The Illusionist

Another nothingish movie. The Illusionist is set in 19th century Vienna, I think. And the main characters are an "illusionist," his childhood sweetheart who is a duchess, an inspector, and the crowned prince, the duchess' fiance.

The way the movie is filmed gave me the impression that the director thought it was more interesting and intense than it actually is. It's about magic and illusion and ghosts. It's essentially a mystery. But it was filmed in this shrouded over-wrought way. I think if it had been done on a smaller scale it might have worked.

As it was, there was no emotional center. The love story was passive, with both actors phoning it in. As the inspector Paul Giamatti tried to muster up an interesting and believable performance. The poor man really did try, which is more than I can say for Ed Norton or Jessica Biel. But alas, Giamatti is a sucky actor and his efforts fell flat.

Guess I didn't like this one very much.