Chi Y. Lee directed this low-budget legerdemain about Los Angeles magician Nick (Andras Jones), who has an adroit sleight-of-hand maneuver go awry when he's caught doing non-conjugal conjuring -- she's not his wife but is instead married to a rival magician. More rough magic is revealed when Nick next lands behind bars, accused of a crime he didn't commit. Here his luck goes on an upswing, as he shares his cell with hulking Pet Boy (Derek Mears), a childlike clairvoyant with a strong sense of smell and the mind of a ten-year-old. The two become close friends. Springed from the slammer, they set forth on a magical mystery tour, traveling cross-country in a bus with a psychedelic paint job. Along the way, they brake for cute hitchhiker Milla (Mirand Viscoli), a stop that adds spice, sex, and jealousy to their jitney jaunt. With Pet Boy's mind-reading skill as a bargaining chip, their destination of dreams is an Atlantic City magician's festival where Nick hopes to generate grand illusions. Shown at the 1998 Dances With Films Festival of the Unknowns (Santa Monica).
by Bhob Stewart
synopsis
