... Teaming up once again with the writers of Peep Show it would appear that Magicians works to exactly the same formula that has made the show so successful. The humour is quite obvious and in places rather dark in a comedy that is obviously aimed at adults rather than kids. The constant sexual ... Read review
After taking a fairly decent run up in superb voyeur-friendly sitcomPeep Show, David ... more
Mitchell and Robert Webb make the jump onto the big screen inMagicians, a Brit-com with just enough tricks up its sleeve to carry it out of fandom and into the mainstream. That said, fans of Peep Show will be pleased to see the duo's familiar character traits (uptight nerd and faux-cool layabout) very much in evidence. The story sees the pair recast as fading magicians Harry and Karl (Mitchell and Webb respectively), whose successful double act is brought to a somewhat sticky end when Harry catches Karl cheating with his wife, before accidentally guillotining her in front of a packed audience.The aftermath sees Harry reduced to performing tricks in supermarkets, while Karl has the more humiliating task of establishing himself as a Derren Brown-style performer. But the chance to reclaim former glory presents itself in the form of a magic contest and, aided by the lovably hapless assistant Linda (Jessica Hynes) and fruity TV agent Otto (Darren Boyd), Harry and Karl dust off the guillotine for a head to head battle. Despite its modest ambitions, Magicians maintains a respectable pace and gag rate throughout. A great supporting cast help raise the bar, but the films appeal is largely down to its two leads, whose isnt-broke-wont-fix-it route to comic acting is effective and well judged.Magiciansmight not pack the belly laughs of aHot Fuzz, but youre never too far away from a chuckle or two. --Luke Mawson
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Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
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Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Carol Cleveland, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones
Advantages: Continues the comical abilities of Mitchell and Webb Disadvantages: Feels too much like a TV movie
...Show it would appear that Magicians works to exactly the same formula that has made the show so successful. The humour is quite obvious and in places rather dark in a comedy that is obviously aimed at adults rather than kids. The constant sexual innuendo and obvious humour makes it quite easy to watch, especially if you are a fan of Peep Show or the Mitchell and Webb Look.
This is the first feature film outing for director Andrew O'Connor ... ...but I do feel that Magicians will be a huge hit amongst fans of Mitchell and Webb's previous outings on TV.
Since the first time I seen Peep Show I was impressed with both David Mitchell and Robert Webb as actors and they carry that into their first lead film roles. While they both seem to be playing characters who are quite close to their roles in the serious with the same mannerisms and personalities it is a role they both seem very ... more
When Harry (David Mitchell) finds his best friend and stage partner Karl (Robert Webb) in a compromising situation with his wife he says everything is fine. In the following act of their magic show it seems it clearly wasn't fine as Harry accidentally cuts his wife's head off. It's now 4 years later and having just been fired from his job in Wilkinson's Harry enters a magic show for the first time in 4 years. He tries to reform his show with Karl but after another falling out they both decide to go solo and end up competing head to head for the International Shield.
Having been a huge fan of Mitchell and Webb's previous work it was almost inevitable that I'd end up seeing this. This film brings the comedy duo onto the big screen for the first time in lead roles. Teaming up once again with the writers of Peep Show it would appear that Magicians works to exactly the same formula that has made the show so successful. The humour is quite obvious and in places rather dark in a comedy that is obviously aimed at adults rather than kids. The constant sexual innuendo and obvious humour makes it quite easy to watch, especially if you are a fan of Peep Show or the Mitchell and Webb Look.
This is the first feature film outing for director Andrew O'Connor who has previously worked as a producer on numerous TV shows including Peep Show. It's perhaps because of this that gives the film the whole extended episode feel. While the length and plot both work it really doesn't feel too much like a feature film. The camera angles look quite good and the scene's all flow quite smoothly but I still couldn't get away from the extended episode feel. The direction does work in the context it's filmed in and it still makes for a film that looks good.
The same feeling applies to the plot as well. It may have helped had it not been the whole crew from Peep Show but with Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong writing and the same stars it just feels like Peep Show without the first person camera shots. That said this is still a very enjoyable hour and a half and I found myself laughing for most of the film. It may not have the mass appeal of the likes of Shaun Of The Dead but I do feel that Magicians will be a huge hit amongst fans of Mitchell and Webb's previous outings on TV.
