By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.7 cats
Director: Molly Bernstein
Country: united_states
Year: 2013
Running time: 82
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2654360/combined
Jason says: “Even those of us who have never seen Ricky Jay do close-up magic will likely recognize the man from his side gigs as a character actor – and if you stay through the credits of those movies and others, he’ll often be credited as a consultant on card-sharping, con artistry, and of course magic. He’s also a prolific author, and I suspect that while his enthusiasm where the magicians who inspired him are concerned comes through well here, his books on the subject must be exceptional.
“Ricky Jay Potash, we soon learn, was practicing magic from an early age, picking up the bug from his grandfather Max Katz, an enthusiastic and highly regarded amateur. Through Katz, Jay met many of New York’s great magicians like Cardini, Slydini, and Al Flosso; after moving to California, he would meet Charlie Miller and Dai Vernon. He talks about these mentors backstage at his performances, as clips of those shows and some of his TV appearances.
“There’s a well-known and mostly-respected code of secrecy among magicians that marks it as a brotherhood, and while it’s admirable enough in its way, it leaves something of a gap in stories that the movie is telling: As much as Jay is able to give entertaining background on the magic scene and describe what various illusionists did well, he is obviously loath to tell how those feats are accomplished. It’s maybe not necessary information, but it perhaps makes pinning down what each mentor contributed to Jay’s development as a magician beyond vague generalities.
“Similarly, the audience won’t necessarily learn a whole lot about Jay himself; he is pointedly short when talking about his lack of a relationship with his family after the death of his grandfather, for example. We hear a story by one of his Hollywood collaborators about how one of Jay’s shows was well-attended by card hustlers, so he moves about an interesting world, but it’s not something that’s explored in any sort of detail at all. Indeed, perhaps the most telling thing about the film’s main subject is comparing his early talk-show appearances where he’s long-haired and broadly comedic to the scholarly but still witty modern Ricky Jay.
“The man still is possessed of enough of an odd charisma to make DECEPTIVE PRACTICE an interesting watch. He’s an amusingly low-key showman on the stage, and has a nifty way of talking enthusiastically about the history of magic without sounding completely nerdy and obsessive. No mean feat, considering just how arcane some of his knowledge is and how often he talks about the soothing nature of constant practice. And while some of the archive footage certainly shows its age – some is old and beat-up enough to make tricks look like they maybe editing rather than slight-of-hand, some is blown-up standard-definition video – it shows some fairly impressive magic, and Dai Vernon looks like he was a treasure. It also doesn’t hurt one bit
to have a couple good bits with Steve Martin worked in there, either.
“Even with his relative reticence, Ricky Jay is still an intriguing guy and a font of interesting knowledge. DECEPTIVE PRACTICE will certainly make those who see it a little more interested the next time he pops up in a movie or on television – and definitely curious about him in his primary role of magician – even if its main effect is making the viewer wish there had been more. 3 cats
“Seen 1 June 2013 in Landmark Kendall Square #4 (first-run, DCP).”
Julie says: “Also saw DECEPTIVE PRACTICE about Ricky Jay and the world of magic – my favorite part was his trick with the automaton in the special features – It was an interesting movie especially if you like magic, collecting and are interested in (often personal) stories of various famous magicians…… but only 3 cats worth of entertainment.”
Diane says: “Don’t ask me what I was expecting of this doc. Card tricks leave me cold, especially on screen, where you can’t trust that things haven’t been manipulated. And I can’t appreciate how hard something is if it’s made to look easy.
“Ricky Jay is a sleight of hand magician (and actor, especially for David Mamet). This film, directed by Molly Bernstein, seems to have been plotted out by Jay himself. He loves the history of magic, and shots of pages from his book collection and old video are prominent. A third of the movie is a biopic of Jay, who started performing at age 4, and another third is an homage to the mid-century magicians who schooled him. Omitted are personal details of Jay’s life and his acting career. It’s pretty dull. 2 cats”