WFG RATING: A

Vision Films presents an Ace Entertainment production. Directed by Stephen Shimek. Produced by Jerome Raynger-Kalfon, Sebastien Semon, Zeus Zamani and Brian Vilim. Written by Nick Pollack; based on his book. Cinematography by Brian Vilim.Edited by Charles Stephens. 

Stars Cory Philips, Taylor Bedford, Jake Alexander Williams, Bryson Robinson, Laura Shatkus, Ashton Leigh, Lisa Fenimore, and Tom Reed. 

Three siblings find themselves on a life-changing adventure in this adaptation of the children’s book by Nick Pollack. 

Siblings Jack, Olivia, and Charlie Finerman are having a really bad day. Then again, they have always been seen as outcasts. Jack is afraid to tell his crush how he feels. Charlie is always picked last for sports due to his height. Olivia is seen as a complete braniac who draws the ire of her science teacher, Ms. Weaver. When the trio are sent to stay with their grandmother for Halloween, their lives are about to change in an unexpected way.

They come across a raincoat that had been around for decades. When Jack sees his siblings playing outside, he decides to join the fun by putting on the raincoat. However, the raincoat turns Jack into a mysterious man. At first freaking out, the siblings soon learn that the raincoat has the spirit of a cursed magician and they can transform into the magician. However, they are not the only ones who know about the raincoat and they must do what it takes to protect the raincoat before they get into some serious trouble.

Based on the book by Nick Pollack, Pollack himself has written the screenplay for this film adaptation. This gives the film a sense of authenticity and faithfulness to the book. And it is actually a pretty good family film. The film’s opening sets up the story of the raincoat, in which we see magician Augustus, played by Cory Phillips, making the big mistake of stealing a broach belonging to the lovable Gertrude, played by Ashton Leigh, who places the hex on him. 

Flash forward nearly a century later and we are introduced to our three main characters, who will go from zeroes to heroes thanks to the magic of the raincoat.  The raincoat gives all three the self confidence they so desire, well, with the exception of Olivia, who clearly is a little overconfident. However, they become targeted by Laura Shatkus’ Madame Weaver, a witch who desperately needs the raincoat and has a sidekick who resembles a bit of the Guardian in Big Trouble in Little China. The film does brings some twists in the story during the end of the second and beginning of the third act, which reveals that there may be more than one antagonist. And it’s the twists that make you want to watch this until the end because it is great for an indie family film.

The Magician’s Raincoat is a definite family gem. While we’ve had many family films, mostly animated this year by A-list standards, this indie family film is definitely a gem that has to be seen!