Penn & Teller Get Killed
September. 22,1989 RThe "bad boys of magic" go over the edge in this mind-blowing, role-switching comedy murder mystery set in the dizzying world of Atlantic City casinos. In a TV interview, Penn mentions his idea of a fun practical joke: "I wish someone were trying to kill me. It would give focus to my life, excitement. I'd be like James Bond." Twenty million people hear him. One decides to deliver a punchline he'll never forget. Made by people who thought Psycho was a comedy, Penn & Teller Get Killed (they also wrote the piece) features Caitlin Clarke as the femme fatale and David Patrick Kelly as the Edgar Allan Poe-esque nutcase with a new mission. Arthur Penn, known for hip masterpieces like Bonnie and Clyde, Alice's Restaurant and Little Big Man, directs with roller-coaster pacing and subversive intelligence.
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Reviews
Wow! Such a good movie.
That was an excellent one.
Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
The first five minutes of this film are quite interesting when we see them in the television studio but that is the only half descent thing we see. The rest of the film is so pretentious it is unbelievable.The story is about a set of practical jokes which are not funny and half the time dont make sense and the ending is awful. The female actress turns up in the last half an hour out of nowhere and takes the film down another notch. They should have killed themselves at the beginning! Dont get me wrong i like Pen & Teller and their Bulls*** TV series is fantastic but sorry guys this stinks! 2 out of 10
Penn Jillette gets a death wish literally in this hilarious comedy featuring our favorite magicians Penn and Teller. Penn announces on live national television that he wishes someone were out to kill him, and on the way to Atlantic City, Penn and Teller get into a lot of mishaps when they are just about to die a gruesome death, the 'murderers' turn out to be people they know! Laugh out loud funny! The funniest part of the movie was when Teller passes a theater playing a Stooge marathon of Shemp episodes and people walk out angry, and one heckler passes by and says, "Personally, I'm a Joe Besser fan"! In case nobody knew, Penn and Teller are fans of The Three Stooges. Also, Penn is a huge fan of classic rock from the 1960's and 1970's! It even shows how their magic tricks are done, as well! If you want to see a movie with Penn and Teller that will keep you laughing this one is it! It's a movie anyone will enjoy! I sure did! I give it 4 stars!
Being a big Penn and Teller fan, and after hearing about this movie I was looking forwards to seeing it, and was gratified when, on a lonely Friday night, I saw it was showing on TV.It started a little slowly, but I persevered, watching on. Yes it's a mildly amusing film. Certainly it gives us an insight into the world of the magicians, but when it comes down to it, it's simply a series of magic tricks strung together by a very thin plot. The tricks themselves are quite impressive, but in no way are they comparable to the magnificence of the duos live shows. It just doesn't compete. Worth watching but don't look forwards to anything special.
First, I will admit, I don't "get" Penn and Teller's routine.I've seen them several times and while they seem like pretty decent people, and would probably be fun to have a drink with, I don't find their brand of comedy to be all that funny.This movie is a one-joke schtick. What happens when you ask people to kill you on network TV? A perfectly reasonable 20 minute skit could be done with this material. Instead it was turned into a dreadful two hour movie.I saw this when it was in the theater. It was the only time in my life I went to the manager and demanded a refund. (He was nice and gave us free tix for another movie).I have friends who adore Penn and Teller, and if you are one of these people, go see them on video. It's probably worth two bucks on discount rental night. In a theater? At anything close to going movie ticket prices? Never again!