Aileen Creaser

This film is, as much as anything, a vehicle to show that Micheal Caine still has enormous acting ability. His portrayal of Clarence, a retired magician who is on the brink of senility is, in itself ,magic. His relationship with the young boy who's parents run the home for seniors Clarence ends up in grows after an acrimonious beginning. The boy, obsessed with death and the afterlife begins to benefit from his mentor who demands he becomes concerned with life and not death. Clarance who lost his wife Annie when she divorced him has difficulty letting go of the loss he suffered when they were much younger. The boy finally leads him to his wife's grave where Clarence reveals that he regrets having not told her he was sorry for causing the divorce. The movie progresses slowly as several relationship change, Clarance with the boy and his parents with each other and the boy. If not for the presence of Micheal Caine, the movie barely justifies its existence, the characters are two dimensional and it's hard to care about what happens to any of them other than Caine's character. Even the boy, who is rather annoying through much of the film, is rather hard to relate to and empathize with.