Magicians (2007): Thoughts on Mitchell and Webb's Film Debut

[@Maxbev14]

Petition for Andrew to change his channel picture to the Russian DVD version of David Mitchell's face

[@mikespongili8254]

You have to get the shoulders and the no-neck in there if you can tho...

[@brutalairwaves]

please make this happen

[@mollymakesthings1458]

Please, it would be painfully suiting

[@soft_lex3820]

That russian dvd cover is how he looked after the event

[@Delvirus84]

You don't talk about the...event.

[@jamesstewart7736]

Stay indoors!

[@abum4595]

he looks like Les Claypool in the Wynona's Big Brown Beaver music video

I envy you who still could see after the event with their remaining eye

[@tomwright4969]

The launch party for Business Secrets of the Pharaohs

[@System_Sega]

For a low budget British film, its not bad. Not great, but not bad. The sort of film to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

[@syncops834]

Not quite This is England though is it

[@Guckstro]

I always used to see DVDs of this film at poundland, seems like that was the best place for it really

[@JJJackson777]

for some reason this film came in a trilogy box set with Shaun of the Dead & Hot Fuzz. To this day I haven't the foggiest why.

[@leeshapon]

weird. you would think The World’s End would come with it, considering it’s part of the cornetto trilogy lol

[@thomascobbett]

@@leeshaponmaybe before the worlds end came out

[@OscarDirlwood]

I assume it was a way to sell the DVD

[@peterlavery8830]

I remember there being weird box sets like this all the time back in day, I'm pretty sure I robot came with minority report

[@JJJackson777]

don't worry fellas it's still available for the low, low price of £3.99 !!!

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Isy Suttie reveled in 2020 that Peep Show Series 8 was going to be followed by a movie set in New York [presumably on the back of the success of the Inbetweener's movie] but the plans fell through and it was replaced by series 9. It probably explains why 'Quantocking II' is such a let down as it was supposed to be set up to something which didn't materialize. I don't think that the movie would have worked well as most of these spin off don't translate well but I probably take 90 mins of Mark and Jez in America over series 9.

[@lkrnpk]

maybe it would work if in New York Jez became the apprentice of Fernando, the master of self fellatio

[@mark9294]

That would have been amazing

[@bigman25plus25]

Huh? Series 9 was amazing. One of the best.

[@drewpeacock9087]

@@bigman25plus25 I like s9 but I get why some don't, it can be a little over the top

[@brendandarkside1207]

The characters would never have gone to NY. Maybe had to move out to Croydon.

[@Its__Good]

Thanks for making these Andrew. I've never watched the film, or intend to, but as a Mitchell and Webb fan it's interesting to hear about their projects. Your docu style is definitely getting tighter as well!

[@jamesneedham6265]

They should have made the ending that Webbs character tries to commit suicide and so frame Mitchell with the guillotine act but Mitchell tries to kill Webb deliberately resulting in the switch being pressed twice to make it safe again and an akward ending to the act as both are surprised that the trick didn't go wrong. They lose the competition and make up and Webb tearfully confesses to Mitchel he wanted to end it all and let Webb take the flack. Mitchel comforts the distraught Webb until they both suddenly realize that means the only reason Webb survived was because Mitchel was trying to kill him and then the film ends.

[@williamdyer5086]

Your ending would have really elevated the movie, very smart rewrite.

[@chumreewalnut]

This film gave me and my family the use-all safe word of "Courtney Cox", for which we are eternally grateful as nobody else knows why in public situations

[@jensablefur155]

I want to watch this now if only for the cast. Its like the face of late 00s Britcoms all in one place.

[@Kousaburo]

I thought this was okay-ish when I saw it years ago. In place of a Peep Show movie it's a shame because you'd expect more from these people. And when the best part of the movie is spotting all the Peep Show cameos you know you done goofed. This is Mitchel & Webb's Guest House Paradiso.

[@beesree39]

I think a mockumentary would've worked really well. Somehow, Mitchell and Webb feel perfect for that style

[@ldwp6395]

Sam and Jesse were a part of four lions? I love that film.

[@liamkavanagh4150]

Same 😩

[@gridlo]

We just watched The Mitchells vs The Machines. We didn't recognize Oliva Coleman's voice until we heard her address a main character named "Mark."

[@josephhenning1781]

“Shut up and apologise” was delivered similarly to “Shut up and tell you the answer?” from the Young ones episode “Bambi”

[@tw-xm7vq]

also weirdly similair to a scene from the same episode in which vyvian stands over (and argues with) his own severed head

[@JakTheLad]

This channel is way better at reviewing tv shows and films than a lot of other channels out there. You have to give it to Andrew, he is unique.

[@leejones8582]

In 2007 we also had those awful Mac Adverts with Mitchell and Webb they were everywhere.

