By Jugal Mody
Now You See Me is a heist flick where four magicians are picked by a hooded stranger to pull off the most magical heist of our times. The ensemble is rock solid and the trailer promises you nothing but style and entertainment. (Remember the first time you watched Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven trailer?)
There are fewer women in the cast than men but then Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) and Isla Fisher (Confessions of a Shopaholic) are formidable stars in their own right. While the movie itself is the biggest con they could have pulled on the audience — in the first act, you see your money’s worth and then you don’t — it is a bigger fail when it comes to the Bechdel test.
Laurent’s character’s job is mostly to be French and charming. If she had any less of a job in the film, her character would have become one dimensional. Fisher’s job is to be talented and dynamic. She is pretty and cracks jokes about being Jesse Eisenberg’s character’s ex-lover and ex-assistant. While they do give her a fedora and make her pull crazy stunts, there is absolutely no sign of a character-on-character scene with Laurent. Was I wrong to expect that from a movie casting two women I adore on screen? Oh and also, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, both have their leggy assistants who walk behind them silently, opening boxes and looking unfazed when required.
Sometimes one wonders if the fat contracts that the stars sign for blockbuster films can include media and event appearances for the promotion of the film, should the women start demanding a scene in the movie where women are talking to other women?