Thursday, March 19, 2009

"I promise you you'll enjoy this next show..." The Illusionist

At first I wasn't sure if I should consider The Illusionist a "chick flick," but after thinking about it a little more (and seeing it on Yahoo's Top Chick Flick list) I made the final decision that it is. And what a great "chick flick" it is.

The film is based on the story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" by Steven Millhauser. The Illusionist is about two childhood friends, Eisenheim and Sophie, who are split up because they come from different classes. They meet again when they are adults, Eisenheim is building a name for himself as an illusionist and Sophie is engaged to Prince Leopold. We follow their battle to be together.

The Illusionist is starring Edward Norton as Eisenheim, Jessica Biel as Sophie, Refus Sewell as Prince Leopold, as well as Paul Giamatti, Inspector Uhl. The cast is just one of the reasons that make the movie great because I believe they work very well together.

Robert Ebert calls the film a "romantic heart" and "coolly entertaining." I have to agree with him. It is a movie that has you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. Even after watching it once and knowing what happens, it is a movie that you can watch again and again.So why would I consider this movie a "chick flick?" Because it has a captivating love story, a powerful heroine that stands up for what she wants and the powerful story of friendship. I am not saying The Illusionist is ONLY a "chick flick" because it certainly is not. It could be considered a drama with a bit of fantasy, maybe a little suspense AND a "chick flick."

It is because of this multiple genres it could be included in that make The Illusionist a great movie for all, including you guys out there. Yes there is a love story but there is also suspense, magic, death, etc. So as always, watch the trailer, see if it's right for you and then watch the movie!



3 comments:

  1. Good choice! I actually loved this movie, even though I was a little hesitant to see it in the first place. I thought it would be like The Prestige, which I really hated for some reason. I think this movie was a lot more deft with the twists and turns without alienating the audience and making them say, "What the hell? You know what, screw it!"

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  2. Yeah I was not a fan of The Prestige either. The entire movie was too confusing and not well played out. Unlike The Illusionist which is awesome!

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  3. I really enjoyed The Illusionist. It was quite different from The Prestige, which was more about magic and male ego. This movie made me see Edward Norton in a whole new romantic leading man role.

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