[@TheThundererVidz]

I saw a new Andrew vid in the sub box, and I genuinely felt all stress and worry fall away

[@jamesatkinsonja]

7:12 Catherine Shepherd-another Peep Show alumni as she played April.

[@shaneiacinsaniac]

Good spot, thought that was her.

[@myke1914]

Otto always felt to me that they wrote it for Matt King and then they couldn’t get Matt King so they replaced him but not well enough so now everyone thinks couldn’t they get Matt King!

[@jamesatkinsonja]

According to Wiki Olivia Colman was intended to be Mitchell's love interest in the movie but was replaced by Jessica Hynes as they thought it would be 'too similar to Peep Show'. While I suspect Olivia Colman probably was too busy, If the 'too similar to Peep show' was accurate, I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing occurred with Otto and Matt King.

[@sidgeaberration]

I forgot this existed. And as I watched the video it turns out I've seen it and forgotten all about it.

[@KairuDeLarge]

You hit the nail on the head when you said it was "forgettable". I saw this around 2012-13, once, and I didn't remember a single scene.

[@kiranup3329]

Russian cover David Mitchell will haunt me the rest of my days

[@FerHivore]

I watched Magicians years ago after my first Peep Show binge. Not only had I forgotten about it, but your retelling of it was funnier then what I remembered. Somehow, the whole film felt like a second-hand retelling of a comedy that was maybe good at one point. Seems like this could’ve been an interesting half-hour of television if they trimmed down all of the superfluous boring shit.

[@danikabrownPhD]

I adore this video and I adore your channel. Much better written and more entertaining than lots of other commentary/critical analysis channels out there. Keep making stuff mate.

[@axw]

Thank you!

[@SylarMagic]

This is def funnier for magicians, so many good references and magic related jokes

[@jimbexley9761]

Been waiting for you to do a video on this film, its a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.

[@senecauk8363]

Mad that one of the writers would go on to make...Succession.

[@lemurjim]

"Beige-tinted glasses" is a new classic

[@DanKeatis]

I blind-bought both Magicians and Confetti on DVD and spent the subsequent 3-4 years trying to convince myself that they were good.

[@pauljames1807]

Me: Can we get The Prestige? Mum: We have The Prestige at home The Prestige at home:

[@louisadare8235]

Noticed that quick mention of spaced. I would love to hear you make some videos about it, one of my favourite British comedies

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I love Spaced too. You can definitely tell Edgar Wright is a 'movie' director, giving the show such a great look and every episode is hilarious.

[@niamhjamie]

I've a weird nostalgia feeling about this film, I remember seeing it in the cinema. I can't remember anything about it, other than the fact I seen it!! haha

[@degau558]

Same, I literally remember one of them pissing on the other’s head... that’s it. I don’t remember a single other thing. I don’t even remember who got peed on!

[@wagonsworld9592]

And that's Magic, forgetting something that you have seen.🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂🙃 or if your 45 + just age.

[@5340robert]

Best thing about this film is part of it was filmed in Skegness.

[@Hankyman583]

youtube has been desperately recommending this video to me for the last week at least. cheers

[@marcusgordon9105]

popped up in my recommended, so glad this video did. I remember going to see this in the cinema, and as a magician it encapsulates so much of what was, and is wrong in magic. It's become stagnant in so many fields. It's the same few folk doing the same few tricks for eachother every year at magic conventions.

[@captainweekend5276]

I remember watching this film on early youtube alongside confetti, always had a very made for TV movie feel to it. I think you're spot on with calling it middling, it's one of those films that I don't care enough about it to hate, but also don't really enjoy much about it either. The other thing I'd say is the film feels very much like a passion project where all the passion went into the wrong place.

[@CavanBooth1]

As a magician and a Mitchell & Webb fan, I couldn't agree more. Too much effort in the wrong place. We wanted a funny film with Mitchell and Webb, not a weird love letter to magic (badly) crammed into a film that also happens to have comedy in. A real miss.

[@angrypacifist5782]

Can you review Days Like These? It is British remake of That '70s Show written by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong in late-1998/1999

[@jamesatkinsonja]

There are a couple of videos about it on KZbin from American's who love That 70's Show...but hate the UK version! I think Armstong and Bain just did the adaption for a paycheck and a way into the industry [they also wrote episodes of 'My parents are alien's' and 'Tracey Beaker' too!]

[@leejones8582]

awful show.

[@DratItsMatt]

That Big Kids throwback out of nowhere.

[@axw]

You're the first person to comment about it! I thought more people would remember that show, but I guess not.

[@jamesh4757]

I bought this in the poundland preowned DVD section years ago. Completely forgettable to be honest, I've got a decent memory but can't remember any of it.

[@JonjoLyonsReviews]

Great vid mate. Disappointing that this isn't as good as it could have been.

