Better Late Then Never

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

This Francis Ford Coppola production directed by the great cinematographer Caleb Deschanel rambles here and there and is full of a lot of terrific scenes that ultimately add up to nothing.Griffin O'Neal is fine in the title role --- he has the same naturalness that made his sister Tatum so appealing. However,like the movie, his character is pretty fuzzy...is he a grifter? a magician? an escape artist? Deschanel's direction is fine but it's not always clear what decade this takes place in...the clothes appear modern, but the characters and dialog have a very 1920s sensibility. O'Neal joins a vaudevillian magic act, but where is there a vaudevillian magic act to be found 1980s America? The eclectic cast is first-rate: Raul Julia, Teri Garr, Joan Hackett, and Jackie Coogan have key roles and, in a rare film appearance, Desi Arnez plays the crooked mayor.

When the movie came out, it pretty much disappeared right away, which is often the fate of small movies, simply because the studios don't bother to advertise them. As well, the film was "pegged" as a kid's movie, which is absurd. It's about kids; and kids could watch it with profit and get excited about it; but where kids see a film about a boy who succeeds ultimately in becoming an "escape artist," and using his talents to defeat the bad guys, adults see a whole different film, one that is about a profound emotional connection a boy has with his father who has died. And this side of the tale is made even more affecting by its only slowly being revealed as the film goes on. One thing that may also have confounded audiences is that it's not a "talky" film. The young hero does things, he doesn't much talk about things, and that makes it a little hard to follow the motivations in places. But it is a lovingly crafted, beautifully put together, piece of work, one that is long long overdue for a release on DVD. The sequence of the young boy cracking the safe is fascinating, as is the dream sequence in the jail where he magically floats his father out of danger. Striking visuals, and a clear dramatic structure. Wonderful. As of last year, I believe American Zoetrope held the rights to the title, and while it is on their list to release, they've had higher priorities (for example, Coppola's "One From the Heart," which is good, but suffers from Frederick Forrest's unfocused performance) so it may be quite a while before this marvelous film is released. Let's hope thatwhen it is released, Deschanel has some say in the process, i.e., we get at least a small documentary on what it's like to make your first film, we get an anamorphic transfer, and we get a reasonably high bit rate for the transfer.If you can find this on VHS, that's not the best way to see it, but it'll do until the DVD comes along. Enjoy

It's a great kid's film, I saw it as an early teen and it really got me interested in magic. The main character gets away with so much because of his skills but it was all within the realms of plausibility if you've got a bit of bottle and enough books on magic and safe cracking etc. Griffin O'Neal is really expressive and natural in his role. Even though what he gets up to is pretty wild you believe that this kid is amazing enough to pull it off.

This film needs to be re-mastered and re-released. I absolutely loved the performances by Griffin O'Neal, Raul Julia, and the late Joan Hackett - who died of Ovarian Cancer shortly after the film was originally released. A great family film for little kids, and us big kids too!