly doing the obvious thing!) and clichéd, and character motivation seems beyond the grasp of the writers.
I don't care, I love it.
This movie is pure showmanship, starting with a card trick that shows exactly how amazing magic tricks can be. The stars are playful and relaxed (Harrelson and Fisher are particularly good), the constant twists are fun, and the movie moves like lightning and plays like opening a series of Christmas presents.
But yeah, it's stupid. The stupidest thing is probably Morgan Freeman's character, who exposes magician's secrets. It's an odd premise, in that he acts like he's on a mission (think The Amazing Randi's attacks on psychic fakery), when no one thinks magicians are terrible tricksters who must be exposed. It's just bizarre. And while Freeman is, of course, great, he cannot make his character's actions or attitude make any real sense.
So yeah, dumb, stupid, irretrievably ridiculous movie. I loved it.