[@Georgieastra]

Fish and Chip should have never split up. I blame Roger Pin.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

As well as the UK tradition of 'sitcom movie spin offs' there was also the tradition of getting double acts into cheaply made films [which looked like cheap TV shows] in which the double act were usually plugged into stock scripts even if [like in this case or Morecambe and Wise's 60's movies] they were written by the TV writers. See also Ant+ Dec in Alien Autopsy. Frost + Pegg manged to avoid the usual pitfalls when they teamed up with Edgar Wright on the cornetto trilogy which is to there eminence credit

[@mikespongili8254]

Not quite the same but similar in the US with Saturday Night Live spinning popular sketches into movies. A few of them hit, of course, for a show that's been around for 45 years, but the rest were so, so, awful.

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

Worlds end was a high budget stinker

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549 I was genuinely surprised that its' box office was well down on Hot Fuzz [$46 million compared to Fuzz's $80 million] as it was well received critically [it's rotten tomatoes rating-for what that's worth-is 89%] and there was a lot of hype around it at the time of it's release.

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

@@jamesatkinsonja at the time I was really disappointed with it. I tried to rewatch it again recently but it’s just so bad it’s unwatchable. It’s easily Edger W.s worst film.

[@FootyCrazyM8]

@@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549 it's alright. I do find it jarring that pegg plays the idiot and frost is the more level headed one, it works better the other way round

[@tomralfe5428]

I was an extra in the audience for part of this film. Still pretty crap. Edit: but at least I was once in the same room as Peter Capaldi.

[@SunshineSML]

We need a harry kane biopic where david mitchell plays kane

[@scragar]

Me and a couple of friends went to see this in the cinema a week or so after it came out. The only thing I remember about it is we were the only people in the screening.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Never even knew this existed, but whoof, that cover art. On both counts.

[@wesdryden2086]

This was my first experience with Mitchell and Webb about 10 years ago and I thought it was great

[@lachlach3449]

14:56 - this was the magician who appeared on QI

[@callowclay3021]

That's a cracking Big Kids reference there Andrew

[@nektarios5291]

Definitely feels like the insistence on having the real magicians in it was just because the director wanted to help out some old mates

[@nigelcarren]

It was impossible for me to listen to this without hearing it sneered by David Mitchell himself, so next time... More adenoidal please! 😉🏆🇬🇧

[@harveyjohnson7554]

Have you ever thought of reviewing Back. Would love to hear your thoughts. Great video

[@gridlo]

Maybe in honor of season 2 apparently starting soon.

[@harveyjohnson7554]

@@gridlo it has already come out mate

[@gridlo]

@@harveyjohnson7554 Has it? I'm in America. Nobody tells me nothin'.

[@axw]

I watched Back a month or so ago for the first time, and yeah, I'd like to talk about it at some point. I was surprised by how conflicted I felt on it. Really liked some parts, really hated others.

[@harveyjohnson7554]

@@axw I'm looking forward to the video. Thought Back was good but could've been a lot better

[@IamRobotMonkey]

"You'll like it. Not a lot. But you'll like it."

[@treborschafer3945]

I am enough of a Mitchell and Webb fan to have enjoyed it for them being in it alone I think because my initial summary was more favourable. Having watched this I realise that is probably the only reason I liked it at all really. You are right, with Bain and Armstrong writing it Mitchell and Webb in it, Jessica Hynes, Steve Edge supporting it, it should have been a classic but it wasn't. Missed opportunity really as 2006-2007 seemed to be a peak of their popularity and we know they are comedy gold wwhen combined. Waste really.

[@HappyCheeryChap]

Suggestion for future videos: please try to make the audio levels of your voiceover + the movie clips the same. Your voice is way louder than the movie clips, so I can't hear what's being said in the clips unless I crank the volume way up and have you yelling at me. So I gave up on trying to watch this one.

[@EZAblinG]

I rated the film, not massively highly but it was enjoyable, was like an extended Mitchell & Webb look sketch with a lot of familiar faces. Magicians & Peep show also share the same piss joke where mark wants to piss but can't (the scene where Webb was buried in sand & jalapeno sauce scene in Peep show). Interesting that fact about confetti with the nudity which is used in a Mitchell and Webb look sketch

[@redeoghan]

I enjoyed this movie when I watched it when it first came out, the authenticity wasn't lost on me and it was really interesting whenever there was some legitimate magic on screen however it did really jar with the absurd humour. Would have been a lot better as a Spinal Tap style movie, the authenticity would have made a lot more sense I think and have provided an immersive atmosphere.

[@ryansinterviews9778]

Great video mate

[@sonofthenorth18]

I actually saw this at the cinema. That's all I remember.

