Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

Released Oct 4, 2012

1 hr. 28 min.

Documentary

List

93%

41 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmakers Molly Bernstein and Alan Edelstein take a glimpse at the very private world of professional magician Ricky Jay.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Sep 05

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay presents a fascinating -- and tantalizingly incomplete -- picture of a legendary magician and skilled raconteur.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Member

Man! Iï¿ 1/2(TM)ve loved Ricky Jay for many years but had no idea of his origins. No wonder he was so good: not only did he have a deep and lifelong love of magic, he had the good fortune to have loved ones and friends who were great magicians themselves. What a great documentary, both for people who loved Ricky Jay as well as for anyone who loves magic and the history of the greats, a lineage up to and including Ricky Jay himself. RIP Ricky

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Excellent and worthwhile documentary on the famous and incredible magician Ricky Jay.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

fascinating look at a world you'd never know about unless you were in the know.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A fascinating documentary about Jay and magic in general. Slight of hand tricks that will blow your mind. I would have a little more personal information.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's funny....I didn't even know Ricky Jay was a magician... I just knew him from P.T. Anderson movies! Turns out he's one of the greatest illusionists of all time! And this is a wonderful doc about his life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I got kind of choked up during the giant ice cube story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Molly Bernstein

Director

Ricky Jay

Actor

Dick Cavett

Narrator

David Mamet

Actor

Winston Simone

Actor

Cathy Greenwold

Executive Producer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

61%

67%

Fightville

65%

63%

Hey Bartender!

77%

92%

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography

78%

76%

The Swell Season

94%

85%

The House I Live In

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Oblivion Looks Great, But Its Story Meanders

View more photos

THR Staff

Hollywood Reporter

Astonishment abounds in doc about card-trick genius.

Nov 3, 2020

Full Review

Drew Taylor

indieWire

We want to know as much as we can about this guy, but like any good magician, he keeps things shadowy and hard to pin down.

Rated: A-

Nov 3, 2020

Full Review

Tom Long

Detroit News

The film offers all manner of mind-blowing tricks, as well as a colorful history of the evolution of magic and illusions, especially through the 20th century.

Rated: B

Jul 25, 2013

Full Review

Chase Beck

Battleship Pretension

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay only delivers on half the promise that the title makes, there are plenty of mentors, but no real mysteries to speak of. I'm okay with that.

Mar 4, 2021

Full Review

Bernard Boo

Way Too Indie

It would be entertaining enough to simply set Ricky Jay in front of a camera and let him talk, but Bernstein captures the essence of Jay's persona in a way that's as intimate and riveting as his routines.

Rated: 8.2/10

Apr 12, 2019

Full Review

Gerald Peary

Arts Fuse

The filmmaker is annoyingly passive and star-struck,as Ricky Jay, speaks only to his chosen agenda.

Rated: 2

Sep 16, 2013

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Filmmakers Molly Bernstein and Alan Edelstein take a glimpse at the very private world of professional magician Ricky Jay.

Director: Molly Bernstein
Executive Producer: Cathy Greenwold
Production Co: Kino Lorber Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 4, 2012, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $151.4K

Most Popular at Home Now