Now Showing: Magic

 

Magic

Genre: Drama/Horror

Director: Riley Sterns

Writer: Jack Brown

Based on the novel by William Goldman

Cast: David Dastmalchian, Alison Pill, Ernie Hudson, Eric Christian Olsen, Jeanne Tripplehorn, John Noble

Plot: Charles "Corky" Withers (David Dastmalchian) is on stage in a New York City night club. His heart pounding like a rabbit caught in a snare. The spotlight bore down on him, revealing every bead of sweat on his forehead. Corky begins performing his magic act for the crowd. He clearly has a gift for magic, but technical proficiency alone can’t save him now. In between tricks, Corky wipes his clammy palms on his jacket. He begins to lose the audience. They begin chattering to each other as Corky begins to fumble through his act. Finally Corky snaps. He begins yelling at the audience, pointing out how difficult his card and magic tricker were to master. 

After the disastrous set, Corky goes to get a drink with his mentor, an old school New York stage magician named Merlin (John Noble). Merlin asks him how the show went. Corky tells him that the show was going perfect - from a technical perspective. The tricks were going as planned. He just couldn't capture the audience's attention enough to make them care. Merlin tells Corky that he is a gifted magician - one of the best sleight of hand performers around - but that maybe he needs a gimmick for his act to help make up for his nervous stage presence. Merlin gives him the address of an old warehouse in Yonkers that is full of classic stage props from 100 years worth of New York stage shows. Merlin suggests that Corky head over there and find something to help him stand out.

Trying to take Merlin's advise to find a gimmick to heart, Corky heads to warehouse in Yonkers. He spends hours digging through crates full of props and equipment. He finally stumbles upon a relic - a ventriloquist dummy named Fats, at least according to the markings on the back. The wooden figure seems to beckon him. Corky hesitates at first before slipping his hand into the hollow back. Fats comes to life in Corky's hand.

One Year Later. Corky is headlining at one of New York's top night clubs. The club buzzes with anticipation as Corky and Fats' shows have become one of the hottest tickets in town. Ben Greene (Ernie Hudson), Corky's new big-time agent, sits in the front row. Next to him is Anita Todson (Jeanne Tripplehorn), a television executive. Before the show begins, Ben spends every moment talking up Corky's act, trying to convince Anita that Corky and Fats could be the best thing to hit late night television since Johnny Carson. Corky takes the stage and begins with some simple tricks, but a heckler starts insulting his act. Corky tells the heckler to try to do better. The unseen heckler takes him up on the offer, but says he needs a hand getting to the stage. Corky walks out into the crowd before returning to the stage with Fats on his hand. The audience roars. The act continues. While Corky's technical prowess is unmatched - his hands practically dance in front of the audience's very eyes, with cards appearing and vanishing at will - it is Fats who steals the show with his raunchy humor. Laugher cascades like confetti throughout the club as Corky and Fats weave their magic - the trembling magician and the foul-mouthed dummy. Anita leans toward Ben Greene and tells him that she wants to make a deal as soon as possible for Corky and Fats to have their own late night show. As the final applause thunders, Corky glances at Merlin's empty seat - the mentor who'd set him on this path. 

The negotiations between Corky's agent Ben Greene and the television executives led by Anita Todson are going great. Ben calls Corky to have tell him to be ready to sign the contract. The only thing left to do is a standard medical examination. This causes Corky to panic as he secretly believes the doctors might find out that he suffers from severe mental issues and that even off-stage he struggles to control Fats the dummy, who has come to represent Corky's id. Ben tries to convince Corky that it is the industry norm, Corky tells him that he does not want to do any medical exams based on principle, refusing to submit to their scrutiny. Ben's patience begins to wane, trying to convince Corky that this will be his big break, his only chance at absolute super-stardom. Corky refuses to budge on the issue. Ben says he'll try to convince the television people, but that it may take some time and effort.

While his agent works on the negotiations, Corky decides to take a trip to his hometown in the Catskills. Corky drives with his windows rolled down through the winding roads. He arrives at his hometown's lone hotel, a weathered Victorian gem, its sign creaking in the breeze. Peggy Ann Snow (Alison Pill) greets him at the front desk, her eyes widening when she recognizes Corky. Peggy is happy to see a hometown boy returning to town after all these years, joking that she thought he would be too famous with his magic to ever want to come back. She leads him to his room and lingers as he begins to unpack. Corky pulls out a deck of cards - the same deck that has dazzled audiences. He shuffles, cuts, and reveals the ace of hearts with seemingly no effort at all. Peggy claps her hands and laughs with wonder. She says that trick was impressive, but asks if Corky can make her marriage disappear as his next trick. Corky is a disappointed to hear that she's married. She tells him that she married her husband Duke right after high school, but now it is passionless. Suddenly the voice of Fats calls out to be let out of his case, saying her can't breathe any more. Corky frantically rushes over to the case and opens it up. He puts Fats on his hand and introduces Peggy to Fats. Corky continues to wow Peggy with his magic act, finally telling her about the massive crush he had on her in school. Peggy confesses that she also always thought Corky was kind of cute. She kisses Corky while Fats watches with an envious expression.