[@Dylan-go2hi]

Unrelated but you should review Alien Autopsy (2006) if you haven’t already

[@reubenthompson2854]

Perfect video to watch while I "remain indoors"

[@furdiebant]

The plot sounds fairly similar to Confetti

[@mcbrodz1663]

All British films with famous telly comedians released between 2005-2015 had the same plot

[@thomasc8482]

I stumbled upon it on Amazon prime so maybe that colours my viewing, not like I paid to see it, but I do quite like Magicians, everything you've said is fair but I find theres something low key charming about it, especially Mitchell's charachter and his not quite relationship with Linda

[@jackofsuit]

Making a movie for the magic subculture is wild

[@celebalert5616]

Can you magically un-pee my pants? No ?

[@steven5232]

I saw this in the cinema the day of its release, solely because I love Peep Show and I pretty much can't remember a single thing about the story.

[@FreedSpiritProd]

Well I enjoyed it. Saw it in the cinema and had fun.

[@brucebogtrotter9200]

I've like, never heard anyone ever talk about this movie. Or Confetti. But then I don't get out much.

[@davidrobinson5357]

If anyone is looking for a good way to show magic and magician culture on the screen. Inside No.9 series 5 “Misdirection” is a good story but also give little nods to people in those circles but it doesn’t get in the way of the story

[@emmanuelotamendi9583]

I remember how excited I was when I saw this eqs on YT and then by the end I was more like "well I guess we are done with that" it wasn't good, it wasn't bad heck it wasn't even boring it just..... Was

[@videogamenostalgia]

Just like about 99% of real-life magic shows, ironically.

[@samrosenberg67]

ever thought of doing a video on Nathan Barley?

[@shaneiacinsaniac]

Yeah, where's the ice-cream Andrew?

[@Howlingd0g]

Preacher Man! Preacher Man!

[@krisinsaigon]

i watched this before i'd ever see(because i live abroad) Peep Show. I think it would be interesting to watch it again now i have seen Peep Show

[@thepoetsparchment4612]

The Russian Mitchell looks like a melting wax work of Matthew broderick

[@jave285]

Great video, but you really gotta sort out the volume jumps between your voiceover and the film footage.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Love your videos and how much depth and research you put into them. Was really interested in seeing your take on this movie and it was worth the wait.

[@axw]

Thanks James

[@stocktonjoans]

nothing annoys me more than seeing illusionists in films do tricks that use camera tricks and CGI, the fact the magic is realy done in this movie makes it so much better as far as i'm concerend

[@davidz2808]

It's better than Confetti, but nowhere near as good as Peep Show or M&W's sketch shows.

[@The482075]

When I saw it, I thought it was a parody of The Prestige.

[@tomwright4969]

I remember watching it and all I remember is the gay bar bit.

[@user-hi4sm3ig5j]

I guess that Robert Webb nudity story explains the Creepy Director sketches in That Look.

[@TheMarc1k1]

Watched this one time years ago and I thought it was alright, would definitely give it another shot though but probably not something I'd go back to watch a lot.

[@peterlavery8830]

This is the first I've heard of this

[@dudem5447]

I fucking loved this movie

[@liamwynne566]

Great review. I hope you continue to review shitty British comedy films, even if they don't contain Mitchell and/or Webb

[@axw]

Thanks, and I definitely plan to

[@Howlingd0g]

@@axw Sex Lives of the Potato Men when?

[@senecauk8363]

'Due to how tight the box is'...that's what she said.

[@acex222]

Marek Larwood is the kind of person who qualifies for "least memorable", but not "most unmemorable".

[@henryjones8287]

Have you started watching The Thick of It yet?

[@fjrthtgrjhrjhr]

Wait...Jessica Hynes is a real person? Not related to Utopia?

[@thescissorfights]

strange how this video ended at 2:30 and then it was just white noise.

[@brettjohnson536]

1:03 Is that what that "bath scene" sketch in Mitchell and Webb Look sketch was about!? Lol

[@cameronspalding9792]

@ 1:08 This reminds me of that Mitchell and Webb sketch where the director was doing a nude scene and trying to help the actor prepare for it

[@MrCrimsonbolt]

Andrew O'Connor's best trick is when he magically becomes Johnny Vaughn

[@sbraypaynt]

5:30 That was actually quite funny

[@axw]

I agree, it was one of the funnier jokes in the film

[@basedchungus]

3:07 what is neils dad doing there

[@edmundblackaddercoc8522]

Coming out

[@stewiegiligan]

Next video about Ambassadors.

[@sandstormxx]

So strange. I was thinking today 'wasnt there that magician film with mitchell and webb in it that starts with mitchell murdering his wife or something?' then this popped up on youtube for me to watch today. you killed my interest in watching it so thanks.

[@I.Am.Terrible.At.Usernames]

Wait was th director for Confetti Stewart Pearson from The Thick Of It?

[@dariogeorge8680]

Film was fine enough.