Jesse Eisenberg stars in the clumsily executed 'Now You See Me ' which features a group of magicians trying their hands at bank robbery.(Photo Barry Wetcher Summit Entertainment)
While hawking his latest film Now You See Me earlier this month Morgan Freeman nodded off during a live television interview that became a viral sensation.
Consider it Freeman's stab at mentalism a telepathic warning about this clumsily executed story of magicians with a penchant for bank robbery ( out of four rated PG 13 opens Friday nationwide).
Boasting a terrific cast and a flimsy plot whose logic disappears faster than a rabbit in a hat Now struggles to pull off its cinematic sleights of hand.
Jesse Eisenberg plays J. Daniel Atlas a David Blaine styled stunt magician who leads a crew of devious prestidigitators through a series of bank heists that catch the attention of the FBI and Interpol.
Joining the crew are mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and street magician Jack Wilder (Dave Franco). Soon the group known as the Four Horsemen is ripping off banks across the globe and spreading the wealth among audiences like levitating Robin Hoods.
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But the story as directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans) can't quite get off the ground.
That's something of a surprise given a cast that should should be able to make any story defy gravity. In addition to the Horsemen we meet Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman) a former magician turned TV host who pulls back the curtain on illusionists. The Horsemen are assembled and led by the wealthy and mysterious Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) whose ultimate goal remains a mystery.
The crux of Now's woes is the illusions themselves. Magic is never easy on film just ask the folks behind The Incredible Burt Wonderstone the recent ill fated Steve Carell story of magicians that made audiences disappear from theaters.
Similar woes afflict Now whose secrets are apparent computer generated effects and plot conventions. The mentalist can hypnotize over the phone the mind reader flashes your thoughts on building facades. Good magic is plausible these tricks are too outlandish to make you ask 'How did they do that '
There are flashes of razzle dazzle. Harrelson in particular gets laugh out loud lines and Eisenberg seems to know real sleight of hand.
But it's mostly smoke and mirrors. After Freeman's snooze became a YouTube fixture the actor jokingly dismissed the nap saying he was using Google eyelids to check his Facebook account.
You may find yourself attempting the same feat because Now has little up its sleeve.
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