Since the first time I seen Peep Show I was impressed with both David Mitchell and Robert Webb as actors and they carry that into their first lead film roles. While they both seem to be playing characters who are quite close to their roles in the serious with the same mannerisms and personalities it is a role they both seem very comfortable with. They work very well together and both charcters bounce off each other incredibly well. Having worked together for so long it's not surprising but it seems to add something to the movie and creates a good onscreen relationship between them.
The rest of the cast seem to add to the TV movie feel as well. The majority of them have been in Peep Show at one time or other. I was however particularly impressed with the role played by Jessica Stephenson. She has a real chemistry with David Mitchell even though their characters are so different it probably shouldn't work, but it does. The role played by Darren Boyd is also quite suited to the film and he plays the part of his confused character with a lot of conviction.
Overall while the film does have a TV movie feel to it, it does provide an hour and a half of entertainment. It isn't a comedy for the whole family but if you fancy a night in with the lads or a loved one it is a film that will pass the time. I don't think it'll really appeal to anyone who didn't like Peep Show as the humour and characters are quite similar. If you do like it or are a fan of Simon Pegg's movies then I think you'll like Peep Show. While not the best it could have been it's the next step for Mitchell and Webb and one they have taken well.
Advantages: Some fun bits Disadvantages: Weak story, wooden acting, lacking in comedy
Harry and Carl have been friends since they met at school and since leaving they have formed a magic act together, they are currently the most popular around. Harry is happily married and his wife is the pairs assistant. Things take a turn for the worse for the double act when Harry finds Carl and his wife ‘together’ during a show and when they go back on stage to finish their act the guillotine illusion goes wrong and Harry ends up beheading his ... ...when the men no longer talk to each other and Harry is working in a dead end job and Carl and his manager are trying to get him on the TV with his ‘mind tricks’. Harry sees a leaflet for a magic competition, The Shield, and decides to enter so he can claim the prize money but in order to do so he is going to need the help of Carl.
Will Harry and Carl be able to put their differences aside and work together to win the prize money or will the men ...
sewbizzie 06.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Magicians (DVD)
Advantages: It's short, some light mirth Disadvantages: Feels like standard TV fare, short on plot and jokes
...of course Peep Show.
Magicians stars Mitchell and Webb, do these two things have something in common? No of course they don\'t, one is funny, the other is a film.
I don\'t know why but I was under the impression that this film was from the minds of Mitchell and Webb. But it\'s not, they\'re merely the stars and quite what attracted them to this bland British comedy is anyone\'s guess.
The pair play a couple of magicians who play out their act ... ...other.
The problem with Magicians is that it\'s another example of a British movie bereft of any big screen ambition. There is no style, no vision and sadly no laughs. It could have easily been rolled out as a 9pm Christmas special on TV and to be honest that\'s where it\'s best suited. Mitchell and Webb do their best in the lead roles but the material is too straight and narrow for them to play around with. The only highlight is from Peter Capaldi ...
utero 08.01.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Magicians (DVD)
Advantages: Some really strong supporting performances and some good one-liners. Disadvantages: A wooden central pairing and lacklustre direction.
Stage magician Harry is understandably miffed when he discovers his wife/assistant is fooling around with his best friend and co-star Karl. But then he accidentally beheads her when a guillotine trick goes wrong, putting an end to her life and the double act. Four years later the former friends are on their uppers; Harry is demonstrating knives in shopping centres and Karl is trying to make a living as psychic act “The Mind Monger”. They are now ... ...by unstable assistants they have to confront their differences if they are to win.
How much you enjoy this movie is going to be entirely dependent on whether you like Mitchell and Webb’s established double act because their on-screen personas are what the whole film is built around. Personally I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen of them but wouldn’t go out of my way to watch them. I guess it’s no surprise as director Andrew O’Connor is one of the writers ...
afy9mab 16.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Magicians (DVD)
Advantages: Jessica Stephenson Disadvantages: failure to translate success from tv to film
Mitchell & Webb have tried to take that final step from TV to movie fame like Simon Pegg, Ali G and Steve Coogan before them. But they failed miserably. Having seen the trailer for this I thought it looked like a really good film but quite frankly your better off sticking with the trailer as the film is extremely dull. The only real highlight for me was Jessica Stephenson playing the assistant (and looking fabulous too!).
