Jesse Boland You most likely don't know this, but in Canada we can just walk into a store, and buy the cactus already dried, and ready to use, and it costs very little. These characters are mostly jerks, and for the most part it is really hard to root for them on this quest, even if I have been on several similar. This movie has no magic, but there is a long drive, and a lot talking and trying to get high. Michael Cera's Jamie is a winy troubled little jerk, and Gaby Hoffmann as the Chrystal Fairy herself is just a complete flake, but that is what they are supposed to be so as far as the acting in this movie it is all really good, it is just hard to watch good acting no matter how good when you are watching such unacceptable people. I really did not Enjoy this movie, there are parts that deserve praise, but it was just such torture watching these characters that I do not recommend this unless you just love art films, and have your own Cactus questing memories you want to relive.

Turfseer Chilean writer/director Sebastián Silva was successful with his auspicious 2009 debut, 'The Maid'. But here, with his sophomore effort, Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus, he proffers up a real vanity project, marked by an air of unmistakable self-indulgence. Joining him in this slight affair is Michael Cera, whose star power obviously got the film bankrolled. Cera plays Jamie, an obnoxious version of himself. He finds himself at a party with a friend, Champa, in Santiago, Chile, where he scores some cocaine and boasts about his knowledge of Aldous Huxley's 'Doors of Perception'. He soon runs into Crystal Fairy, a hippie, earth-mother type, who isn't shy about disrobing in later scenes and showing off her hairy armpits. Jaime insults Crystal about her dancing abilities and jokingly mentions that he and his friend (along with his two brothers) will be taking a three hour trip to score some San Pedro cacti and its by-product: pure mescaline; it's mainly Jaime's plan, who intends to imbibe the psychedelic substance, at the beaches of the Atacama desert. Much to Jaime's chagrin, while driving to the town up north where they'll be looking for the cactus, Crystal calls and surprisingly informs Jaime that she'll be meeting him and the boys in town. Jaime ramps up his overbearing demeanor, as the group knocks on the doors of residents who have large stalks of San Pedro cacti, growing in their front yards. None of the residents seem to be interested in giving Jaime and his posse a piece so Jaime simply cuts off one and the group doesn't seem to be upset by his immoral actions.When the group finally arrives at the seashore, Crystal goes off by herself, communing with nature and Jaime boils some cactus and gets high on the mescaline. I understand that Cera actually did get high during the filming but none of his dreamy 'trips' are illustrated visually—he merely parades around the beach, making an ass of himself, as he did before. Later, during a campfire, Crystal reveals that she was raped, after being led away from some kind of new age gathering she was attending. Crystal also reveals that she works as a dominatrix, which doesn't seem to perturb any of Jaime's pals. As for the Chilean group, they really have little to do throughout the film, except ensure that Jaime, doesn't get too out of hand.Somewhere there's a solid, well-developed story here, but most of the lines are improvised and everything ends up rambling. Some judicious editing could have improved the story quite a bit, but Mr. Silva was probably having too much fun during the shooting of the film, to think about that. Silva has an ear for dialogue and certainly the Chilean landscape will keep your eyes glued to the screen. The aim here was obviously for comedy but unfortunately Cera's character is so unsympathetic, that we care little about any of this machinations, along with his Chilean compatriots, whom he took along for the ride.

evanston_dad Michael Cera goes a long way toward changing his lovable doofus image in this road trip movie with a laid back and ultimately rather sweet vibe.Cera plays an obnoxious American vacationing in Chile who's trying to chase down a special kind of cactus that has mind-altering capabilities when the juice is distilled and drunk. Along for the ride are three native Chilean brothers and another American, a hippie-dippie girl named Crystal Fairy. The Chileans are quiet, polite and tolerant while the Americans are both unpleasant, Cera because he's a jerk and Crystal Fairy because she tries too hard. If this had stayed yet another Americans-behaving-badly movie I wouldn't have liked it. But it goes a very different, and welcome, direction, as the group's time together causes defenses to be relaxed and vulnerabilities to emerge."Crystal Fairy" does a great job of capturing that unique dynamic that evolves when a random assortment of people spend a lot of time together on a road trip. The characters created by Cera and Gaby Hoffman (who plays Crystal Fairy) certainly aren't pleasant to spend time with for much of the film's running time, but they're so like people I've actually known that it's fascinating to watch their performances and how thoroughly they can create characters that feel so authentic.I was already won over by the film's casual, relaxed atmosphere by the time the last few scenes came around, and then, after a late-act revelation and the sensitive way in which the film handles it, decided that I had sort of fallen in love with it.Grade: A

themissingpatient Michael Cera is Jamie, an American traveler in Chile who plans a road trip with his friends to indulge in a legendary hallucinogen, the San Pedro cactus. While drunk at a party, Jamie invites an eccentric, radical spirit named Crystal Fairy, played by Gaby Hoffmann. When Jamie's insensitive, controlling, impatient, selfish nature is revealed it conflicts with Crystal Fairy, making what was suppose to be a care-free adventure into an uncomfortable journey for everyone.Michael Cera and Gaby Hoffmann are both very brave for taking on these characters, who are in perfect contrast with one another. The result is excellent performances of well-written characters. Unfortunately the film is going to attract audiences looking for a drug-fueled adventure in the vein of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, not a character-driven comedy lacking any real laugh-out-loud moments. The film is played almost too serious to be any fun, though there is depth.Writer/director Sebastián Silva proved his powers as a serious filmmaker with Magic Magic, which also starred Cera and was released earlier this year. Other than having Cera in lead roles, the only thing the two films share in common is an abrupt ending that will either leave you haunted or irritated. While Magic Magic is an effective psychological horror film, Crystal Fairy is a thought-provoking character study poorly marketed as an adventure comedy.Crystal Fairy and The Magical Cactus isn't a bad film but it does fail as a comedy. As for the adventure, the credits begin to roll too soon after the film gets interesting. This will annoy more than it will amuse or enlighten.