Typecasting is a funny thing, and definitely not in a “Ha ha” sense. When one actor gets picked to play the same type of role over and over again, people often gripe about it, and then when said actor eventually tries to break out into a different type of role, people often gripe even louder about that. Especially when it’s a well known funnyman suddenly getting all dark and serious (Jim Carrey in The Number 23, come on down!).
So with that in mind, it’s uncertain how audiences will respond to usually timid and geeky Michael Cera suddenly getting his angst on with Juno Temple and Emily Browning in Chilean psychological thriller Magic Magic, but judging from this trailer, it’s at least worth a look-see.
“Magic, Magic” tells the story of a teenager named Alicia(Juno Temple, “The Dark Knight Rises”) who arrives in Chile on her first trip out of the United States. As she visits her friend Sarah (Emily Browning, “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”), she tries to fit into a different world – all while slowly losing her mind. She must contend with the surreal, unfamiliar countryside of Chile, the always delicate, sometimes dismissive treatment of Sarah’s boyfriend Agustin and friends (including Barbara, played by Oscar Nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno) and the vague antagonism of a complex character named Brink (Michael Cera, “Juno”). This is a story about an unstable personality pushed to the edge, the pressures of a new, alien and potentially hostile world replete with moody darkness and harsh, terrifying landscapes. It is a script that is poised to be a film where plot, character and world blend together in a taut combination that refuses to release the viewer, the kind of film that reminds us of the promise of Polanski, Cronenberg or Aronofsky in its unforgiving tension and deep subtle horror.
Now the general consensus from those who have seen Magic Magic earlier this year on the festival circuit, is that Cena is a lot more disturbed than disturbing as this trailer would suggest, but it’s still a little jarring to see young George Michael Bluth getting this dark.
Last Updated: June 19, 2013