Mitchell & Webb are funny ...
atytyut2434 28.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Magicians (DVD)
Advantages: More Mitchell and Webb and Peep Show style comedy Disadvantages: Could maybe have been a bit funnier.
Magicians follows the careers of magicians Harry and Karl. Once a famous duet but ever since Karl screwed Harry's wife and Harry's accidental murder of her afterwards the two have went their separate ways and are struggling in the world alone. They then decide to pair up for the big Magic tournament that offers a grand cash prize of £20,000. This is a good comedy film. More for fans of Peep Show and Mitchell and Webb, but it still translates to others. ... ...in the plot with his agent a repressive homosexual who tries to bring Karl on side, whilst Karl pursues the naive Dani and tries to woo her by pretending to be physic and able to contact her dead father.
Harry (played by David Webb - Mark) meets a new assisstant is attracted to him yet he is reluctant at first. Especialy as he hasn't told her about decapitating his wife even though he will be attempting the same act on her.
There are lots of great ...
Phelthew 21.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Magicians (DVD)
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Advantages: Clear, easy to follow instructions, good picture quality Disadvantages: sound quality varies
This is a great DVD for magicians who are at the begginer to lower intermediate level. It has some basic moves (passes, shuffles, cuts) and some easy tricks and would be suitable for a teenager/ younger kid. The running time of this DVD is average, 1 and a bit hours and Jerry Sadowitz takes the time to clearly show how the tricks work and how to get the best reaction, there are close-ups, slow motion and repeated shots to help the magician learn as quiclky as possible. If however, you know the basic moves and tricks, i recommend a more in-depth dvd which requires more knowledge and better patience.
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Advantages: Great story, amazing effects, good twists, something different Disadvantages: can be a little confusing, in that case, watch again! :-p
As the title say's, this film is exactly what I'd been waiting for. I love films and love going to the cinema therefore I am always looking out for something new to catch my eye, and the Prestige is it.
I was hooked from the preview, and wanted to see it so much I went alone, as none of my friends were free to go! (That's how much of a good film it is, I even did the embarrassing 'ticket for one please', well worth it! :-p). I enjoyed it so much I bought it as soon as it came out on DVD.
The film is about two up and coming magicians (Bale and Jackman) who are both gunning to outdo the other by making it big first. You see them going from rags to riches, from unknown magicians to celebrities with their magical illusions getting bigger and better.
It is a clever film which brings up the age-old debate, does true magic exist or is ...
jimbo006 15.09.2008 (22.10.2008)
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Several years after a guillotine-related accident, a pair of feuding magicians are forced to work together in an attempt to win a magic competition.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
UCA; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON), Universal Pictures UK Video Rental
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Special Features
Deleted scenes, Behind the tricks - Making Magicians, Easter egg
Professional reviews
Review
Brilliant (Maxim, 13/08/2007)
DVD Description
MAGICIANS is the feature film debut of David Mitchell and Robert Webb, best known for their groundbreaking and hilarious television comedy PEEPSHOW. MAGICIANS also marks the film debut of PEEPSHOW's writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. Harry (Mitchell) and Karl (Webb) are magicians who have become one of the most successful acts in the business, with the help of Harry's wife as the duo's assistant. After discovering an affair between Karl and his wife, Harry accidentally causes a guillotine-related incident that has grave consequences for his wife. Several years later, a struggling Harry decides to enter a magic competition with a large cash prize. He recruits his enthusiastic if untalented friend Linda as an assistant (Jessica Hynes - nee Stevenson, SPACED) and persuades Karl to join him in attempt to win the competition, forcing the pair to try to put aside their differences. In the wake of 2006's magic based dramas THE PRESTIGE and THE ILLUSIONIST, MAGICIANS offers a welcomingly comic look at the world of illusionism. As the film features the stars and writers of PEEPSHOW, much of the humour is the same, although it doesn't allow the audience to hear the main characters inner monologue, as is the case in PEEPSHOW. There is much to appeal to both fans of PEEPSHOW and people who haven't watched a single episode in this entertaining British comedy.
![Magicians Dvd [2007] | David Mitchell Robert Webb](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/127720887.jpg "Magicians Dvd [2007] | David Mitchell Robert Webb")
![Magicians [DVD] [2007]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/76542273.jpg "Magicians [DVD] [2007]")
