Dir. Don Scardino
100 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Steve Carell. Steve Buscemi. Jim Carrey. These are three of the coolest motherfuckers in the world. And what film brings them together for the first time? This forgettable, unfunny, generic, untimely comedy about Las Vegas magicians. The cast does what they can to elevate an iffy script, but ultimately the jokes are too "safe" to yield anything more than a cheap chuckle.
The movie begins by showing a quick backstory of how BFFs Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carrell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) became buddies as kids and grew up to be passionate headlining magicians. But, what do you know, the years wore on their show and friendship, and Wonderstone has turned into a lazy, womanizing jerk. Their show is threatened by the new and "hip" Criss Angel-type Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), a street magician who prides himself by shocking his audience. Basically the whole movie is Carrell losing everything he has until he's forced to learn how to respect the craft of magic once again, just as he did as a kid while worshipping his idol Rance Halloway (Alan Arkin).
The biggest problem with The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is Burt himself. We're supposed to root for this guy to make his comeback as a magician even though his downfall was all his own fault. He refused to keep his show fresh, he treated everyone around him like dirt, and was always ruining the tricks - why do we care if this guy "makes it" or not? All of a sudden, in the last stretch of the movie, it was like the over-the-top Wonderstone character had flipped a switch and lost every ounce of the douchebaggery we all witnessed for the last hour.
The biggest crime a comedy can commit is being unfunny. While there are a few chuckles here and there, most of the jokes fall flat. It feels dated as well, making the Olivia Wilde character, who is Burt's assistant with dreams of her own show, grow into nothing more than this jerk's girlfriend. The best part of the film is Jim Carrey, who has crept out from under from wherever he's been hiding, making whatever bullshit penguin thing, and delivers a solid performance. Although not as off-the-charts zany as Ace Ventura, Steve Grey is a silly rendition of these "extreme" magicians like David Blaine. There are some nice gags here and there, but there are vast deserts of unbroken silence between the giggles.
Burt Wonderstone has a great premise; the world of Vegas show performers is ripe for making fun of, but this just smells like a cookie-cutter PG-13 paycheck movie for Warner Brothers. It's interesting to note that some of the magic acts in the film were actually designed by David Copperfield, and it's a shame that more wasn't done to make this movie more of an "event." Seriously, was anyone excited to see this? It was just kind of dumped in theaters without any fanfare. The concept alone can not save a film, and it's surprising that director Don Scardino, writer/director for 30 Rock, couldn't have made something more inventive.
Rating: D+
Semi-Related Internet Video:
Hello, people who read this blog. If you think this is a good idea, I may post a semi-related youtube video after my reviews as extra incentive for you to be here. This clip from from The Amazing Johnathan actually mixes the worlds of comedy and magic successfully.
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