Now You See Me parents guide

Now You See Me Parent Guide

Because of these characters' criminal activities and patronizing posturing, parents may prefer to have "Now You See Me" disappear from their teen's must see list.

Overall C-

Wouldn't it be nice if there were some magic way of getting money? Well a group of Las Vegas illusionists (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher) has figured out how to rob a distant bank while on stage. And even though they share the wealth with the audience, the FBI is not impressed with their tricks.

Release date May 31, 2013

Violence C
Sexual Content C+
Profanity C-
Substance Use C+

Why is Now You See Me rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Now You See Me PG-13 for language, some action and sexual content.

Run Time: 116 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Making money magically appear is a trick all of us would like to learn. And it’s one a group of magicians, known as the Four Horseman, appear to have perfected.

Before they were the Four, each of these players was a small-time, independent performer with skills in hypnosis, pick pocketing, or illusions. Then J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) all receive a mysterious invitation to form an act that eventually brings them to Las Vegas. For that show’s finale, the conjurors rob a French bank while still on stage and share the money with the entire audience.

Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), the group’s sponsor, couldn’t be happier with their success. But FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) feels differently. Forced to take the case and work with Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent), Dylan can’t find enough evidence to hold the performers accountable, even though the French bank vault is empty. From that moment on, the illusionists become his bane.

The group also garners the attention of Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a reality television host who routinely debunks magicians and their tricks. While Dylan wants a quick solution to the stolen money problem, Thaddeus is happy to string along an ending in order to rake in more ratings and money.

Filled with enough glitz and dazzle to compete with any Las Vegas night show, Now You See Me glamorizes white-collar crime and offers a comeuppance aimed at the financially corrupt. Like other Robin Hood tales, there’s also an open disdain for the law, and the officers who enforce it. This arrogant attitude might be tolerable if there was some kind of consequences for the characters’ actions. But any hint of repercussions vanishes like smoke, making the depiction of stealing millions of dollars not only entertaining, but also downright enticing.

While a city center car chase, fiery crash and vicious fistfight make up most of the film’s physical violence, the movie also includes partially exposed breasts and a girl wearing only her underwear. The script contains a rude hand gesture, plentiful profanities and a smattering of vulgar and sexual expressions as well.

Setting up the trick takes special care if one hopes to fool his audience. But viewers may need to think twice to determine if this PG-13 rated movie’s script justifies its ending. With little to recommend when it comes to these characters’ criminal activities and patronizing posturing, Now You See Me is one film parents may prefer to have disappear from their teen’s must see list.

Directed by Louis Leterrier. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman. Running time: 116 minutes. Theatrical release May 31, 2013. Updated

Now You See Me
Rating & Content Info

Why is Now You See Me rated PG-13? Now You See Me is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for language, some action and sexual content.

Violence: Characters steal millions of dollars from a bank, a personal bank account and a company safe. A wild car chase through the downtown ends with a fiery crash that leaves one person dead. FBI officers engage in a brutal fistfight with a suspect in an apartment. One gunshot is fired. One man threatens another. Bloody water fills a fish tank in one illusion. Characters steal watches and other personal items and extort money.

Sexual Content: Partial female breast nudity is briefly depicted at a Mardi Gras party. A young woman undresses to her underwear and makes sexual comments to a man she is trying to seduce.

Language:  The script contains nearly two-dozen profanities made up of scatological slang, vulgarities, obscenities and crude sexual innuendo and comments along with a rude hand gesture.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Characters drink with a meal. A man drinks in a bar to assuage his hurt pride and disappointment. He later comments about being drunk.

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Now You See Me Parents' Guide

When a magician’s secrets are revealed, the magic disappears. How do they use deception and the art of distraction to keep audiences in the dark? Should some secrets be preserved? How do the padlocks on the Pont de l’Archevêché bridge in Paris represent secrets?

Who is deceived in this story? Do you like the deception of a magic show or do you prefer to know how each of the tricks is performed?

Is white-collar crime justified if the victims are corrupt themselves? Who has the right to decide when it is okay to steal from the rich to give to the poor? Do the characters’ arrogant attitudes make them more or less endearing? Does it take a certain kind of persona to be a successful magician?

Want to become a magician? Here are a few easy magic tricks you can learn.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Now You See Me movie is September 3, 2013. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Now You See Me

Release Date: 3 September 2013

Now You See Me release to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/UltraViolet) in an Extended Director’s Cut. The following extras are included:

- Audio Commentary with Producer Bobby Cohen and Director Louis Leterrier

- “A Brief History of Magic” featurette

- “Now You See Me Revealed” featurette

- Deleted Scenes

Related home video titles:

Magic tricks baffle the public in The Illusionist and The Prestige. Another fast-talker evades the law in Catch Me If You Can.

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