Make Believe

2010

Action / Documentary

2
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 74% · 20 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 74% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.0/10 10 499 499

Plot summary

A coming of age journey set in the quirky subculture of magic, this film follows six of the world’s best young magicians as they battle for the title of Teen World Champion.

Director

Clay Tweel Photo
Clay Tweel

Top cast

Neil Patrick Harris Photo
Neil Patrick Harris as Self
Ben Proudfoot Photo
Ben Proudfoot as Self
Ed Alonzo Photo
Ed Alonzo as Self
Bob Dorian Photo
Bob Dorian as Self
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
839.42 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds ...
1.69 GB
1920*1072
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by JohnDeSando

It's magic.

Make Believe could have easily been called Make Magic because this entertaining documentary shows the preparations teens go through to make it to the World Magic Show competition in Las Vegas for the title of Teen World Champion.Unlike most documentaries about young people such as spelling bee or ballet, this one relies less on the suffering and anxieties and more on the effort to develop unique acts, as original as possible while inevitably relying on some chestnuts which are the foundation of so much illusion.The few young magicians chosen to be featured before the competition are almost all in the final eight, a tribute to the officials of the competition who could spy winners beforehand and to the filmmakers, who, like most excellent documentarians of these competitions, are uncanny at guessing finalists before they compete. Perhaps an analogy can be made to scouts for collegiate and professional teams—they know their business.The two strongest competitors, Krystin Lambert and Bill Koch, are confident and charismatic, she with an all American blond beauty and he with a big smile and an attitude whose mantra is "excellence." The latter is so dedicated to magic that he forsakes a music scholarship to work at his craft and compete in the world competition.Make Believe features the two Meccas of magic, Las Vegas and LA's Magic Castle. Teens like Krystn regularly attend classes at the exclusive club, one of the most difficult to become a member in (I know because a former son-in-law is a longstanding member and a fine magician as well as a national radio personality).The Magic Castle can easily serve as a metaphor for the difficulty of becoming a respected magician, a notion reinforced by this amiable and insightful documentary that shows most of all the long hours of creation, preparation, and practice going into being recognized as a magician.This magic business is not so much about making believe as it is about making magic.
Reviewed by joesoch64 8 / 10

A wonderful magic show inside a stirring documentary

This movie kept me engaged from cover to cover. Twice, already. All of the magician subjects grow before your eyes in their magic, confidence, and identity. And their understanding of what it takes to achieve mastery is breathtaking.There is a punchy beat as the movie follows its subjects across continents. Kudos to Lucas Vidal for a terrific score. And to whoever created the story structure of bringing everyone to Vegas about a third into the movie, then back tracking. I felt indulged to be inside the Magic Castle during some of the scenes.I hope this movie will inspire everyone who sees it. The child magician is latent in us all- these are kids who have worked hard to make it manifest.
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