Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989) Warner Bros. Pictures/Comedy RT: 89 minutes Rated R (language, violence, morbid humor and sick jokes) Director: Arthur Penn Screenplay: Penn Jilette and Teller Music: Paul Chihara Cinematography: Jan Weincke Release date: December 1, 1989 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: Penn Jillette, Teller, Caitlin Clarke, Celia McGuire, David Patrick Kelly, Leonardo Cimino, Bill Randolph, John Miller, Jon Cryer, Tom Sizemore, Robert LaSardo, Paul Calderone, Alan North, Matthew Penn. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ***
How to describe the bizarre experience that is Penn & Teller Get Killed? It’s a question that’s been gnawing at me since I rewatched it the other night. It’s most definitely a cult film. It has a very limited appeal; it’s not really a mainstream movie. It would most likely appeal to fans of the duo, a couple of performance artists whose Las Vegas show is an amalgam of magic and comedy. Penn Jillette (the one in glasses) is the raconteur and Teller (the little guy) never utters a word, he gets his ideas across by way of pantomime. Among their specialties are performing gory illusions, exposing frauds (e.g. psychic healing) and playing elaborate pranks. Okay, Penn & Teller are an acquired taste and their particular brand of humor might…. no, will turn a few stomachs. Those folks are advised to steer clear.
I won’t be worrying about plot spoilers in this review since the title says it all about this movie, as Penn observes via voiceover at the film’s conclusion, “the movie is called Penn & Teller Get Killed. We HAD to get killed at the end, there’s no way out of that.” Still, it’s kind of fun getting to the ending of this strange movie. I should mention that I’m not a particular fan of the duo, but I do like what I’ve seen of them. A few stints on Saturday Night Live in the mid-80s and this movie, that’s about all I’ve seen of this pair.
The plot (such as it is) has Penn trying to stay one step ahead of a deranged fan (Kelly, 48 Hrs) after an appearance on a talk show where he expressed his wish that somebody was trying to kill him. Of course, it takes a little while for the reality of the situation to sink in. He believes that Teller is playing some kind of prank on him; that’s what they do to each other.
After the TV appearance, they travel to Atlantic City to perform at a casino. They’re joined by Carlotta (Clarke, Dragonslayer), their manager and Penn’s girlfriend. The public doesn’t seem to like Penn’s statement and often berate him in public. P&T also find themselves in trouble after exposing psychic surgery as a hoax to Carlotta’s uncle Ernesto (Cimino, Moonstruck). Some angry Filipinos show up and abduct them. But is it for real or another one of Teller’s pranks? You’re going to find yourself asking this question a lot while watching this movie. You never know when illusion becomes reality and vice versa. That’s trademark Penn & Teller for you!
Penn & Teller Get Killed will also appeal to fans of cult movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Pink Flamingos as well as those with a sick sense of humor and an appreciation for dark comedies. I have to admit that I didn’t really enjoy the movie the first time I saw it (December 7, 1989), I guess I just didn’t get it at the time. Several years later, I gave it another chance and ended up really liking it. It’s so bizarre that you just have to like it. When I say it’s a dark comedy, I really mean it. It ranks right alongside The End and Eating Raoul in terms of morbidity.
P&T are truly unique. They perform some really wild and clever tricks. They do this cool upside-down camera illusion for their TV audience in which they act like they can defy the laws of gravity with various objects. The TV audience doesn’t know that they’re hanging upside-down but the studio audience does. They become part of the illusion as they keep responding “YES!” every time Penn asks, “Are we live?” It’s right after this performance that Penn says that he wishes that somebody was trying to kill him. Little does he know that somebody will take this sarcastic remark literally and grant his wish. Has he never heard of Oscar Wilde and his take on exercising caution when wishing for something? Is this situation for real or is it another elaborate prank cooked up by his silent partner? Shhhh…. I’ll never tell, it’s a secret.
You already know the ending, why should I tell you anything else that happens throughout the course of this very strange movie? One thing that I find surprising is that it’s directed by Arthur Penn. Yes, that Arthur Penn! The guy who directed The Miracle Worker, Bonnie and Clyde, Alice’s Restaurant and Little Big Man. He’s really out of his comfort zone here; this movie is about as far from conventional that a movie can get and still receive any kind of significant theatrical release. Sadly, this would be Penn’s final feature film. I have to wonder if there’s any connection between Arthur Penn and Penn Jilette…. hmmmm.
I can’t really criticize Penn and Teller’s performances because they’re playing themselves. However, they do have a great deal of screen presence. Penn is a natural born storyteller; he really knows how to tell a shaggy dog tale. Teller’s mime skills are excellent; he’s the perfect silent partner. These guys have some real chemistry between them and that’s probably because they don’t really socialize with each other outside of their act. Perhaps that’s what has kept them going (yes, they’re still together!).
The movie is at its funniest when Teller attempts to proclaim his innocence about the demented and obsessed fan that shoots Penn in the arm outside the casino one night. Another funny bit has Teller throwing coins at a slot machine player and making them land right where the winnings come out of the machine. It’s one of those pranks meant to really annoy somebody and it works like a charm. That guy gets really pissed off. The late Caitlin Clarke does a good job as the girlfriend/manager who may or may not be in on some kind of prank. One of my favorite character actors, David Patrick Kelly, is awesome as the deranged fan. Is he in the joke or not? I won’t tell.
No, nothing is as it seems in Penn & Teller Get Killed…. or is it? Unlike a traditional suspense film, this movie toys with the conventions of that genre and infuses a dark sense of humor in the movie. The ending is a foregone conclusion, but what about everything else? Is it all some kind of joke? If so, who’s the intended target of the prank? Probably any audience member who isn’t familiar with Penn and Teller’s act. As I conclude this review, I have to tell you that I’m playing a prank on you; this movie actually sucks hard…. or does it? You draw your own conclusions. Heh heh heh!
