Now You See It...
Now You See It...
G | 14 January 2005 (USA)
Now You See It... Trailers

While producing a reality TV show, a teenager meets a magician whose powers are real but put him in danger.

Reviews
AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.
GetPapa Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible
SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
tinkerbell90194 I think that this movie is really worth seeing and I think that it is one of the best Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM). Now You See It is about a competition seeing who is the best kid magician but Danny (Johnny Pacar) learns that he is a sorcerer and he goes to Max for help but Max is evil. He gives Danny a ring so that Max can control his powers. But Allyson (Alisson Michalka) knows the truth and tries to save Danny but Danny doesn't believe her. So she gets kicked out of the castle from Max. Then she does some research about Max's mentor and finds out that he died wearing the same ring as Danny and while doing the same trick as Danny. So she goes on a train back to the castle and hides in box that is a delivery for Danny. And tries to warn him he doesn't believe her at first until after he almost dies then he tries to get the ring off he can't get off himself so he gets Allyson out of the box when he does she gets the off. But What Will Happen To Danny And Allyson?
Pevensies I watch Disney almost everyday of the week. Since I saw the previews of this movie, I was dying to see the premiere. But for some reason, something happened and I don't remember what it was. All I know is that I missed most of the premiere. But I did know that Disney does premieres Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I just couldn't wait. I finally got to watch it some time in Februaury. Oh my goodness! I just loved it. I still love it. It's one of the best Disney movies I've ever seen.I just hope it becomes a DCOM movie because there was a Halloween-type movie last year, or the year before, and it didn't become a movie at all. Earlier this year, I tried looking up the Halloween movie on Disney and they didn't have it. I'm glad I recorded it. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't tell the title. It is called "Scream Team." I think I will try it again. Hang on just a minute. Nope, nothing, nada. Well, I think I might-. Nevermind, I don't want to cause an influence on kids if they are reading this. "Scream Team" is an awesome movie, too.
Brandt Sponseller As reality television shows are all the rage in the early 21st Century, this film posits an interesting fictional one: "The World's Best Kid Magician". Adding to the novelty, the producers are hiring "kid producers" for individual segments. Each kid producer's job is to find then follow around a candidate for the best kid magician. Allyson (Alyson Michalka), a smart, perky (maybe too perky) teen, has been hired as one of the segment producers. We follow her as she tries out a succession of horrible kid magicians before finding Danny Sinclair (Johnny Pacar), who at first seems like another disaster. It turns out that he has ability but just can't control it. Will he be able to hone his craft and win the show? And just how does he do his mind-boggling yet "accidental" tricks? While the premise is awfully interesting, this is one of Disney's lesser live action films. However, as I think most Disney films (live action as well as animated) are spectacular, a lesser Disney film isn't too bad. There are a number of problems, but I ended up giving Now You See It . . . a 7, or a "C".As I often prefer to do, I'll get the problems out of the way first. Director Duwayne Johnson (who has been an editor on three David Lynch films, including Blue Velvet (1986), and who directed three episodes of the "Twin Peaks" (1990) television series--an odd pedigree for a Disney helmer) makes two moves that do not work very well. One is obvious--parts of the film seem like a reality show, complete with the cheesy music that those usually have, and the over-dramatic dilemmas and "challenges". We could argue that the intention was to spoof such shows, but those sequences do not play very satirically. They just seem like an especially low budget reality show. Maybe this stuff would work for you if you're a fan of such shows, but I tend to hate a lot of them (I've only liked the Andy Kaufman-like practical joke ones, which seem much more mocking of the genre than Now You See It . . . does).The second problem for me, although this was much slighter, was that as an extension of the reality show mentality, Dunham shoots a few sequences in a faux documentary cinéma vérité style, ala The Blair Witch Project (1999). Most of the material closest to that style (such as the kids walking down the hall towards the "secret chamber") is very brief, and some of it even works, but the interview-style bumpers of Allyson seem too much like telling instead of showing.The production design is quite impressive. I love idea of the "Magic Mansion", which is where the bulk of the film is set. (A similar setting was also used to great effect in Clive Barker's 1995 film, Lord of Illusions.) Especially the library, and the secret room in what amounts to the mansion's "dungeon", accessible only through a bank vault-styled door, have a strong Harry Potter vibe to them.The magical performances, while occasionally banal, were just as often intriguing and well staged. Besides, some of them were supposed to be banal--the idea is that these are mostly inexperienced young kids on the upward slope of the learning (and skill) curve, after all.The overarching plot, which involves a few twists and which is occasionally quite nefarious, is very well written by Bill Fritz, who was a story producer and story editor on the legitimate reality shows, "Fear Factor" (2001) and "House Rules" (2003), making him an apt choice.The film is also well acted by the two principals, Michalka and Pacar. The third principal is Frank Langella as Max, who is at least very bizarre and interesting here. I couldn't recall seeing Langella since 1979's Dracula (at least I hadn't seen him in a starring role), so suddenly seeing him 25 years down the pike was strange in itself, now that he's much paunchier and he's adopted a tight-cropped, graying Anton LaVey look to accommodate his receding hairline. As Max, he tends to have an odd smirk, maybe a smarminess, which comes across as fairly campy/cheesy at first but that turns out to be appropriate for the character in retrospect. However, it seems a bit inexplicable why the other people interacting with Max on a regular basis wouldn't think he's a bit loopy. So maybe Langella is being a bit over the top and hammy, just not in a scenery-chewing way. But, I like those qualities. Heck, I thought that Jon Voight should have won an Oscar for Anaconda (1997)! While it's not one of the better Disney live action films, Now You See It . . . is without a doubt one of the more unusual ones. It even has some interesting subtextual layering of the appearance/reality distinction that's the heart of magic. Enjoyable despite its flaws, you shouldn't miss this one if you see it airing again. It would also be worth picking up on DVD if it makes it to that format and you are a huge Disney fan, as I am.
Twisted_SNL_Babe Now, the stereotypical Disney Channel movie is some "Hooray for everything!"-themed movie about a young girl/guy struggling to get through middle school/high school. This is still about a young boy (around 16) and a girl (same age) trying to help him master his magic.Alyson Michalka doesn't stray far from her character on Phil of the Future with Alyson (wow, what a stretch with the name), perky, fun, and inquisitive. Yet her character in this movie has slightly more "oompf" than Keely.Johnny Pacar is very good at portraying Danny, struggling to keep his powers secret and under control.This movie strays slightly from the Disney Channel movie mold. It's a little more dark than past Disney movies, and I like the change. The writing is very good for a kid/teen movie, and the casting is done very well. The main idea of the movie is that Allyson (Michalka) is a teen producer on a new reality show trying to find the "World's Greatest Kid Magician." But all her prospects are a flop. Until she finds Danny (Pacar), that is. They move to the magic mansion, which leads to mystery, drama, and even betrayal. Well, as much betrayal as can be shown on the Disney Channel.All in all, I commend Disney on at least trying to break out of their stereotypes with this movie. It's entertaining, and you should at least try to check it out. Michalka and Bacar have great on-screen friend chemistry, even in the beginning, when they're less than friends.7/10