As Corky and Peggy continue to spend time together at the remote hotel, they begin to fall for each other. Corky gazes into Peggy's eyes, finding them to be more magic than any deck of cards. They retire to Corky's room. Two lost souls finding solace in each other's arms. The bed creaks, the sheets tangle, the moon peaks through the curtains, as Corky and Peggy make love. Everything is great with Corky and Peggy until her husband Duke (Eric Christian Olsen) returns from his business trip. Peggy tells Corky that she is nervous that Duke is going to notice how she looks at him. Corky kisses her one last time before they have to pretend their love doesn't exist. Duke is immediately suspicious of Corky, worried that Corky has promised Peggy glitz and glamor in the big city to try to win her over. Peggy tries to convince Duke that nothing is going on, but Duke's suspicions remain and he watches Peggy and Corky closely.

In his room, Fats is perched on Corky's hand. The dummy's eyes bear into Corky's soul, accusing and furious. Fats accuses Corky of choosing Peggy over him. Corky argues that Peggy is his one chance at true love with another person. While Fats and Corky argue, Ben Greene arrives shocked at what he is seeing. Corky tries to pass off his argument with Fats as simply rehearsing a new bit. Ben isn't convinced though. He says that Corky is clearly unraveling, going mad. Corky insists he's fine, just a little stressed out about the TV deal. Ben challenges Corky to prove it by making Fats shut up for five minutes. Corky hesitates before agreeing. Corky clamps his hands over Fats' mouth, but the dummy's eyes become wide with rage. Corky cannot last the five minutes as Fats begins berating Ben. Ben gets up, announcing that he is going to call some doctors to get Corky well again. Fats whispers "Kill him" to Corky. Corky lunges at Ben, Fats' hard, wooden head raised high. Corky brings Fats' wooden body hard down on Ben's head repeatedly with a loud thud each time. Blood seeps from Ben's head as he hits the ground. Fats urges Corky to hide the body in the nearby lake. Corky drags Ben's body through the woods to the lake. Ben, not dead after all, suddenly swipes at Corky. Corky holds Ben's head under the surface of the lake until Ben stops flailing. 

Corky returns to his room, waterlogged and trembling. He strips off his wet clothes and burns them in a fire place. Corky huddles in front of the fire to warm up. Fats tells Corky that he did the right thing killing Ben - he wanted to split them up. Corky asks Fats what he would do if he eloped with Peggy and left Fats behind. Fats laughs - a sound that scraps against Corky's sanity. Corky tells Fats that he plans to talk to Peggy about the idea. Fats cruelly suggests that Corky should kill Peggy next as she won't help him become a star. Corky closes Fats in his case as the dummy protests.

Dressed only in lingerie, Peggy arrives at Corky's door with a bottle of wine. Peggy tells Corky that Duke is off hunting deer and she doesn't want to be alone any more. Not long after, Corky and Peggy lay in bed, their bodies intertwined. Corky, his lips brushing Peggy's body, suggests that they run away, far from here, far from Duke, far from Fats, far from the Catskills. Peggy nestles closer to Corky and asks where they will go. He says anywhere she wants. Peggy is taken with the idea, but insists on waiting to end things with Duke in person after he returns from hunting.

Duke returns from hunting and goes to give Peggy a kiss, but she pulls away. Duke goes to talk to Corky, asking him to have a chat with him over by the lake. Duke reveals to Corky that he knows that she is losing Peggy as he has noticed how she looks at Corky. Corky is about to attempt to explain, but Duke cuts him off. Duke awkwardly confides in Corky, saying that he loves Peggy - always has. Suddenly, Duke notices the body of Ben Green on the edge of the lake, half-submerged. Duke rushes into action to pull the body out of the water. Duke yells for Corky to go call for help. Corky runs back to the hotel. Instead of rushing for a phone though, he goes to Peggy. He says that should leave now. She shakes her head, insisting that she still owes it to Duke to at least explain the situation to him.

With help never arriving at the lake, Duke follows his suspicions and searches Duke's room. His fingers tremble as he rifles through Corky's belongings. Suddenly he stumbles across Ben Greene's wallet and identification nestled among Corky's cards. Duke realizes that Corky is an unhinged killer responsible for the death. Impossibly, Fats moves across the room toward Duke. Corky then steps forward, Fats' knife glints in his hand. Before Duke can react, Fats lunges. The knife plunges into Duke's chest repeatedly. 

Corky goes to Peggy and tells her that he talked to Duke for her since he knew she would have trouble doing so. Corky tells her that Duke isn't happy, but accepted that she wasn't happy being with him either. Peggy believes him, but then she hears Fats' voice telling her that Corky is lying. Peggy immediately becomes concerned that Corky is talking through a dummy to her. Peggy locks herself in her bedroom, telling Corky that she needs time to think about things. Fats then announces to Corky that will take over making Corky's decisions going forward, immediately ordering Corky to kill Peggy. Corky tries to apologize to Peggy through the door, but only Fats' voice comes out of his mouth.

Corky walks away, returning with a bloodstained knife. Fats seems happy that Corky is following his instruction, until it is revealed that the blood on the knife is Corky's. Corky has slashed his wrists with blood pulsing from the wounds. As he begins to grow faint from the blood loss, Corky too grows faint. Corky and Fats both wonder aloud which one of them will die first. Peggy finally comes out of her bedroom, ready to forgive Corky and spend her life with him. She screams when she finds Corky's dead body on the floor, laying lifeless next to Fats.