Instead of Abracadabra is a 2008 short film (22 minutes) from Sweden, directed by Patrik Eklund.
A 25-year-old man who might be generously described as a loser lives at home with his parents. Thomas has dreams of being a stage magician, but he is terrible at it. As the movie begins he is wearing an eyepatch after having poked himself in the eye with a spring-loaded flowers trick. He then nearly kills his mother Gunilla while performing the "Indian basket trick
", that being the trick where someone gets in a box and the magician stabs the box with swords.
His father Bengt is fed up with Thomas's dreams of being a magician and is strongly pressuring him to get a real job. Meanwhile, Thomas has developed a crush on Monika, a very pretty single mother who moved in next door. Thomas decides to prove himself to both Bengt and Monika by performing at his father's 60th birthday party.
Tropes:
- Also sprach Zarathustra: Makes for a painfully over-the-top intro to the act that Thomas performs at his dad's party.
- Brick Joke: Thomas is wearing an eyepatch because he poked himself in the eye with the spring-loaded flowers. At the end, after his show at the party was a success, he shows Monika the flowers—and they poke her in the eye.
- Catchphrase: Thomas has invented his own Catch Phrase, "Chimay!", because he doesn't want to say "Abracadabra."
- Distracted by the Sexy: Thomas is cutting the grass with a riding lawnmower, when he's distracted by the sight of lovely Monika. He runs over and destroys a bird feeder.
- Facecam: Used for Thomas as he's mowing the lawn on a riding mower—and doing it badly, as he runs over and destroys the bird feeder.
- Face Palm: Bengt does this when he realizes that Thomas is going to try the Indian basket trick (stab-a-box-with-swords) again.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Bengt clearly regards his son as a nincompoop and his dreams of being a magician as deeply embarrassing. He wishes Thomas would be more normal, and get a regular job.
- Finger-Snap Lighter: Thomas's opening trick when performing at his father's birthday party.
- Flashback: How we learn why Thomas is wearing an eyepatch. He tried his spring-loaded flowers, and then looked at the wand, only for the flowers to jab him in the eye.
- Hospital Gurney Scene: Gunilla is being wheeled down a corridor by frantic doctors after Thomas apparently stabbed her during his trick. She's fine.
- I'm Cold... So Cold...: Gunilla says this as she's being wheeled through a corridor in the Hospital Gurney Scene. It's all played for comedy.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Bengt hurriedly downs his cocktail after realizing that Thomas did not kill his volunteer; rather, it was his stuntman buddy making the Indian basket trick more impressive.
- Lap Pillow: Bengt might have a fraught relationship with his son but he and Gunilla are close and affectionate. She is resting with her head in his lap on the couch as Bengt stresses out about Thomas performing at the birthday party and wishes they'd gone with karaoke.
- Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration: Thomas is frantically masturbating to thoughts of doing the "saw a woman in half" routine with Monika, when his mother calls to him from outside the door and ruins the mood.
- Smash Cut: From Thomas pushing the second sword through the box, to Gunilla being wheeled through a hospital on a gurney, Thomas and Bengt running behind.
- Stage Magician: Although he hasn't gotten past the children's party stage.
- Title Drop: When his friend mistakes Thomas's Catchphrase "Chimay" for "she-male", Thomas has to explain: "I use it instead of Abracadabra."
