The Illusionist

1983 Dutch comedy

Rating: 13/20

Plot: Who cares?

Another one of those completely dialogue-free movies that I'll probably enjoy more than you because I already have a head start. This is more avant-slapstick than Tati, Chaplin, or Keaton. It starts with a guy in a riding-on-an-ostrich suit being taunted by harmonica-wielding gravity defiers, and that's all you really need to know. It's unfortunate that this doesn't really go anywhere at all or seem to have anything to say. It's about as deep as your average Will Ferrell movie, and who knows, maybe Freek de Jonge, the guy who wrote this and who plays the titular character, is the Dutch Will Ferrell. It's frequently humorous but not really all that funny, like movies depending on sight gags usually are. There were times when I kind of liked what I was seeing but far more times when I just wanted to like it. I did like the use of sound effects though. Creaking, fly buzzing, water glooping. This is all much better conceptually than it is in execution. Trust me, there are better movies without any dialogue. Maybe if it made a little more sense, it would be something.

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