The only reason I would recommend viewing “Now You See Me” would be if you had some irrational hatred of money and want to get rid of yours by spending it on a mediocre film about magicians. For the $11 I spent on this movie I could have bought a quarter tank of gas, nine Slurpees at 7-Eleven, or 10 Pez dispensers from the 99 cents store. Any of which would have been a better use of my time and money than seeing this movie.

“Now You See Me” follows four magicians on their quest to fulfill a mystery magician’s instructions and thus be admitted into an elite magician club called “The Eye.” They act as less likeable versions of Robin Hood- stealing from the rich with their “magical” skills and returning the money to the less fortunate. They are chased by two CIA agents who, you guessed it, develop some type of obviously forced romance. I hope that real CIA members don’t spend as much time falling in love with each other as romantic comedies depict.

Generally, the movie lacks any sort of character development. Of the four magicians, the only female in the clan, played by Isla Fisher, was boring and a bit disappointing. The main magician was played by Jesse Eisenberg who has an innate ability to portray unpleasant, egotistical people with an entertaining sense of humor. However, that wasn’t showcased in “Now You See Me” as well as others like “The Social Network.”

Morgan Freeman surprisingly ended up cast in this magical mess. Despite his profound acting skills, Freeman starring as anything other than a wise grandfather or the narrator of “The March of the Penguins” makes me sad. His voice just oozes with this sense of warm intelligence that should be reserved solely for discussing the mating habits of Antarctic birds.

While the absence of character growth was frustrating, the cheesy plot twists bothered me even more. The film ended with a ridiculous conclusion that made me feel as if the writers had taken tips from thirteen-year-old fan fiction writers on Tumblr. It was improbable, undeveloped, and unsatisfying.

“Now You See Me” has further smeared the names of magicians everywhere. Scripted reality television shows like “Teen Mom” have more character development and better action scenes. Basically, I would recommend watching a woman with pink, brown, and purple hair on MTV clean drool off of her bedazzled “Hot Topic” t-shirt than seeing this movie.