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75A charming documentary about the finalists in the Teenage Magician Contest at the annual World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas.
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70The various sleights of hand are impressive even if we're afforded little insight into their actual execution. Still, it's fun stuff.
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70These talented, dedicated kids aren't making believe about anything - they're making art out of shimmering illusion, intricate manipulation and blithe misdirection. (In magic, as distinct from filmmaking, misdirection is a good thing.)
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May 14, 201170A charming, affectionate and often elegantly executed study of teenage magicians, their craft and the social shadows they step out of when they do their stuff.
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70The buildup to the actual competition is perfectly paced, with the film never tipping its hand as to the winner. And the championship has all the drama of a high-stakes sporting event: failure under pressure, unexpected triumph, gracious losers and winners both.
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60Watching even the most tossed-off gag is worth whatever shortcomings Make Believe has, including its lack of real drama.
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50Structurally, this becomes a little monotonous because there's just no denying that some kids are more interesting than others.
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May 12, 201150The movie owes more to reality TV than feature filmmaking, subordinating the various story lines to the simple question of who'll win the contest.
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May 10, 201150The drama is merely serviceable until the last moment, when the winner makes the competition disappear.
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40First-time director J. Clay Tweel oversells the importance of both the Vegas event and of magic in general-you'd think he were filming a spiritual movement rather than hidden-ball tricks. His wide-eyed subjects do make magic happen-but that has less to do with illusion than innocence.
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