Based on the novel by Nick Pollack, The Magician’s Raincoat, Pollack also was one of the screenwriters, and the movie will please a lot of young viewers, especially those who enjoy a fantasy adventure involving a magician who goes missing. The real heroes of the movie are the kids: Jack (Jake Alexander Williams), Olivia (Taylor Bedford), and Charlie (Bryson Robinson).
The movie opens some 86 years ago, with an old model car seen driving by. It’s a rainy night and at the local theater, a banner proclaims The Stupendous Semprini Performing Nightly. Augustus Semprini has run out of rent money and the theater manager is about to kick him out. Only a few patrons who come in at the last moment can possibly save him. But will he make enough to pay his debts?
Semprini performs a marvelous trick, turning a lit candle into flowers. The audience responds with great cheers and he replies, “Grazie, grazie, grazie.” Semprini throws a few flowers to ladies in the audience, including a woman named Gertrude, and Semprini calls her up to help him do a trick. In a humorous moment, he places her in a tall booth and closes the door, intending to make her disappear. He opens up the door and indeed she is gone. However, another door falls open inside the booth, revealing Gertrude, and the audience roars with laughter. When Gertrude goes back to her seat, she realizes that her beautiful broach embedded with a jewel in its design, is gone. Did Semprini steal it?
She confronts him backstage, and he denies it, although the viewer knows differently. Outside, as Semprini attempts a getaway on foot, Gertrude follows him and zaps him with a wand. The green electrical bolts cause him to disappear and only his raincoat is left behind. But there is no sign of the broach.
Now, as the movie fast-forwards to the modern age, it is Halloween and a witch riding a broom is seen on a clock, and bats are on the wall at the high school. A young man named Jack (Jake Alexander Williams) says hello to a girl he likes named Kristy, but unfortunately, a bully bumps into him, ruining the moment.
The movie does a good job of portraying the difficulties of being a high school teen. In one scene in gym class, various boys are being chosen for a basketball game, and a short kid named Charlie (Bryson Robinson) is picked last. It’s painful for him. In class, a girl is accused of plagiarism, and she doesn’t stand for it, telling her teacher that she wrote her paper on her own. The girl is named Olivia (Taylor Bedford) and she is sister to both Jack and Charlie. What Olvia doesn’t know is that there is more to her teacher Miss Weaver (Laura Shatkus) than she realizes.
The kids’ mom, Katie Finerman (Lisa Fenimore), is in danger of losing their home, but she does a good job in acting like everything is fine, putting up a strong and confident front for her kids. The siblings are typical kids, playing with plastic swords and dueling outside. When Jack, who has found a certain raincoat, puts it on, he is suddenly older and resembles Semprini, although he is still Jack. Semprini’s name is written on the raincoat. It turns out that Miss Weaver wants that raincoat, and she sends a raven after it while working on casting spells. It seems that she too is a witch. But why does she want the raincoat so badly?
The movie features a lot of special effects and a flying creature with one big eye named Bertha. Bertha works with Miss Weaver. And when the kids see Semprini in a puddle on the ground, he tells them they must find Gertrude, who is the only one who can end his curse. Is it possible that Gertrude is still alive? The plot thickens as Jack sees Kristy again, and he says he will see her at the dance. “I hope so,” she replies. The movie sets up several subplots which will all be concluded by the film’s ending. The funny moments are great too, as a cat is turned into the likeness of Semprini and hisses at Jack and his siblings.
The movie contains fantasy-type witches and the casting of spells, but it also focuses on forgiveness and the important topic of teens growing up and the difficulties they often deal with. It is obvious that it is an adventure played for fun. The film is Dove Reviewed, and parents should consult the content listing so as to make their own informed decisions.
Content Analysis: There are a few utterances of OMG, Dork, and Idiot. There is fantasy-type witchcraft with spells, with special effects and they are played in an over-the-top way. Still, this would be a good discussion topic about fantasy-type witchcraft and the real thing. Forgiveness and what it can do is nicely featured.
Think About it: Discussion topics include: Do people practice real witchcraft? What does the Bible say about practicing real witchcraft? How is the good vs. evil angle handled in this movie? What happens when forgiveness is offered and accepted?
The Dove Take: This movie features some kids as the heroes, as well as special effects and a story covering 86 years. Parents should consult our content listing to make informed decisions.
