“Death Defying Acts,” a fictionalized love story involving Harry Houdini, could be a sweet little discovery if only the relationship at the core of it were more convincing. Not the one between Guy Pearce as Houdini and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the woman he becomes entangled with. What doesn’t click here is the relationship between Ms. Zeta-Jones and Saoirse Ronan, who plays her daughter.
The two are supposed to be scam artists in Scotland, but Ryan and Tatum O’Neal they ain’t. Ms. Zeta-Jones is too elegant for the lowlife she’s supposed to be, Ms. Ronan isn’t endearing enough to be a ragamuffin, and, under Gillian Armstrong’s direction, never for a minute do you believe they’re mother and daughter.
The story, though — by Tony Grisoni and Brian Ward — is intriguing, and Mr. Pearce’s performance (bolstered by Timothy Spall as Houdini’s manager) helps sell it. Houdini, at the height of his fame, comes to Edinburgh on a tour, offering a $10,000 prize to any medium who can make contact with his dead mother. The mother-daughter flimflammers go after the prize, but love complicates everything.
