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Desperate Acts of Magic

Play trailer Poster for Desperate Acts of Magic 2013 1h 26m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Jason dreams of becoming a professional magician and teams with Stacy, a street performer, to compete in The Brotherhood of Magicians Competition.
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Desperate Acts of Magic

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Justin Chang Variety Gold's conventional script is enlivened by engaging performances, authentic tricks and amusing noir-parody touches as it delves into the often unsavory institutional politics of the magic industry. May 15, 2013 Full Review Amy Nicholson Los Angeles Times Tthe actors are better at making coins disappear than emoting, though brassy blond Dillman is as lively as a hat full of rabbits. Rated: 2.5/5 May 9, 2013 Full Review Neil Genzlinger New York Times The story has a few convolutions too many, but a generous sprinkling of tricks and illusions will appeal to fans of magic. Rated: 3/5 May 3, 2013 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com The film's real spark comes from Sascha Alexander as Ellen. Rated: 2.5/4.0 Sep 6, 2020 Full Review Ron Wilkinson Monsters and Critics The magic is all on the stage is this lightweight review of catchy illusion. Rated: 5/10 May 27, 2013 Full Review Louis Proyect rec.arts.movies.reviews Does for the world of magic what "The Wrestler" did for another profession based on illusion. Much better than "The Prestige" even though with a more modest provenance. May 3, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (6) audience reviews
Joe G If you like magic, you'll love this movie. Worth checking out. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Okay, so this film is NOT going to win an Oscar for Best Picture. But it is alot of fun. I found The characters are believable, and I enjoyed seeing actual magic that was performed without special effects.Some may think it mundane. In a world that has come to view Criss Angel as the epitome of "magic," perhaps a small story about folks who don't levitate seems too tame. Maybe the writers poke a little too much fun at the professional magician. Yet, if you cannot laugh at yourself, then you lead a sad life. This film may not be everyone's "cup of tea." But, then again, neither is magic. However, if you enjoy magic, magicians, or just want to have some fun, please go see it! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member I saw this movie on the west coast and truly enjoyed it. I'm a fan of magic and the independent film concept. Having seen many iffy independent films I was completely surprised by how well this worked. The acting was of a very high standard, the story was excellent, it explored the "magic underground" of LA which was interesting. It was funny and clever magic was weaved throughout. Considering what must have been a very modest budget this was everything a movie could be. Well done and worthy of your CD collection. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member I wanted to like this so much,.. but alas, I could not. The story line is okay but Joe Tyler is just too goofy to take seriously and the magic performed is incredibly pedestrian. I can not believe how many reviews actually cite the magic and that they enjoyed the tricks. Many of the tricks are literally tricks I used to perform at kids birthday par tie - back in the 70;s!. I like the premise but in the end it fails to deliver an engaging, grownup film. One bright light though, Valerie Dillman is charming and a joy to watch. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Charming and funny! Plus, the magic is pretty cool! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Tenía bastantes ganas de ver esta cinta, sin embargo creo que me decepcionó, el desarrollo me parece lento, algo torpe y tedioso, su mediana duración se me hace muy larga gracias a este problema con el desarrollo, las actuaciones me parecieron buenas sin ser una maravilla, y el guión tiene sus momentos. Desperate Acts of Magic no es una cinta que me haya enloquecido, me aburrió, y creo que puede ser una de las candidatas a ser olvidada. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Desperate Acts of Magic

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Jason dreams of becoming a professional magician and teams with Stacy, a street performer, to compete in The Brotherhood of Magicians Competition.
Director
Tammy Caplan, Joe Tyler Gold
Producer
Tammy Caplan, Joe Tyler Gold
Screenwriter
Joe Tyler Gold
Production Co
Gold Cap Films
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 2, 2014
Runtime
1h 26m
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