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Choked with forced magic and strained whimsy, Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist would be dreadful even if it didn’t insult the legacy of the great Jacques Tati. Rewritten from an unfilmed script by the late master, Chomet’s animated movie follows a bumbling conjurer named Tatischeff (Tati’s real surname), an artiste whose skills are rapidly becoming obsolete. Crowded offstage by British beat combos with flashy suits and gleaming teeth, he schleps his act to ever-smaller venues, carrying a single tattered poster proclaiming his gifts. But when a young girl mistakes his tricks for the real thing, he seizes the chance to recruit one last believer. The pet themes that run through great Tati films like M. Hulot’s Holiday, Mon Oncle and Play Time are stated plainly enough, but Chomet’s clumsy fumbling is no substitute for Tati’s bittersweet deftness. Tati’s fond mourning for the past is balanced by his fascination with the artifacts of modernity, but Chomet is merely nostalgic. The movie’s sentimentality is unearned, even tyrannical, slapped on in great chunks as if mere assertion were enough to get the job done. Chomet’s Triplets of Belleville was similarly grating, but at least its disconnected tableaux were presented as such. Spackling the gaps with syrup does not improve the experience. —Sam Adams

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Official Site: www.sonyclassics.com/theillusionist

Rating:	PG
Director:	Sylvain Chomet
Cast:	Jean-Claude Donda, Edith Rankin, Jil Aigrot, Didier Gustin, Frédéric Lebon, Tom Urie
Release Date:	December 25, 2010 (NY/LA), January 28, 2011 (Limited)
Running Time:	82
Distributor:	Sony Pictures Classics
Producer:	Sally Chomet, Bob Last
Genre:	Animation
Advisory:	for thematic elements and smoking