Magic in the Moonlight
On my recent Air Canada flight, under the genre of “Hollywood” films, low and behold I see Woody Allen’s new film. Hidden like a little gem amongst the likes of Transcendence, The Maze Runner and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Woody’s films are really a genre all their own, so I hardly expected to find them amongst these Hollywood blockbusters.
Thinking back over the past year, I don’t remember seeing Magic in the Moonlight in cinema listings at all?
Nonetheless I had high hopes that I might love it as much as Vicky, Christina, Barcelona (2008) or perhaps (but it would be a stretch) even as much as Matchpoint (2005).
Magic in the Moonlight is about an infamous London based magician named Stanley (played by Colin Firth) who goes by the stage name Wei Ling Soo, most known for making elephants disappear. Stanley gets asked by long time friend Howard Burkan (played by Simon McBurney) to come and debunk a young psychic named Sophie (played by Emma Stone). Sophie has the ability to reach the spirits of those who have passed. Wealthy widow Grace Catledge (played by Jackie Weaver) desperately seeks the psychic abilities from Sophie to contact her deceased husband in seances, in exchange for Sophie’s psychic abilities, Grace promises to fund a psychic charity Sophie and her stage managing Mom have fabricated as a way to swindle money from the widow.
In typical Woody Allen fashion, a romantic twist occurs between Stanley and Sophie, although Grace’s grandson Brice Catledge (played by Hamish Linklater) has made his interest in marrying Sophie more than obvious, her feelings are for Stanley. Stanley in engaged to be married to a woman in London and realizes it is not logical to get tangled up in his feelings for Sophie.
Stanley observes all of Sophie’s talents and believes she is a true psychic that can reach spiritual worlds beyond theirs. he goes on public record in the media stating that she is a legitimate psychic. Slowly the film unveils the true intention of all the characters in a rather predictable plot.
Sadly, the chemistry between Collin Firth and Emma Stone fell flat in comparison to past duos. It might have been the drastic age difference, or her inability to play the role convincingly, but whatever it was, it just didn’t gel. In fact this film had more parallels to Scoop (2006), the magician murder mystery, but there was no murder and a lot less mystery unfortunately. Maybe there was a reason I never saw it in the theatre listings…
